How to Work With a Webinar Script Without Reading To Your Audience

If you've ever been on a webinar or webmeeting and it sounds like the speaker is just reading to you -- well, it's because they are. The anonymity of speaking without being seen and the discomfort many speakers feel talking through technology leads them to read their script.

That's something they'd never do live in front of a room full of people, so why inflict it on people virtually? Here are a couple of reasons we read to our audiences and how to avoid it.

• They can't see us, why does it matter? We've all seen the statistics on how people don't like to present at all. We would love to just stand there and read our script but we know our audience would hate it and we'd look foolish. Well, the anonymity of presenting on a webinar is perfect. They can't see me, how would they know I'm reading? Trust me, with that flat cadence we get when we're reading out loud people know, and quickly. To help you get rid of that "reading" impression, try looking up from your script when you speak, imagining real faces. Look down only to check your notes.
• I hate presenting virtually, so I'll probably get nervous if it's not written down. Presenting virtually, particularly when you're doing material you're not familiar with is nerve wracking. Your brain screams all kinds of warnings to you and it's hard to remember everything you're supposed to do and say. Click here, run a poll, read the chat, rub your head, pat your tummy -- it can be overwhelming. As trite as it sounds the best defense against this panic is comfort and practice. Practicing your webinar does not mean just flip through your PowerPoint slides muttering to yourself. It means get online (preferably with an audience) and do your presentation several times in real time.
• I need a script, what if I forget something important? There's a simple trick here for knowing what you're going to say: write it down. Just don't write it down word for word. The simplest technique is to use the Notes page in PowerPoint to outline your presentation. Don't write exactly how you're going to say something but use bullets and bold fonts to highlight points you need to make, questions you'll ask and what you're going to say to move to the next visual. Let your natural presentation style move you through it. When you've covered all the points on your notes, move on to the next visual.
• If I don't get it perfect, I'll lose credibility. 2 points here. 1) Your audience doesn't know what you're supposed to say and trying to get the wording exactly right will result in going blank and losing your place in all that text. 2) Reading to them sounds much more professional and credible, right? Audiences actually are very forgiving of minor human errors as long as you sound comfortable, in control and don't panic. They don't expect perfection, just quality information that doesn't waste their time.

When you sound relaxed and confident, your audience will be much more receptive to the content of your message. Check out this YouTube video on the subject. Photo by flickr user Max Braun CC 2.0