The other day I suggested that it might be wise, in our hour of greatest anxiety, to turn off the (expletive) news. Today, I am suggesting you turn it back on for a bit.

Let me explain.

Stealing ideas has always been an honored practice in my previous life as a graphic designer. The belief was that there were no new ideas, just modifications and updates of old ideas.

I think that is mostly true. If you have a totally new idea that you are sure that no one has ever thought of and you are sure you can sell a million of them and get rich, you are most likely mistaken. The reality is that others have probably thought of it first, tried it and it didn’t work.

Sorry. I know that the eyeglasses windshield wipers idea sounded like a real winner.

I have always looked to others for inspiration. In graphics, I mined creativity from tags on high-end clothes at fancy shops, greeting cards and fabric stores (they have amazing ideas for color combinations) to name just a few. If I was designing a brochure for a very conservative product, I would often check out the brochures at my bank.

The point is people have already done all the heavy lifting for you. Learn from them. Modify. Make it yours.

So, we come to how to be an effective presence online. The answer is simple.

Check out the national evening news.

Whoa there. I know there are a million objections to this crazy advice…

But they have fancy background graphics and sets.

But they have a control room full of technicians with satellites that can instantly switch from a super cool set in New York to Main Street in Lander, Wyoming.

But they have beautiful people…

There is still a lot to learn.

Check out the anchors and the field reporters. How do they stand or sit? How do they address the camera? How close or far away are they? How are they lit? Do they smile a little, a lot, or all the time? How do they sound? How fast or slow do they speak? How much or little do they say? What do they do with their hands?

There is a lot to learn. After all, these companies have done endless consultant studies and focus groups to figure out what works.

Learn from their research, try it for yourself. Record, watch, edit and get better.

Then checkout Ted Baxter on YouTube for a few old-school laughs.

Be well,

Tom

PS – We’re still open. Every day, I sweep the sidewalk, open the front doors and bake the pizzas. Come on by for the best handmade presentation coaching in town. Just like in the old country, except better.

Try our introductory quarantine special — a free 45-minute discovery call to see if we can help you get better — either for remote or in-person presentations. When it’s time for you to get back in the game, you’ll be ready.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak

The rule of thirds? I don’t need no stinking rules.

I never thought I needed this silly rule of thirds to help me be a good graphic designer — I can be such a contrarian, crank old man.

For the non-designers in the group here’s a definition from some far-off corner of the inter-web: The rule of thirds means dividing up your image area into a 3×3 gird and then placing important design elements on one of those lines or at the intersection of those grid lines.

I have heard this for my entire career as a designer and have often thought that I was “above that silly rule.”

However, here is one place where we all could use this helpful advice: Use it to place ourselves in a frame during an online presentation or meeting.

Adjust your laptop or your camera so that your eyes align with that imaginary grid line one third down from the top of the frame.

This will get you away from that lumpy, frog-like appearance of peeking into the bottom of the frame that seems to be the current default in most remote offerings. You can center yourself left to right in the frame if you wish, but as long as you have your eyes on that top grid line you will be good.

If in doubt watch what they do on the 6 o’clock news. Then turn off the ****ing news – who needs all that gloom and doom?

That’s it from cranky…

Peace and love,

Tom

P.S. I coach people to present more better – either online or (if we ever do it again) in-person.

A free 45-minute discovery call can be all yours. We’ll talk. We’ll joke. We’ll see if we can help you get better when it’s time for you to get back in the game.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak

When I decided to create an online course way back in 2018, I knew I had a lot of information and strategies to share with the folks who would join my course. I also knew I could organize and present this material in a logical, easy to implement manner. I wanted everyone who bought my lessons to benefit from their purchase and to get maximum value.

What I didn’t know was how to deliver this material to them.

I soon settled on a combination of video, audio files and transcripts plus numerous worksheets to allow them to process their particular contents in their own way and create great presentations.

But I still had a roadblock – I had little experience on camera.

I was very comfortable in-person before any size group. I could connect. I could be confident, humorous and empathetic. I could deliver what I call a WOW experience. I knew how to do all that stuff pretty well. What I didn’t know was video.

So, I got a camera and shot myself. A lot.

The first 50 videos were horrible. The next 50 not quite so bad. And so on.

I videoed and then watched. And I would edit them — which is like watching them on steroids. You see everything when you edit.

The things a hated in my looks, my mannerisms, my inflections, etc. I fixed or minimized.

Some things that initially bothered me I soon realized were part of me and I began to accept my peculiarities.

This is a long way of saying I got good at and comfortable with being on video. I shot over 250 videos to get the 50 or so that are in my course. Many of the culls were horrible but valuable. They taught me a lot.

I became confident, conversational and real.

This is how YOU will get better on Zoom or GoToMeeting or any other platform.

Start today. Open Zoom or whatever. Record your presentation or a part of it. You don’t need to share it with anyone. Make it as real as possible. Then watch it (this is the important part). Do a debrief. Make notes – what did you like? What did you hate? What can you do to improve it?

And then tomorrow, record it again. And again. And again.

You will get better. Much better.

Then start to share with a trusted buddy. Find someone you know to be honest but not too rough. You watch them – they watch you. You can trade ideas and notes and you will both be amazing.

And if our current duck and cover routine remains for any length of time you will be an online rockstar presenter by the time this is all over.

Your career will skyrocket. The online presentation groupies will flock to you. You will motivate and connect and sell.

Getting good as an online presenter will be an absolute superpower when we all get back to work. And you can do this. Introvert. Extrovert. Any vert you are. Everyone of us can get way better.

And here is the little secret we all know: everyone sucks at this right now. Just watch any online meeting or presentation. Everyone is terrible. The bar is set so low. You will be able to totally smoke your competition when this is all over.

Especially the whiny guy in the next cubicle. Think how much fun it will be to leave him in your dust.

So, start now. Put on a nice top or shirt. Keep the PJ bottoms — no one will know. And get going. You are going to be amazing.

Stay well and prosper. OK???

Tom

P.S. I actually have a day job. I help people supercharge their presentations online or in-person. If you want to get really, really good at this thing, I can help you get there.

Let’s talk. I offer a free 45-minute discovery call. It’s all about you and how you can become a much more effective communicator whether it’s online or in-person.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak

It is pretty crazy out there. If you are fortunate(?) enough to be stuck at home with nothing to do, here is a free full download of my eBook: “Pro Secrets to Online Presentations.”

There is a lot of useful stuff in there. Tips. Tricks. Strategies. Step-by-step. Even a Quick Start Guide for tomorrows meeting.

No need to login or anything else — just download it.

Then, when we get cranked up again, you will be an online superstar and smoke your lazy competition.

And you can still work in your Batman PJs.

http://ready2speak.com/pro-secrets-to-superstar-online-presentations-2-0/

Hope this helps…
Be well. Stay safe,

Tom

In my daily early morning review of our current situation I came across an interview on USA Today between their reporter, Ken Alltucker and ex. CDC head, Dr. Tom Frieden.

It was a perfect example of what the average dull online experience is vs. a top-notch professional look.

First the reporter on the left. This is the normal run-of-the-mill look. A few things that make this so mediocre by comparison.

• He uses room light. No lighting on his face makes the image dull and unexciting.
• The bright light source from the window behind him puts his face into a shadow.
• The earphones aren’t too bad but they don’t add much to a professional look either.
• This is probably shot using the cheap laptop camera. Dull and uninspiring.
• He was dressed in business casual — not a bad look, but in comparison, it was unremarkable.
• Finally, the most common online sin: he was looking at the image on the screen instead of into the camera. He did this throughout the interview.

In contrast Dr. Frieden, was obviously used to appearing on camera in high-stakes situations so he wanted to be at his best. Here’s what he did in comparison:

• He had professional lighting (not necessarily that expensive) directly on his face.
• He had a subtle, neutral and non-distracting background.
• No earphones or earbuds.
• He used a much better camera. They are not that expensive and you can see the difference in the sharpness, contrast and color.
• He was in a jacket and tie. He looked professional.
• He looked into the camera the entire interview. He spoke directly to the audience.

Little things make a big difference online. Is it time to supercharge your game?
Shoot me an email at Tom@ready2speak.com — we can discuss.