How to connect to your ‘silent audience’.

How to feel comfortable doing videos and webinars when you can’t see and hear your audience

Admission — I do not have a problem with this! After decades of experience as an actor and speaker — I have simply learnt some skills that apply even when the audience is virtual and invisible.

Does this mean I am too smug to help you?

No!

I get it! I have worked with many clients on this — and the good news is I have reverse engineered the ‘fears’ and I have the mindset/content/delivery tactics for you.

The process I use with clients is based on looking at these 3 ingredients of ‘presenting’ confidence — so let’s use these headings to do the forensics on connecting with and encouraging the ‘know/like/trust’ from your silent audience.

1. Mindset

I will start by stating the obvious — and then fill in the detail!

You need to have a ‘conversation’ mindset’ — you are not alone — you need to ‘get out of your head.’ (Not to be confused with ‘off your head’).

The minute you think ‘this is daft — I am talking to myself’ — is the moment your brain picks up that message. You brain and body are now working as a team. Your brain/body team is now committed to a project named: ‘Being Stupid’.

Great. So how do you get into a ‘conversation mindset’?

In a nutshell (so this article doesn’t become too unwieldy):

Step 1: Visualise some friendly faces the other side of the camera/screen. Use your imagination to trick your brain.

Step 2: Be enthusiastic about what you are sharing — which bring us to ingredient number 2 — ‘Content’.

2. Content

To get ‘out of your head’ and feel as if you are having an engaged conversation with your ‘silent audience’ — you need to feel enthusiastic about the content of your video/webinar!

Seems obvious when you see it written down like this — but — you are not daft if this insight has eluded you! You are human. When we are wrapped up with various ‘fears’ we lose sight of some of the more obvious rational aspects of the situation.

How do you ensure enthusiasm with your content? Again — keeping it to basics — follow these steps:

Step 1: Find the ‘Sweet Spot’. This is where ‘real you’ ‘real them’ and ‘real world’ merge. Your content must relate to you — your thing — your perspective — your experience…. PLUS it must connect to your audience (real them)! PLUS — it needs to pull from what is going on — or has gone on — or will go on — in the real world.

Step 2: Clarity! However brilliant your ideas — if they are not structured with clarity, you will waffle and wander. When you start waffling and wandering — you instinctively know you are not connecting with that silent audience — and you start going back into your own head. Your voice is less interesting, your timing is of danger of going off … and this brings us to the last ingredient — ‘Delivery’.

3. Delivery

This is where we need to consider some basic ‘performance’ skills. Non-verbals and verbals.

Non-verbals

Act as if you are in a room with your audience. Another brain/body trick. In practice this means getting in the mood before pressing ‘go’. Proper inner and outer smile, open and relaxed body language.

Check that you are in a good, inviting light with no obvious ‘confusions’ behind you.

Verbals

Warm your voice up before pressing ‘go’. Breathe from your diaphragm and do a few hums, ‘ooh and aahs’ or even singing!

Watch your pace and pitch. Allow for pauses — as if you were listening to your silent audience and getting their response. Repeat important points — and lead people from one idea to the next — be their guide in your delivery style. Avoid going ‘monotone’ — put some variety and warmth into your voice. (You can practice this by using your voice record app on your phone — read things and listen back.)

To sum up on talking to your ‘silent audience’ comfortably.

You can do this! You are not odd to find it hard. Like every other skill — it just needs tactics and practice.

Explore and enjoy — with a curiosity vibe! Remember — it all starts with an ‘unsquashed’ you.