My first webinar

Yesterday, I presented to my first webinar audience.  It probably would have been better if I had given my first webinar within my own company, or in a more familiar forum, but I'm kind of a jump in feet first type of person, so of course, I presented my first webinar to over 300 people from all around the US.  I really didn't know what to expect, because I haven't even attended many webinars, but I figured I'd get the hang of it.

When we did our trial run, I realized that the software we were using didn't allow some of the formatting I'd planned for in my powerpoint presentation.  I also learned that because of the group size, interactivity was limited to poll questions and questions that were typed up that I could read on the side of my screen as I presented, rather than just asking the audience a question and listening to their answers.

There's a lot more multi-tasking that goes into a webinar than a live presentation, I quickly found.  I thought that presenting to a group over the phone would be easier than an in person presentation, but I found that was not the case at all.  I can't see anyone, so I have no idea if they are with me or not.  When I'm presenting, I look for eye contact, nodding of heads, etc... to let me know if I'm on the right track.  If certain topics seem to be losing people, I shift gears.

There was none of that.  It was me, in my office, talking to a computer screen.  Very odd.  The whole process made me feel quite old, actually.  LOL. 

In the end, it turned out very well, as I mentioned, I had over 300 attendees, and only 5 left during the presentation, which is very good for a group that size.  You can see the amount of attendees in the top screen, and I've attended webinars that have lost half their audience, easily.  People are dialing in from work, and if they are called away, or if the material doesn't resonate, it's very easy to just sign off.

I was really surprised how many people stayed with it.  In the end, the feedback I received was very favorable, and they've asked me to present again shortly.  As much as I don't love doing these things, I'm sure I will agree to do it again.

It's a good thing to push yourself out of your comfort zone.  As humans, we can adapt to just about anything, and each new experience is an opportunity to grow and learn and connect.  I saw the movie "Yes, Man" a while back, and while the premise of saying yes to *everything* you are presented with is a bit implausible, saying yes to things that you may not be comfortable with, can be a great life experience for you.

All of our life experiences prepare us for our future, and the greater our capacity, the more we can accomplish.