In our new virtual world, everyone is getting wired and tired. Our brains are exhausted trying to read signals and micro-expressions, but we are not seeing our fellow humans in the flesh. We are squinting at a few 2-D pixels.

 If you are desperate to connect better in this virtual environment, whether you are a manager dreading an up-coming appraisal or an L&D expert looking to impart wisdom via virtual classrooms, you could do a lot worse than listen to great radio.

How do the best presenters hook the listener in?

What questions do they ask of their guests, and how do they time their interventions? This does not just apply to speech radio – the best DJs merge in music, chat, links, and audience engagement seamlessly.

 If your aim is to connect virtually, then learn from the professionals who have been doing this for years across the radio waves. Unpick what they are doing; which bits are scripted (usually the start and end of the programme), are there pre-records inserted, what is the flow like, how does the beat and tempo vary, how do they bring variety to their voice and content?

 But what about the ubiquitous use of video in virtual communication?

Even Microsoft urge Teams users to always keep their cameras on, so surely this is a good thing? At Emailogic, through our 12-year experience of designing and delivering webinars and virtual classrooms, we believe that the use of video should be chosen selectively, at the discretion of the facilitator. Although do check your accessibility policy on this point and ask delegates in advance if anyone may need to have videos on – to lip read for example.

 This puts you in control of the session, and keeps people alert to changing modes of interaction. Most importantly, though, it enables you to hone your listening and questioning skills, and drive interaction through the webinar at the right pace through bringing in delegate engagement at the right time. No one is distracted by looking at the books on each other’s shelves, the visual content remains central, and you can draw people into the deep connection which is unique in the art of great radio.   

 Emailogic are webinar and virtual training experts. We have been teaching trainers and presenters how to design and deliver webinars for over 10 years. Our trainers are actor/trainers with experience in broadcast - they make webinars magical and teach others to do the same. To find out more visit www.emailogic.com/how-to-design-and-deliver-successful-webinars, email enquiries@emailogic.com or call one of our friendly team to see how we can help you +44 (0)203 154 6611.