BYPASS the BIO's! Tips for Virtual Hosts and Presenters

"I get a little itchy when I don't have some kind of control." - Amy Poehler

How do you feel when a host says, "Before we begin, let me tell you a bit about myself" or "I want to start by sharing the bios of our speakers."

Does it make you want to run from the (virtual) room?

Join the club. There are a number of reasons we find that frustrating.

#1. It’s rarely a little. It’s often a listicle that quickly becomes INFObesity.

#2. It clearly transmits that the host thinks s/he is the most important person in the room.

#3. It assumes we want to know more about you. Chances are, we've already read the bio's in the marketing material or meeting announcement.

#4. It presumes credentials are what motivates us to listen. Actually, cutting to the chase and delivering useful insights is what gets our attention, trust and respect.

#5. It makes us feel helpless, that events are out of control.

So, what are more effective ways to begin online meetings? Try these:

1. There is no present like the time. Waiting for stragglers rewards late-comers and penalizes on-timers. The only way people can feel they're in control of their time is if the host starts and ends on time and hold people accountable for their time.
2. Be a welcoming host. Many hosts jump into tech instructions including "Put yourself on MUTE." Yikes. You wouldn't welcome guests into your home and the first words out of your mouth are "Stay silent!" Why do that online? Instead, smile and use gracious words like "glad," "look forward," "appreciate." "I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for joining us. I look forward to hearing your updates."
3. Pleasantly surprise people by immediately adding value. Get people's eyebrows up (a sure sign of intrigue) with something relevant and useful. You might want to share a one-line quote and then hook and hinge it back to the purpose of the meeting.
4. Keep it brief or they'll give you grief. Do all the above in 3 minutes. People have ZZZoom Fatigue these days from being online all day. The clock starts ticking the second you start talking. If you aren't into the purpose of the meeting withing three mintues, people are already impatient because events are "out of control."

Want some examples of relevant openings that have people at hello?

You want might want to quote Arthur Rubenstein, “I have found if you love life; life will love you back." Then, segue into, “I love this topic. To help you love it back, I promise NOT to waste your valuable time and mind on ivory tower theories that aren’t relevant to your world. Instead we’ll focus on real-life ideas you can use immediately to improve your effectiveness on and off the job. Sound good? Let’s go."

Or cite Richard Branson who said, ‘Time is the new money.’ and say, 'I think time is the new TRUST. You’ve carved time out of your busy schedule to be here. So you can TRUST this will be time well spent, here is our agenda. I promise to stick to it and end on time.”

Or perhaps you could share Carrie Fisher’s quote, “Instant gratification takes too long” and then say, “You may be wondering how this program will be an ROI for you. Well, here are three ways it can benefit you THIS WEEK. The first way is …”

Or reference this quote from Jeff Bezos, "The only danger is not to evolve." In these times of Covid19, we need to evolve how we approach clients. Our goal is to clarify how we can do that in the next 30 days so we can stay relevant and solvent in these challenging times."

And if you're speaking to skeptics and worry they won't listen unless they know your background, say “You may be thinking, ‘Why are you an authority on this?' Good question. Here’s a 60 second background so you can trust the best practices I’ll be sharing today are based on proven, real-world lessons-learned you can apply immediately.”

By keeping your bio(s) brief, you're providing evidence of your expertise and making it clear your priority is delivering bottom-line value to participants.

So, what’s a Zoom Meeting, online summit, or webinar you'll be hosting? 

How will you pleasantly surprise people with an opening that causes them to think, “I’m glad I’m here. If THIS is an example of your approach and priorities, I’m in.”

Or if it’s a tough crowd, at least they’ll think, “This isn’t as boring as I thought it was going to be. I’m giving it a chance.”

Either way, you'll have EARNED everyone's attention, and isn't that what we all want?

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Want more ways to engage people? Check out Sam Horn’s books POP!, Tongue Fu! SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week,Washington Post bestseller Got Your Attention? and her 3 TEDx talks.  Discover why her work has been featured in New York Times, Fast Company, on NPR, and presented to Intel, Cisco, NASA, Accenture, Capital One, YPO.