Why Do Brilliant Experts Sometimes Make Awkward Webinar Presenters?

Imagine spending twenty years becoming an expert in your field.

You know your subject inside out. You regularly advise clients, lead meetings, answer difficult questions and explain complicated information without giving it a second thought.

Then someone asks you to present a webinar.

Suddenly, you're wondering where to look, whether you're speaking too quickly and what you're supposed to do with your hands.

Sound familiar?

It's a funny thing, really. Someone can be incredibly confident in their professional environment and feel completely different the moment a webcam is switched on.

And in Financial Services, where webinars often feature investment specialists, analysts, advisers and senior executives, it's something worth talking about.

Being an expert in your field and being a natural presenter are two very different skills.

The camera changes the conversation

Think about how most professionals communicate during a normal working day.

They're having conversations with colleagues, answering questions from clients, contributing to meetings and discussing subjects they're familiar with.

There's usually someone on the other side of the conversation.

You can see whether they're following along. You notice when something needs explaining. You respond to their reactions without consciously thinking about it.

Now take all of that away.

You're sitting in front of a camera, looking at a screen, perhaps with a presentation open beside you.

You can't necessarily see the audience. You don't know whether people are nodding along or looking confused.

And you're expected to deliver the same information with the same confidence.

It's hardly surprising that some people find it unnatural.

It's not a reflection of their expertise.

It's simply a different way of communicating.

Sometimes the most knowledgeable person becomes the most scripted

Here's an interesting contradiction.

The people who know their subject best can sometimes become the most reliant on a script when presenting online.

They might be perfectly comfortable discussing financial markets with a client or answering questions during an internal meeting.

But when they're asked to deliver a formal webcast, they suddenly feel they need to prepare every sentence.

Particularly when the subject is important.

For Financial Services organisations, there are legitimate reasons why certain information needs to be carefully prepared, reviewed and communicated consistently.

An investor briefing isn't the place to improvise important figures or make unapproved statements.

But that doesn't necessarily mean every part of the presentation needs to sound as though it's being read from a document.

There's a difference between preparing what needs to be said and scripting exactly how every word should sound.

And where the subject allows it, giving speakers a little room to communicate naturally can make the experience much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Perhaps we're choosing the wrong format for the right person

This is where we think webinar planning gets particularly interesting.

If someone is an exceptional expert but doesn't enjoy delivering long presentations, why do we automatically assume they need to stand in front of 40 slides and talk for an hour?

There are other options.

An interview, for example, can be a much more comfortable format for someone who's used to answering questions.

Rather than delivering a prepared monologue, they're having a conversation with a host who can guide the discussion.

A panel can work well for specialists who enjoy exchanging perspectives with colleagues.

And a shorter presentation followed by a moderated Q&A might suit someone who's particularly good at explaining their thinking when people ask questions.

None of these formats is inherently better than a traditional presentation.

But they do give organisations more flexibility.

Instead of expecting every expert to become a professional presenter, perhaps we should think about designing events around how people communicate best.

A good host can make a big difference

We've talked before about what webinars can learn from podcasts, and this is another example.

Think about a good podcast interview.

The guest doesn't necessarily need to be an experienced broadcaster. A thoughtful host can help them feel comfortable, ask useful questions and keep the conversation moving.

The same principle applies to webinars.

A moderator can introduce subjects, bring speakers into the discussion and ask follow-up questions that help the audience understand what's being said.

They can also take some of the pressure off the expert.

Instead of worrying about the running order, transitions and when to move to the next subject, the speaker can concentrate on answering questions and sharing their knowledge.

For Financial Services events, that balance can be particularly valuable when working with busy senior professionals who have limited time to prepare.

There's a difference between preparation and over-rehearsing

Of course, a different format doesn't remove the need to prepare.

But preparation doesn't always mean running through an entire presentation until everyone can practically recite it.

Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is make the speaker comfortable with the environment.

Let them see what the webinar will look like.

Show them how their slides will appear, where their camera is positioned and how the session will begin.

Give them a chance to test their microphone and understand who will be managing the technical side.

At WorkCast, these are familiar parts of supporting presenters before online events.

And they're particularly useful for people who don't deliver webinars regularly.

The aim isn't to turn someone into a television presenter overnight.

It's to remove some of the uncertainty so they can concentrate on the subject they know so well.

The audience isn't expecting a television performance

This is probably the part worth remembering most.

When someone registers for a Financial Services webinar, they're usually interested in the subject and the people discussing it.

They might want to hear an investment specialist's perspective, understand a financial development or learn something from an experienced adviser.

They're not necessarily expecting a perfectly rehearsed television broadcast.

A presenter pausing to think before answering a question isn't a problem.

Neither is someone occasionally looking at their notes.

And a natural conversation can sometimes be far more interesting than a presentation delivered flawlessly from a script.

Professionalism still matters, of course.

But there's room for people to sound like themselves.

Let the expertise do the talking

At WorkCast, we work with organisations delivering all kinds of online events, from formal presentations to interviews and multi-speaker discussions.

And one thing we think is worth remembering is that the people delivering the content don't all need to be comfortable with the same format.

Some presenters love being on camera.

Others would much rather answer questions than deliver a prepared speech.

And some simply need a little time to get used to the experience.

That's perfectly normal.

For Financial Services teams planning their next webinar, it might be worth thinking about the people involved before settling on the format.

What are they comfortable with? How do they usually communicate? Would the audience benefit from a presentation, a conversation or a combination of both?

Because the most important thing isn't whether your expert looks like a professional presenter.

It's whether the audience gets to benefit from their expertise.

Working with subject-matter experts on your next Financial Services webinar?

WorkCast supports a range of online event formats, with self-service technology and managed event support to help speakers feel prepared and comfortable.

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