We need better web presentations. There are so many opportunities out there. I think I can help more people learn how to speak, and I can help people learn how to speak better.

If I were to coach someone on how to give a better remote presentation, what could I help them with?

• Finding something to talk about: testing your ideas through blogs, shared presentations, and webinars
• Refining your message: figure out the next steps, the key message, and any supporting points
• Supporting your story: planning how your slides will support your talk, and revising them to be more engaging
• Pitching your talk: tweaking your title, abstract, bio, and picture; finding venues
• Planning for interaction: how to make the most of webinar tools, how to engage the audience
• Technical setup: familiarizing yourself with the system, getting your webcam going, cleaning up your background and lighting; testing everything beforehand
• From presentations to conversations: getting used to the back-and-forth of backchannels, working with a host/moderator
• Dealing with Murphy: What to do when things go wrong
• Asking for feedback: Running surveys and learning from them
• Reaping the rewards: Capturing assets, scaling up through sharing

In addition, I can help give feedback on their presentation content and delivery. Personally, I prefer focusing on content and organization rather than just ums and ahs, so you’ll get more substantive editing from me than surface editing.

Hmm. I think that might be interesting to explore. I’d learn a lot, other people would learn a lot, and I’d write up and share that with even more people. It might be some time away, or it might be an extracurricular thing if I can clear it with IBM, or plans might change. =) I’ll probably start with just one student first.

Would you like to hear from me if I do set up something like that? What would you like to see in it? Leave a comment or contact me and tell me what you think!