Presenter Guide Template - The National MSP Network

Presenter Guide - Webinars

Important Deadlines

Presentation Guidelines

Platform & Specifications

Live Q&A for Virtual Presentations

Presenter Tech-Check

Technical Tips for Virtual Presentations

Tips to Keep Your Virtual Audience Engaged

Day-of Session

Welcome

Thank you for your commitment to serve as a presenter for The National MSP Network's monthly webinars. Please let this serve as your official presenter guide. Please bookmark this page for easy reference. If you have any questions, please email us at info@mspnetwork.org.

Important Deadlines

Session title, description and 3-4 learning objectives Due 6 weeks prior to webinar date.
Confirmed Speaker Questionnaire (with bio, CV and headshot) Due 6 weeks prior to webinar date.
Session Polls to incorporate in Zoom Due 1 week prior to webinar date.
Presentation and supplementary materials (as applicable) Due 1 week prior to webinar date.

Presentation Guidelines

POWERPOINT GUIDANCE

MSPN requests the use of the official MSPN PowerPoint template. As a reminder, we do request the following for all presentations:

Slide 2 must contain the disclaimer: Per The National MSP Network guidelines, all presentations must open with identification that the material to be discussed is that of the presenter and is in no manner to be considered the opinion of The National MSP Board or Alliance. In no manner should this presentation be considered legal advice. This presentation is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be a platform for self promotion. Self-promotion prohibits speakers from any future presentation.
The final slide should list presenter credentials and contact information.

Please submit the final version of your PowerPoint in .PPT or .PPTX to info@mspnetwork.org. A PDF version of your presentation will be made available to attendees pre- and post-event. If you have slides, such as trivia or active learning exercises, please submit both presentations for distribution and for live presentation.

When preparing and designing your presentation, you may reference the following tips for adult learning:

Platform & Specifications

The sessions will be hosted on Zoom Webinar, which allows speakers to deliver content via real-time or pre-recorded talks and join for interactive text chat and live Q&A. With Zoom Webinar, all participants' videos and mics are turned off, but may be turned on if the host allows. This can be done when a person wants to ask a live question and "raises their hand."

Zoom webinars also allows polls for an engaging and interactive activity. Please send poll questions in advance to allow our staff to prepare appropriately.

Live Q&A for Virtual Presentations

As meetings are held virtually, it is important to keep the audience engaged as much as possible.

Real-time presentation: In designing your presentation, please allow time for Q&A either throughout your presentation, or at least 10 minutes at the end.

Pre-recorded presentation: Presenters are requested to be available to answer questions by chat during the recorded presentation, and be available for the 10 minutes at the end of the presentation time for live Q&A.

Presenter Tech-Check

MSPN staff will be holding tech-checks for all presenters within 2 weeks of the presentation. The tech-check will be held via Zoom for the purpose of testing presenter's audio and video, as well as practice share screens, active learning tools, and run through the logistics of the meeting. Please allow 20-30 minutes for this tech-check when scheduling.

Technical Tips for Virtual Presentations

Audio – as counterintuitive as it may sound, the single most important factor in a good video, is the audio quality.
Eliminate ambient noise – close the doors and windows. You’d be surprised how much environmental noise gets picked up.
Lighting – Do not put lights overhead and don’t put any lights or windows behind you as they will alter the light levels in your videos and create shadows. Sources of light should be behind the camera. Use as much natural light as possible.
Background – don’t be afraid to show your natural environment – bookcases, plants, paintings – as long as they are not too distracting.
Framing – place yourself slightly off-center to the left or right rather than directly in the middle of the frame.
Camera Height – the lens should either be directly level or pointing ever so slightly downwards towards your face.
Microphone - built in microphones on computers and cameras are lower quality - use external microphone if at all possible. Have the microphone as close to your mouth as possible, but not in the camera view.
Stand – we recommend you stand during your presentation to help project your voice and improve your posture. However, if you’re more comfortable sitting, then please do (but avoid chairs that swivel).
Timer – Have a clock to keep track of the time you have remaining.

Source:https://www.greatspeech.co/video-presentations/

Tips to Keep Your Virtual Audience Engaged

Learn the Content: Familiarity with the content allows a speaker to focus on presenting, rather than trying to remember the points to make. To minimize worry about forgetting elements of the presentation, include notes in your presentation file and have a printout of your script or talking points.
Practice Makes Perfect: Speakers should practice their content delivery in the environment in which they will deliver it, such as in front of a computer. Presenting alone to a computer can be awkward at first. To make speakers more comfortable, ask colleagues, roommates, or family to sit in front so they can present to familiar faces.
Understand the Tools: Speakers should understand and utilize the content options available to them, to maximize the effectiveness of the presentation technology. It’s important to know the basic functions of the software, e.g. how to advance slides, manage Q&A or chats, before the presentation.
Speak Up: Check audio levels before presenting, but also make sure to breathe at regular intervals to speak audibly and clearly. Maintaining a clear, even tone throughout the presentation will allow the audience to hear it without adjusting their volume settings.
Look at Your Camera: If presenting via video, remember, the webcam is your link to your audience. Make eye contact with the camera so it appears to the audience that you are speaking directly to them.
Don’t Fear Mistakes: Humans make mistakes, even during presentations. Realize that flubs happen and they won’t derail your presentation – unless you let them. Just keep going in your planned presentation and remember, the audience is forgiving.
Be Prepared: During the presentation, have a glass of water nearby to sip as needed. Also, keep handy a printout of your slides or notes in case you need to refer to them.