So You Think You're Ready to Be an Online Educator?

"The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you are born
and never stops until you get up to speak in public."
Roscoe Drummond

by Skip Cohen

The pandemic has changed all the rules for so many different activities, especially public speaking. While overall things are more restricted, social media has given EVERYBODY the ability to become a presenter. At the risk of this sounding like a rant, I'm tired of people offering to help you build some aspect of your business or life who simply think they have something to say because they're online!

This isn't a new topic for me to write about. Over the years, I've probably written a half dozen posts and articles on the subject, but with so many people thinking it's time for them to teach, it's time to post a few reminders.

Whether you're online live, pre-recorded, or going back to the "old" days and presenting at a conference, NOTHING has changed in what your audience expects!

1. What's your topic? Don't bother to be a speaker if you don't have something new to share or a unique way to present the topic. It's one thing to be a great photographer, but another thing entirely to teach.
2. Truth in Advertising: Take the time to read your program description and make sure it's accurate. Your presentation need to match everyone's expectations on the topic they tuned in to hear.
3. Confidence: Do you know what you're talking about? I know you think you do, but when you have to put your heart on the line and share your thoughts, do you come across as an expert?
4. Practice, practice, practice! Nothing beats practicing! The first time out, write out everything you want to say and then practice on the delivery. Practice alone at first and then pull in some family members. The key is to be comfortable in what you're presenting. Pay attention to your timing and make sure you're not running over the allotted time for your presentation.
5. Count the "ums."  We all do it, and in the beginning, I used to "um" people to death. It's that noise we make when we're pausing to go one from one thought to another. The more nervous you are, the more the "ums" jump in. And it's even harder to avoid online because you're presenting to cyberspace. There's no one in the audience, giving you visual cues for feedback. In the first few minutes of your first online presentation you'll feel like Pink Floyd, "Is anybody out there?"  
6. Where are you looking? Remember, if you're looking at your computer screen, you're not making eye contact with your audience. You've got to be looking into the camera.
7. Relevance, humor, and balance. They all go together. If you're all work and no play, you may be perceived as wound a little tight, and your presentation is going to come off stiff. Find the balance between relevance to your topic and some fun experiences relevant to your career, and your audience. You don't need to do stand-up, just be relaxed and plug in something to laugh about here and there.
8. Always from the heart. Be honest in what you're presenting. Share your experiences in a way people can learn from your ideas.
9. Death by PowerPoint. It's an expression I heard years ago, and it's made me outrageously paranoid about some of my presentations. My challenge is the topics I speak about, which are all business/marketing related. I don't have the same visual aids, for example, as a photographer teaching lighting. I only have one way to convey my thoughts, and that's through my words. Your slides are meant to help you make a point, NOT be the point. Don't write everything you want to say on each slide. Keep the words to a minimum, but make them all keywords and concepts to things you're teaching.
10. Are you willing to commit? Becoming a great educator takes time and work. You've got a responsibility to your audience that's no different than the relationship with your clients. As a photographer, you're being trusted to listen and understand the needs of your subjects. It's no different as a speaker.
11. Be Accessible: Just like questions people have at the end of a live program at a conference, online education is no different. A great speaker needs to be available for questions outside the time for Q&A. Be accessible with your email address and encourage feedback from your audience.​

Baby steps! I've met so many artists over the years who have a great message to share, but they want to start at the top as a keynote speaker, often because they have a huge fan base in social media. Having a great fan base is terrific, but they've joined your program to hear what you have to share and learn something. 

Unlike a live audience who will stay seated through even the worst presentations, online, if your style would put a rock to sleep, people will simply leave. There are no rules for being a great audience when everyone is hidden behind the anonymity of their monitor. So, don't rush the process and start by speaking to smaller groups and then build momentum. There's nothing worse than watching a potentially great speaker crash and burn because they simply weren't prepared. ​

“Don't wait for a huge platform before you give of your best performance”
Bernard Kelvin Clive​