“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”– Mark Twain
Over the last few years, events have transitioned from having an on-ground presence into what has been a largely virtual arena. This has been an enormous learning curve for all stakeholders involved, like
event organizers, attendees and speakers.
Apart from technical issues like slides in smaller fonts, poor video quality, glitches and poor audio, event speakers have had their own set of challenges to overcome when it comes to speaking at virtual events, like not meeting
attendee expectations and lack of refined speaker guidelines.
The most significant parameter for speakers is to completely satisfy their audiences especially on the lines of what was promised to them. Failure to do that results in damaging the event’s reputation at large.
Let’s see how speakers can refine their methods and practices when it comes to curating engaging content and hosting a virtual event:
Craft Guidelines Envisaging the End in Mind!
Every virtual event planning speaker wants their audience to stay captivated throughout their session. To achieve that, it’s important not just to start off on a strong note but start off having the end in mind.
Craft your keynote akin to a story that has a great end! In this context, by the end of your session you should ideally have solved an issue which your presentation was based upon or led your audience towards a call to action!
Deliver a Catchy Core Message!
Take your time and think of a core message that could truly stay with your audiences long after the event is over! This message should be repeated in frequent intervals and should be memorable in nature. Something that sticks in your mind, the moment it’s said!
The core message needs to be crafted to capture the crux of the issue or topic your session is based upon, something that steers the attendees towards a potential CTA.
Identify and Alter the Why in Your Session Template!
When jotting down a template for a session at any event, look to find why are you being invited to talk at that event and what purpose your talk would fulfil.
Find out what attendees tend to like and dislike, things they would love to learn about, and topics they wouldn’t really associate with. Aligning your session template to fit with the attendee and event profile will make your talk or keynote more immersive and leave attendees with the feeling of having their time valued.