a speaker’s guide to virtual performancesvi… · a speaker’s guide to virtual performances ......

A Speaker’s Guide to Virtual Performances

© 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.

2 3© 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved. © 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.

It’s what we do best.

We also know that you need to do

more virtual presentations right now,

so we put together this primer to help

you shine when the webcam light

turns green.

But listen ...

While you’ll do your best to create

an entertaining and educational

experience, it’s just not going to be like

being in the room. So let’s not pretend

that it’s the same thing.

Here’s an example of this. On Thursday,

I got a text from someone on our team:

First of all, shame on the “thousands

of people” that didn’t text this to me.

Laura was actually the only one (thank

you, Laura).

I love Dave Matthews. So, of course,

Amy and I watched Dave sing his heart

out from the comfort of our home as

he masterfully crafted an hour-long

performance from his music studio above

his garage. In return, Verizon streamed it

and donated $2 million to charity.

I’m sure many watched it; perhaps you

did, too.

… But if the cost would have been $300,

I wouldn’t have tuned in. And this is

coming from a mega-fan. This is coming

from someone that paid $300 per seat

to see him live last summer.

An in-person experience is a

transformational experience. A webinar

generally can’t replicate that in quite the

same way, even with the perfect mic and

warm soft lighting. So, rather than pretzel

yourself imagining you can replicate

the same exact experience on a virtual

webinar, think about how you can create

a meaningful, albeit different, experience

for the people watching.

It’s ok to reset your expectations.

Audiences are already resetting their

expectations, too.

There’s a lot of tech wizards that can

tell you what software to use. There’s

a lot of interior designers advising how

to create beautiful-but-not-distracting

backgrounds. And, videographers can

teach you the rule of thirds. All of this is

good, valuable stuff.

At Heroic Public Speaking, we’re known

for turning speakers into performers so

that they can create transformational

experiences for live audiences.


And I have no doubt we will be

back in the room, together.

It might take months, but events

will come roaring back. And even

more people will participate in

them because they’ll have missed

the transformational experience

that you can only get when

sharing that experience with other

humans, shoulder to shoulder.

If you’re starting to think speaking

is not a viable career, think again.

You might not be speaking this

month or next or even the next.

But speakers (and the audiences

that love to hear them) will be out

full force again soon enough.

Until we meet in person, here’s a

primer to set you up for the world

today. Your craft is already by your

side; here’s a reminder of how to

take advantage of it, with a full

heart and clear head.

At Heroic Public Speaking, we focus on teaching transformational experiences for people in the room.

4 © 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved. © 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.


Do

THINK OF THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCESThe given circumstances of any scenario dictate how the

audience feels, and it drives their needs and expectations.

Holiday shopping is fun: there’s twinkling lights, hot chocolate,

and vividly dressed store displays. But holiday shopping on

Christmas Eve … at the gas station … with your last 5 bucks …

paints an entirely different experience.

So what does this mean for our work as speakers and

visionaries with big ideas? It means that during a global

pandemic we cannot ignore the impact of these events on

our audiences.

At Heroic Public Speaking, we consistently talk about serving

your audiences. Now, we have even more responsibility to

consider audience needs with ever increasing specificity

and intention.

FeelHear

Understand

What does my audience need to…

“I need to feel more

emotionally welcomed

in this relationship.”

“I’m not a mind reader, so if you have something you need

me to know, you had better spit it out...”

“...while you wash

up the dishes!”

“You never

tell me you’re

grateful for me.”

6 © 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.


“What are the most interesting

and effective ways of presenting this

material to my audience?”

To that end, structural and performative contrast in your

work are even more necessary in a digital performance

landscape. Sitting at a desk … in the corner of your basement

… staring down at your computer camera … does not make

for a transformative audience experience.

Here are ways to continue to build the given circumstances into your existing content:

See what works. Iterate.

Exercises

Quotes

Music

Data sets

Stories

Signaturebits

Props

Case studies

... And all other manner of things theatrical and educational.

Jokes

Moments of reflection

Staging


Contextualmodels

9


Wireless lavalier microphone(s).Having a wireless microphone means that you can

get up out of your chair, walk around the space, be

fully expressed in your whole body, and make more

dynamic performance choices.

Pre-amp and boom microphone(s). Most of the time, our basic computer equipment

works just fine; however, if you’re looking to add

some tech to uplevel and add polish, a boom mic is

a reasonable investment.

Ring light.Again, you don’t have to have one. I’ve seen folks

work some magic with natural lighting and/or

household lamps gathered up and strategically

placed around the performance space, but getting

the lighting right is worth a little investment (if you

can afford it, of course). Look for a ring light that

gives off a warm tone, which is more inviting then

the colder blue-hued ones.

AMONG THESE ARE:

SKIP THE GREEN SCREENSYou don’t need to run out and buy a lot of expensive

equipment that you might not know how to use.

However, there are a few things that would be helpful for

you to have in order to create a professional and effective

digital performance.



There are a lot of neat digital

effects you can play with, like intro/

outro music, rolling credits, and

fancy, schmancy green screens.

That being said, less can be more,

and remember:

If your material is not good, no

amount of effects will save you.

These elements enhance your work,

but they aren’t your work.

Plus, there’s something really great

about getting to see a person’s

home. Isn’t that what’s exciting

about going to a new friend’s house

for the first time? Don’t people

enjoy showing you around their

home, and isn’t it fun to look at all

their stuff?

And you get a lot of information

about a person by seeing how they

live. It’s an intimate experience to be

welcomed into someone’s home. So,

if you’re broadcasting from home,

embrace it. Your real background,

when thoughtfully constructed,

is infinitely more powerful,

entertaining, and authentic.

13© 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.


REMEMBER:

WHAT DOES THE WORLD LOOK LIKE TO YOUR AUDIENCE?We should consider our material in light of the current climate.

This doesn’t mean we need to toss out our current message and

rewrite everything. Instead, we should be prepared to adapt by:

• Rewriting the Moment of Reflection. The synthesis/meaning/

moral/point of the story. But keep the story “as is.”

• Changing up the metaphors. We recently worked with a speaker

who had written that something joyful was “infectious like a

virus.” We decided to change this metaphor.

• Swapping out case studies. Swapping in a case study from an

organization that has recently been in the news, for example,

suddenly makes the whole talk more relevant.

• Shifting Tactics. Changing some of the actions we’re playing

with our audience. Maybe your initial action was to confront

your audience, with jarring data. But now, when you look at your

audience’s faces they seem exhausted or scared, and they’re

looking to you for ideas and leadership. Somehow, confrontation

with data just doesn’t feel like the most effective action to play.

So, consider what will be more in line with what your audience

needs now, given the change in circumstances. Maybe your

opening action is now to delight. Or perhaps try to comfort and

see how that creates a domino effect of change in your actions.

14

Coming from a theatrical stage tradition,

we can attest to how the stage can be

more forgiving. In-person audiences are

more ready to suspend their disbelief.

But film, as a medium, is less forgiving.

You blink because you have a piece of

dust in your eye, but the camera sees

human behavior and gesture ripe with

meaning. Suddenly, one piece of errant

dust reads as conniving and sinister.

I’m exaggerating here slightly, but my

point stands.

It’s okay though; just make sure that you

continue to lean into your speaker warm-

up exercises, which will help release

tension from your body. Just like always.

Rehearse your content. Just like always.

And most importantly, remember why

you love doing this. Just like always.

The details have even more weight. Everything is high-definition. Also, we see everything, and we assign our own

meaning to it.



WE ARE HERE TO CAPTURE THE LARGENESS OF LIFE(YES, EVEN NOW)Do not fall into the trap of winging it; you are not just sitting in a

chair and chatting.

The comfort of your home office space and your kids playing in

the room next door may lull you into believing that your message

is less urgent than it is, or that the call to action is less immediate

for your audiences.

You may find yourself, instinctively, wanting to make smaller

physical and vocal choices as you think...

No need to blow my online audience’s hair back, this isn’t

a 1,000 person venue. I don’t need to support my sound in

the same way that I would if I was performing on a stage. I

don’t need to rehearse for this ... I’m in my own living room …

without any pants!

Wear the pants.

16

All of these thoughts, while

understandable, will ultimately only

serve to water down your effectiveness,

zap your entertainment value, and dry

up your Zoom room leads.

Sometimes a stage performer with a

live audience can “get by” by throwing a

lot of unfocused energy and enthusiasm

around the stage. They aren’t sure of

what exactly they should be doing with

their body in space, but it feels like

that energy should go … somewhere …

so they jump around, stalk the stage,

sway side-to-side. It’s not an effective

speaker choice in any environment, but

our digital performances cannot survive

the same amount of imprecision.

Speakers at bigger conferences, whose

work may fall in a line-up of other

speakers and dynamic materials, can

benefit from the wave of energy and

enthusiasm that the success of the

event is generating – or by how great

the audience is feeling because the

last speaker knocked it out of the park.

But in a digital speaker landscape,

we don’t have the intrinsic benefits of

community energy. Our audience is

much less captive.

You need to be more rehearsed and more

intentional: not less.



DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT REQUIRES RUTHLESS EDITING

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The best advice I can give here is something I

gleaned from a former acting teacher. He would

scream at us,

“GO TO THE MEAT!”

… And then emphatically pound his heart with his

tightly balled fist, vein bulging in his forehead.

But really: keep it short, exciting, and essential.

Create moments of curiosity. Start at the crisis

point and backfill exposition. And when you’ve said

what you really need to, stop.

Like Forrest Gumps says…

“And that’s all I have to say about that.”



THINK OF HOW TO INTERACT WITH YOUR SPACEConsider the visual world of your digital performances. Without

the benefit of stage lighting, pipe-and-drape, or mega-tron TV

screens, you may have to get a tad crafty by investing a little

time and attention into creating your performance space.

In addition to some of the more obvious considerations to do

with sound-bleeding, lighting, and sitting vs. standing, you should

also consider evoking an emotional response in your audience.

20

Is it important that your audience feel

that you’re deeply knowledgeable and

an academic authority? Maybe include a

bookshelf on your set.

Or is it more important to evoke a sense

of nostalgia? Playfulness? Accessibility?

What spaces in your home are most

conducive to that? What objects bring

flavor, color, texture and meaning to

your world? What objects help clarify

your big idea? Go shopping around

your house.

Yes, your housemates and significant

others may think you’ve finally cracked

when they see you rearranging your

furniture, gathering up all your house

lamps, or crawling into your closet in full

hair and make up … but, perhaps, they

aren’t pursuing the mastery of their craft

at this time, in the name of evoking an

audience’s emotional response.

We’re at home, so let’s make the

best of this unique opportunity of not

presenting against a flat grey wall.

We’re in our kitchens! So let’s be in our

kitchens. Start your talk by pouring a cup

of coffee, pulling up to the dining room

table, and welcoming your digital visitors

into your home. If your first action is to

comfort, this could be a great way to

start your digital performance and build

an atmosphere that supports your brand

and content.

21© 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved. © 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.


IGNORE THE PETS AND KIDS(OR PERHAPS INCLUDE THEM)Do you remember when the thing everyone was most upset

about was audience cell phones going off? And various Broadway

stars were popping off at audience members. And there was that

one guy who tried to plug his phone in on the show’s set … and

people were aflame about it all.

People walk in and out of the room. Babies cry. It’s never ideal,

but it happens.

And we deal with it in one of two simple ways:

1. A brief interruption: ignore it and keep it pushing.

2. Recognize it and incorporate the distraction: it will set your

audience at ease and allow you to keep pushing through.

22

While working and performing from

home, things happen. Phones ring. People

walk in and out of the room. Babies still

cry. It’s not ideal, and sometimes, a baby

running into your big talk is actually rather

endearing, and becomes a memorable

moment.

Remember that video clip of the

professor commentating for BBC via

livestream? All of a sudden, his child

toddles into view. And then a baby in a

walker. And then the mother, with such

desperate gusto, grabs the children.

It’s hilarious, memorable and really

endeared us at home to the speaker’s

wife that comes flying in. Yeah she’s

great. We love his wife.

What’s that?

Oh yeah, we said endeared the wife, not

the speaker.

Why?

The speaker pretends he doesn’t see

the scene unfolding behind him. It was a

wooden, strange, and unnatural response.

But imagine if he had just said, warmly

and naturally, “Hey, that’s my daughter.

And my baby. And my wife.” … and then he

went back to his very serious broadcast.

Or any number of other sweet, simple,

and authentic interactions which would

have been more of a win than a loss.

Screenshot from “Children interrupt BBC News interview - BBC News” by BBC News, YouTube.



Within the virtual performance landscape, it’s especially important to think through

how you will end your performance. Consider: what is the last thing your audience will

hear you say or see you do? What are you sending your virtual audience members out

the digital door with?

Don’t rush through, or throw away, your ending. More than just a recap of everything

you’ve already said, and more than a rushed list of follow up items prattled off like a

6th grade teacher that forgot to assign the homework before the bell rang, the end is,

some writers say, the God Moment.

In our storytelling curriculum at Heroic Public Speaking, we give specific and special

attention to the two peak audience moments:

The most emotionally impactful moment.

The end.

We love performance and storytelling because it pulls back a little curtain, and allows

us to peek into the window of people’s lives. How they think. How they live. What they

value. And stories and performance pull back the curtain on our shared humanity.

So lean into your given circumstances, your surroundings, and your most authentic self.

You don’t need to pretend that you’re on an MGM studio lot. There is a lot to be gained

from you sharing your big idea from your kitchen table.

In fact, I’m pretty sure most revolutions start around a kitchen table. The God Moment is that brief, shining

moment in time when the work is complete, something has been achieved, and there

is insight where there was none before.

It’s a glorious feeling, for audience

members and performers alike. And,

in mere seconds, the God Moment will

be over. Life will resume, there will be

new issues to face, the performance will

start again.

So let your audience enjoy the end of the

transformational audience experience

you’ve created.

End with a bang—not a whimper.

25© 2020 Heroic Public Speaking®. All rights reserved.


Now go save the world.


a speaker’s guide to virtual performancesvi… · a speaker’s guide to virtual performances ......

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