6 Ways to Kill Your Credibility During A Live Webinar

Webinars have become one of the most powerful marketing tools to help any business stand out from among its competitors.

When hosted properly, webinars have the potential to:

• Increase traffic to your money page
• Establish your authority and strengthen your brand
• Generate more leads

During a webinar, you have the potential to engage with new and existing customers to build up your credibility. However, you need to make sure that you avoid mistakes during your webinar which could kill your credibility.

What are 6 mistakes to avoid during a live webinar which could kill off your credibility?

1. No Clarity in Your Presentation

The first way to kill your credibility during a live webinar is to speak without clarity. Clarity of presentation means that you always have a clear focus of what you want to say and how you want to say it.

To gain clarity in your presentation you need to make sure that your outline is structured in a proper way. This will help you avoid the temptation to ramble from one thought to another without really knowing where you are going. Always make sure to complete your sentences and thoughts.

To speak with clarity you should always try and give your audience signposts on what they can expect. For example, you could say something like: “We are going to look at 3 ways that this product can benefit you. The first way is thatÖ” Then continue in the same way with each topic.

Start each topic with an introduction, have a middle, and then conclude with a short review.

2. Getting Nervous or Worrying

It can be difficult not to get nervous during a webinar. However, if you show signs that you are nervous or overly worried, then, you will kill your credibility because your voice will lack the authority you need to convey expertise.

To avoid getting nervous or worrying during your live webinar presentation, you need to practice it a lot. This will give you the confidence that you can present a good live webinar. It will also help you cope with any unforeseen issue that could come up during the presentation. For example, if you experience problems with the technology, the fact that you have practiced well means that you will ‘sail through’ the issue.

Another reason why some can get nervous during a live presentation is if they mess something up or forget to say something. If you skip something by mistake or say something out of order, then don’t worry about it. Chances are that your audience will not notice.

It is also good to put things into perspective. Webinars are an important tool to build brand authority, but they are not life and death! So try not to worry or get nervous before or during your presentation.

3. Pushing Your Own Credibility

Another way that you can kill your credibility during a live webinar is if you try to tell your audience how great and credible you are. This usually has the opposite effect because your audience is more interested in finding out what you can do for them, not what you have done for someone else.

Of course, it is important to strike a balance because, after all, the goal of the webinar is to establish authority. The best way to let your audience know of your credibility and your authority is to mention this in the form of examples, anecdotes, or stories. This takes the focus off you and onto your product but allows the audience to see that you are a person to be trusted.

It is also important to avoid going to the other extreme and always downplay your accomplishments. That can also kill your credibility in during a live webinar because you start putting across a message that you are not credible and that your competitors are better than you.

So, aim to strike a balance between building authority and being modest at the same time.

4. Bad Slides

The fourth way to kill your credibility during a webinar is to use slides that are poorly designed and boring. Slides should always be used to enhance your presentation and emphasize the main points that you want to make.

What are the best ways to use slides to enhance your credibility?

• Make sure that slides are colorful and minimalistic
• Use short statements which can be read quickly, don’t use long sentences that are difficult to read
• Use pictures
• Don’t change slides too quickly or don’t have them on the screen too long
• Make sure all your slides are of high quality
• Use video

5. Making False Promises

Making false promises is probably one of the ‘best’ ways to kill your credibility during a live presentation. You, no doubt, will have sent out a lot of promotional material to entice people to register for your webinar. Make sure that you follow through on the promises. Fulfilling promises could also be as simple as sending out that free report that you promised, or giving exclusive access to certain areas of your website. If you said that the price of a product would increase after the sale, make sure and do that.

Also, be careful about statements that you make during your live webinar. You should always have facts to back up your statements. In that respect, it is good to avoid generalities and mention specific ways how your product has helped specific people. For example, don’t say: “If you buy this product you are guaranteed overnight success.”

6. Fumbling With Technology

There can be nothing worse than attending a webinar and seeing that the host is fumbling over the technology and doesn’t know how to work it or is always making mistakes. Of course, hosting your first webinar is a steep learning curve, but make sure that you know exactly what you are doing.

If everything goes smoothly during your webinar and you can present your webinar with an air of professionalism, then you will do much to enhance your credibility during the live webinar.