The 3 Stages of Virtual Event Success for Messengers, Change Agents & Thought Leaders help business owners understand what part of the virtual event process they should be responsible for so they can free up their time to share their message with the world.

Let’s look at Stage #3 – Presence: How Do You Want to Be Perceived

Nothing is more painful than being on a conference call or webinar and hearing a distracted, un-confident and poorly trained host try to facilitate the virtual session.

I’ve been on calls like that as an attendee, a guest expert and even found myself bumbling like a fool as a host. When I bumble like a fool in the hosting chair, it’s because I’m not prepared.

Hosting sessions virtually can be nerve wrecking, primarily because you can’t see your audience. Even if you have experience speaking in front of large crowds or training groups in a classroom, it’s a totally different beast trying to facilitate an audience you can’t see.

When you sound like you don’t know what you’re doing, attendees squirm, speakers take over and you lose control. Then, speakers walk away with a perception that you’re an idiot and attendees start asking for their money back.

That’s what presence is and that’s what you need to work on as a host. Because you’re front and center over multiple sessions, your ability to handle mistakes, muck-ups and missteps with grace will spell the difference between a telesummit that makes you look good and one that relegates you to the ranks of “not worth it.”

The right training can help you foresee challenges and become even more confident as a host. My Virtual Event Host Tips home study program can help you prepare for the most important role of host so you don’t sound or look like a newbie.

Because…

• It’s not cool to forget the title of the session. It embarrasses your speaker making them think you just don’t care. So, how do you prepare for that?
• It’s not cool to mispronounce a speaker’s name and then have him or her correct you in front of your audience. It shows that you’re not prepared. So, how do you prepare for that?
• Body language can be read virtually. Do you know how? The right training can teach you.
• How can you prepare for a panel so it runs without you? The right training can teach you how.

Presence is one part reputation and another part personality. You need to let you shine through.

I know one telesummit host who loves to share made up words while facilitating sessions. It’s fun to listen to her host because I add new words to my vocabulary every time I hear her speak.

Me, I love to tell stories, so when I facilitate virtual sessions, I tell a story to help illustrate a point a speaker just made.

So while you’re working on building a reputation through your telesummit or virtual event, you should also decide on what sort of personality you want to convey to your audience.

Presence isn’t about copying someone else’s style. It’s about finding your own.