SCoPE: Seminars: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

Live and pre-recorded Webcasts seem to be commonplace these days but people always seems to be struggling with how to prepare them effectively. Could we learn something from stand-up comedians? What goes into the preparation of a good monologue?

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Heather Ross - Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 1:36 PM

Sylvia,

I think that you may be on to something.

Too many people just sit and write something out and (1) don't think about the fact that we speak differently than we write and (2) that they end up sounding like they are reading a script.

Recently I have spoken with two different friends who are working on creating informational sound recordings (one a podcast and the other a CD) for their clients. One wrote out a script, read it through his recording and the end result was, by his own admission, extremely dry.

I recommended to him and the other that they consider taking a more conversational approach. As a former journalist I found that an interview type format also helps to keep things more lively.

I think that in the future I may recommend they consider what you have said. Do you have any suggestions on resources for this?

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Sylvia Currie - Friday, 27 January 2006, 10:28 AM

Thanks for offering up some reason why pre-recorded webcasts often fall flat, Heather. I wish I had more resources and suggestions on how we could apply some principles of creating effective stand-up comedy performances to webcasts. I realize how little I know about this!

I've been searching around for ideas and have come across various tips for writing & practicing stand-up that might apply here.

Select only the most promising segments
Be concise; don't waste words
Don't spend too long on any one topic
Create segues
Work in ways for themes to resurface in new contexts
Rehearse out loud, over and over again
Try to appear natural and spontaneous
Memorize it

Is this on the right track?

comedy and conversation

by Sarah Haavind - Friday, 27 January 2006, 11:10 AM

Thanks, Sylvia, for starting this conversation -- I know I certainly need to build skills in this area. I'm sure that neither the skill I may have as a speaker-in-person nor any ability I've brought to building asynchronous, threaded dialogue call for the same skill set as webcasts. It seems that delivery is an essential part of comedy and one area I'm not good at for sure.

Heather's idea of shifting the presentation into a conversational mode gives me a leg up. It's collaborative, which is an asset already. If I'm incapable of being/sounding funny, perhaps a partner could help me find the humor.

In addition, I can see how two voices would add interest and break up an otherwise dry delivery (Click and Clack, the car guys on public radio come to mind -- who knew car maintenance could be so hilarious?). I'd love to hear more ideas, cautions, solutions...

Re: comedy and conversation

by Elizabeth Lowe - Friday, 27 January 2006, 11:59 AM

I can add a few things I used to do when when I was a practicing stand-up comic.

1. Fill the space - establish presence, confidence, and competence

2. Grab the audience within the first 30 seconds (not literally) - get their attention

3. Create variabilty in phrasing

4. Create topical outline

5. Have cue cards

6. Know your audience

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Heather Ross - Friday, 27 January 2006, 12:32 PM

Sylvia,

Yes, I think you're on the right track with this list. I have frequently told people who are editing their writing to read the material out loud so that they can hear how it sounds.

I think one suggestion that is very important is to remember why you are doing it the podcast, webcast, etc. If you care about the topic then you should be trying to make others care about it. Be passionate, but not melodramatic.

Heather

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Sandra McKenzie - Friday, 27 January 2006, 4:30 PM

I agree that Sylvia's list is excellent, except for one thing: Don't memorize! I've written speeches for many people, and the one invariable difference that I've noted between a good (or even great!) speech and one that's a real dozer is that the speaker who can talk "off the cuff" is much more effective than the speaker who sounds rehearsed. The trick is to use cue cards with your main points and facts listed. Then, as you note, add the passion -- if you know your stuff, and are passionate about it, you can speak spontaneously (or at least fake spontaneity -- it reminds me of what I think it was Groucho Marx said about acting: "You have to be sincere. If you can fake that, you've got it made!")
'

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Salvor Gissurardottir - Saturday, 28 January 2006, 10:18 AM

Here are four exellent examples of presentations using technology, I think they are excellent because of the content, not because they are funny. But the first one, a presentation by Curtis Bonk on a e-learning conference in Iceland is very funny. I think he is very skilled in making e-learning presentation by like a stand-up comedy without sacrifying the content.

E- learning (Curtis J. Bonk á UT2005) Reflecting the Future e-Content Development Evolution in Higher Education (Zaid Ali Alsagoff) What E-learning 2.0 means to you (slides and mp3 audio) Stephen Downes Villanova conference 2005 - efnafræði og enska

Salvor

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Richard Smith - Saturday, 28 January 2006, 11:43 AM

Curtis Bonk's web site gives me this (unfunny) error when I try to load the page:

"Your current web browser cannot display this presentation. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher must be installed..."

...r

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Salvor Gissurardottir - Sunday, 29 January 2006, 3:01 AM

Yes I agree.

Being locked in or locked out from Microsoft environment is not funny at all. That´s why we need to go over to open source. This presentation is in Microsoft Producer, a add-on program to Powerpoint and I do not know why because it is just a one hour videorecording. But if it is of any held, here is direct link to the Bonk video:

http://fitjuflaumur.rhi.hi.is/ut2004bonk_files/0MM0.wmv

you will need to download the video, it is not streaming if you go directly to the media file.

Salvor

Presentations Curtis Bonk style

by Sylvia Currie - Monday, 30 January 2006, 6:03 AM

It's so interesting that you mentioned Curtis Bonk's presentation, Salvor. I've had him in mind when thinking about this topic of how to prepare effective presentations based on what we know about stand-up comedy.

I've heard Curtis speak a few times, but the most recent presentation at the eLearn conference in Vancouver really was top both entertaining and informative -- probably similar to the performance you saw in Iceland. Did he use the bell? That bell just cracked me up. big grin

(Sorry Sandra, just had to use that emoticon wink

Oops! I did it again!)

A couple more elements come to mind as I think back on his presentation:

Use of props help to hold the attention of the audience
I'm not sure how to best describe his presentation slides -- a little unpolished? maybe campy? In any case, not boring, and not corporate-like. So maybe "lighten up" is some good advice for preparing webcasts. Be human.

Re: Presentations Curtis Bonk style

by Sandra McKenzie - Monday, 30 January 2006, 9:43 AM

HI Sylvia,
Please don't apologize for using emoticons - that's just my hang-up. I actually have no problem whatsoever with other people using them. I wonder, in fact, if my own problem is just that I've never managed to learn how to insert the little graphics properly.

Dr. Evil, Mickey Mouse, and Magician

by Curt Bonk - Monday, 30 January 2006, 8:45 PM

No bells that I can remember Sylvia. I was dressed at Mickey Mouse and got the hostess of the conference to be mini mouse and we did the 10 minnie myths of e-learning. Then I changed out of that and had a Dr. Evil costume on underneath and got someone to be mini me and we did the 10 mini-myths of e-learning. Changed out of that and was merlin the magician predicting the future of e-learning. See videostreamed talks at: http://mypage.iu.edu/~cjbonk/streamed.html

This particular talk is at:

10.

March 5, 2004
15 Mini Myths of E-Learning and Predictions of the Future, in Iceland

The top talks are more boring than the bottom ones.

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Salvor Gissurardottir - Sunday, 29 January 2006, 3:09 AM

Yes I agree.

http://fitjuflaumur.rhi.hi.is/ut2004bonk_files/0MM0.wmv

you will need to download the video, it is not streaming if you go directly to the media file.

Salvor

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Curt Bonk - Monday, 30 January 2006, 8:49 PM

Thanks for the kind remarks. Each talk is a challenge in trying to be informative and entertaining. Some of my more scholarly colleagues do not like the fact that I am entertaining. I am constantly thinking of what I might do differently next. I changed departments as a result, in fact. Ok, I must go prepare another talk.

My videostreams are here http://mypage.iu.edu/~cjbonk/streamed.html including the one you mentioned.

You can download many of my talks at: http://www.trainingshare.com/workshop.php including the "Oops I did not mean to share that" talk that Sylvia refers to.

My homepage is here with many free book chapters and journal articles http://mypage.iu.edu/~cjbonk/

Thanks again.

Re: Preparing effective webcasts and stand-up comedy -- shared talents?

by Sylvia Currie - Wednesday, 1 February 2006, 1:12 PM

Thanks for popping in, Curt. Gosh, it sounds like there are risks involved in being entertaining! I hope changing departments allows you to continue.

I forgot to mention to everyone here that I gathered up our Key Elements of Stand-Up Comedy/ Webcasts into a wiki. Feel free to edit and add!