As far back as the 1800s, researchers figured out that “vigilance” — the ability for someone to intentionally sustain their attention on something – is never 100%. And this was long before the interwebs came around! Every webinar presenter understands the challenge.
The good news is that growing your skill as a “director of attention” in webinars and virtual events isn’t hard, it’s just different. It also just so happens that GoTo’s features make it easier than ever, to create great webinars.
Open and arrange your “at a glance” tools
A pilot’s cockpit has a dashboard to give her readings of systems and sensors. But how useful would they be if they were hidden?
The skills below are for better using tools, polls, chat, and the attention meter. They’re powerful tools, but they’re even better if you can glance at them like a dashboard.
GoTo not only gives you the tools, but it does more than that — you can arrange them (and even undock them) to personalize how your “cockpit” looks. And if you care to make it even more powerful, consider using an additional display or monitor.
Use “framing” early to push the “adaptation trigger”
How long will an audience give you to prove whether or not they should listen? Not long.
One powerful way to improve webinar attention span, as Ben Parr notes in his book Capitvology, is to adapt your introduction. To do this, he suggests, you need to find their “frame of reference” or way of seeing the world and adjust to it.
The beautiful thing about doing this in a virtual event is that it’s easier than when you’re in-person. Here’s why:
With webinar software, you can use a poll to know exactly what your audience prefers without having to pause to count raised hands. Or you can use chat and see every participant’s “nametag” equally…even those sitting in the “back row.”
For best results, when you close the poll and share the results, make a comment that specifically ties results to what the audience can expect. “Oooh, it looks like Y is more important than X and Z. We cover Y toward the end of the presentation, and when we get there, I’ll be sure to also share why Y will help you do…”
Verbally guide attention with explicit instructions of where to go and what to do
How you use language can influence webinar attention to detail and behavior. For instance, say you want to build rapport by asking attendees a question. You could just ask them, and GoTo Webinar makes it easy to submit their answer.
But you send a powerful signal to their brain when you tell them how to do it. Even if they’ve used GoTo 1000 times and know exactly where the question pane is, use a phrase like “Tell me what city you’re joining from using the questions pane on the right-hand side of…”
This also works with explicit directions such as, “Look right at the camera…see
When using polls, think, “popcorn principle.”
“Break state” when the Attentive meter indicates attention wanes a bit
The bottom line