Category: Club News

Share Your District Humorous Speech Contest on Facebook Live

Posted on by David F. Carr

As a live streaming video tool available to any Facebook user, Facebook Live presents a tremendous opportunity for clubs and districts to showcase their talent.

If we want to demonstrate that Toastmasters is more than a bunch of people giving PowerPoint presentations to each other, what better opportunity than the humorous speech contest? Since the district is the top level of competition for humorous speeches, this is a great opportunity for districts to show just how compelling and entertaining a good Toastmasters speech can be — and perhaps inspire more people to visit a club and join. And by getting current members to share the video with their friends, districts have the opportunity to reach a sizeable local audience.

Below, I’m sharing a (slightly edited version of) the proposal I just sent to my district leadership. My suggestion is that other districts who have their conferences coming up consider this as well.

District 47 humorous speech contest winner
District 47’s 2016 humorous speech contest winner Jason Blank and friends.

Proposal: Facebook Live broadcast of District Humorous Speech Contest

I’m writing to suggest we take an advantage of a publicity, recruiting, and social media marketing opportunity by broadcasting the district humorous speech contest on Facebook Live.

I have been a proponent of video recording the contest speeches for the past several years, but a live broadcast from the event could be more engaging and reach a larger audience. If you agree, the planning and preparation would need to start soon — at least as soon as we know who won the division contests.

This would only work if all the contestants agree in advance and complete the video release form from Toastmasters International. This would be a live broadcast, meaning there will be no opportunity for the speakers to review the video before it is published. (However, we might offer them the option of having their video removed from the replay after the fact — I doubt anyone would request that, but it might be reassuring for them to know they have the option of destroying the evidence if they really mess up on stage).

I would NOT suggest doing this for the International Speech Contest, as the winners are often sensitive about not wanting to “tip off the competition” by sharing the video beyond the club. But the humorous speech contest is ideal, engaging content, and a chance to show off some of the best talent in our district. If this experiment works well, I also would suggest doing Facebook Live for the Table Topics competition in the spring.

Why Facebook Live

If you’re an active Facebook user, you have probably seen the alerts that some contact in your network or some business page you’ve subscribed to is going live with a Facebook video. These productions range from professional broadcasts to extremely amateur selfie video. The Online Presenters club I founded recently did a workshop (see replay) with the author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies on the Facebook Live tactics available to small businesses and nonprofits.

Live video tends to command more attention because there is more of a reason to turn in right now while an event (such as our contest) is happening. When a Facebook user tunes in and “likes” or comments on a live video, their friends who are online at that moment will also get an alert and may tune in, broadening our reach. We can do some advance promotion to tune in at the time we expect the conference to begin by visiting the District Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/District47Toastmasters – and that they should “like” the page to get an alert when the broadcast starts.

We can also make an announcement encouraging the in person attendees to share the feed as it is starting (right before they turn off or at least silence their phones and turn their full attention to the speakers).

Speakers can encourage family members or club members who are not in attendance but would like to see the speech to tune in.

I would also suggest doing a press release mentioning that the contest will be broadcast on Facebook Live – a detail that might make publications more likely to publish the release, send a reporter, or perhaps tune in for our broadcast.

Logistical Details

In addition to obtaining the video release forms from the speakers, here is how I would recommend setting this up:

  • The Facebook Live broadcast should be sent out from the district Facebook page, not a personal profile. The camera operator will need administrative access to that page (at least for the duration of the event).
  • The simplest way of doing a Facebook Live broadcast is from a smartphone (fully charged, with a couple of auxiliary battery packs handy!).
  • Use WIFI rather than the cellular network. If the conference room facility WIFI isn’t trustworthy, consider bringing in your own wireless router and connecting to the Internet with a hard wire. Work out the details with the facility well in advance.
  • The camera operator needs to be seated close to the stage. Although smartphone cameras works surprisingly well, audio and video quality will be much better if the camera is close to the subject.
  • Bring in additional lighting, rather than what is built into the conference room. Video quality will be better if the speakers are well lit.
  • The humorous speeches are engaging content, but the minute of silence between speeches is not. I suggest having a team of people recruited to post comments and keep the conversation lively during that period. If you do not like the idea of people in the room fidgeting with their phones, recruit allies who will not be attending in person to help keep the conversation active during that time.
  • End the Facebook Live program after the last speaker but announce that the broadcast will resume for the announcement of the winners.
  • Consider doing an additional Facebook Live broadcast as an interview with the winner.

I am sure there will be other details to be worked out, but that’s everything I can think of right now. If you adopt this proposal, I will be happy to do what I can to contribute to making it work, along with your public relations and social media team.

David F. Carr, versatile and inventive writer, editor, and web consultant
Author, Social Collaboration for Dummies
See my work on Forbes, connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook

Facebook Live: Screen Sharing and Scene Switching with OBS Studio

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr

Facebook Live is a very powerful tool for democratizing access to online video broadcasting, but until recently I thought of it as something you could only do from your phone. I knew some professional broadcasters had put on more elaborate productions, but I didn’t realize those techniques were within easy reach thanks to free open source software.

I first used screen sharing used by a mere mortal in a Facebook Live session while attending one of John Haydon’s weekly broadcasts and studying his technique. (See Replay: Workshop on Facebook Live with John Haydon, author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies).

He pointed me to a Social Media Examiner tutorial on connecting the OBS Studio software to the Facebook Live service. That article does a great job of explaining all the detailed settings you need to get right for OBS and Facebook Live to work together. What I’m sharing below are the things I needed to figure out for myself as I considered how I would put these tools to work. In particular, the Social Media Examiner tutorial gives a passing mention to the ability to define different combinations of auto, video, and images as “scenes” in the OBS software and switch between them during the program.

That is what I explore in detail in this first video clip.

Going Live

To stream from OBS Studio to Facebook Live, you first obtain an API key code from Facebook and enter it into OBS.

Connecting Facebook Live to Streaming Software

Here is what that process looks like:

Important: If you will be looking at the audience view of your broadcast (as shown here) on another tab of your laptop, or on another device such as an iPad, be sure to mute the speakers (otherwise you’ll get a really horrible echo).

Another way of getting the link to your program is to schedule it in advance. Here’s how.

See also this tutorial document from Facebook.

Welcome to the Show

Finally, here is an example of the output that would result from the tutorial shown above.

 

Replay: Workshop on Facebook Live with John Haydon, author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr
John Haydon’s online audience likes him

John Haydon visited Online Presenters to show how he and his clients have used Facebook Live successfully to engage with customers, prospects, supporters, and donors. Haydon is the author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies and an authority on social media marketing strategies for nonprofits.

He does a weekly Hump Day Coffee Break broadcast every Wednesday at 11 am U.S. Eastern Time from his Facebook business page www.facebook.com/JohnHaydon.Marketing/

Ironically, given that most of his Hump Day shows are just him talking to the camera (his iPhone mounted on a tripod), you won’t see his face in this recording because he was unable to get his laptop webcam working with our online meetings software. I’ve also shared an example of one of his programs, where the topic was also Facebook Live, below.

Follow up items from the workshop:

Here is a great example of a typical Hump Day show, one in which Haydon is discussing Facebook Live ideas for nonprofits participating in the November 28 #GivingTuesday online event.

In addition to the selfie video style of presentation, I have also seen him do a Facebook Live show from his laptop, including screen sharing. That is possible to do with Facebook Live, although it requires additional software. He uses OBS Studio, a free open source product (see this how-to article). If you need to demo software, that can make sense. However, if you really want to make an emotional connection with your audience, talking directly to the camera may be best.

I’ve done some experiments of my own using OBS Studio and Facebook Live, in search of ways to blend the best of both modes by switching between screen sharing and face-on-camera modes. See my tutorial.

In our workshop, Haydon shared a number of other styles of Facebook Live use, including real estate walkthroughs and broadcasting feeding time for puppies from the animal shelter, that he has seen used effectively.

I believe this is a powerful tool for doing online presentations that Toastmasters ought to learn to use effectively.

Preview: Facebook Live Workshop with John Haydon, author, Facebook Marketing for Dummies

Posted on by David F. Carr

John Haydon hosts a weekly “Hump Day Coffee” break on Facebook Live as a way of engaging with the audience for his social media marketing consulting practice. He says it is the single best tool for growing his audience and building his consulting business, which focuses on the marketing and fundraising needs of nonprofits.

Monday October 9, 2017 7:30 PM EDT to 9:00 PM EDT
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Replay: Workshop with Johnny Campbell on Making Money with Webinars and Online Video

Posted on by David F. Carr

Below is the full replay of our special workshop meeting with Johnny Campbell. Be sure to check out our other upcoming workshops.

I’ve included some other relevant clips and links below.

The TEDx talk Johnny mentioned, “How an Enemy Can Improve Your Life,” is available here:

He also mentioned his blog post on the new LinkedIn video feature: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6315621612599205888

On the topic of LinkedIn, member Carmen Bonilla wrote in the chat, I’d like to share these tips on how to maximize your chances to promote and sell on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-leaving-money-table-linkedin-carmen-l-bonilla

John Quick mentioned his new ebook, The Power of Storytelling – a hands-on approach to the science of telling better stories: https://gum.co/storyworkbook/storycyborg

He also said, If you want to preview the book’s principles first, take a look at this article (but use the first link to get the book): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/story-cyborg-5-principles-evidence-based-storytelling

 

Finally, I put in a plug for my own webinar on my techniques for events marketing and registration based on RSVPMaker for WordPress, Weds at 7 pm EDT, which you can sign up for here: https://rsvpmaker.com/rsvpmaker/market-and-manage-events-with-wordpress-2017-09-27/

Johnny Campbell on Making Money with Webinars, Sept. 25 workshop

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr

Johnny Campbell is our first guest for a series of Online Presenters educational workshops on better webinars and online video. See the video below for a preview of his workshop on turning your online video and events into moneymaking products. The registration form is at the bottom of this page.

Johnny “The Transition Man” Campbell, DTM, Accredited speaker, is an author and business speaker, who specializes in helping people learn that it can be Profitable, Productive and Easy to deal with Difficult People, Change, and Business issues. Online products are a significant part of his income as a professional speaker.

Monday September 25 7:30 PM EDT (formal meeting starts at 8)
Timezone conversion – dateandtime.com

Register

Event date is past

Education on Professional Online Presentations from Johnny Campbell, John Haydon, and Darren LaCroix

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr

Guest speakers including 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix, Facebook marketing expert John Haydon, and Accredited Speaker Johnny Campbell will be giving educational presentations at Online Presenters Toastmasters in the coming months. Online Presenters chartered in March with the mission of promoting skills needed for online meetings, online training, and webinars of all sorts.

Johnny Campbell, DTM and Accredited Speaker, at Online Presenters

Monday September 25, 2017 7:30 PM EDT to 9:00 PM EDT (see in your timezone)

Johnny Campbell

Johnny “The Transition Man” Campbell, DTM, Accredited speaker, is an author and business speaker, who specializes in helping people learn that it can be Profitable, Productive and Easy to deal with Difficult People, Change, and Business issues. He will be joining Online Presenters to talk about what he has learned about delivering his message online, rather than in person.

Guests are welcome to join us for this presentation. See below for directions on how to RSVP.

Johnny has become a rising star in the speaking industry and an audience favorite based on his entertaining and informative style of speech and content.

The Transition Man’s entertaining and educational programs on Change, Difficult people and Business issues offers organizations a formula for productivity and profitability in these changing times.

RSVP Now!

Guest Speaker John Haydon on Facebook Live at Online Presenters

Monday October 9, 2017 7:30 PM EDT to 9:00 PM EDT (see in your timezone)

Guest Speaker John Haydon

One of the ways John Haydon connects with the audience for his social media marketing consulting business is with a weekly Facebook Live broadcast, Wednesdays at 11 am on his Facebook page. We’ve asked him to share how he has learned to make effective professional use of this medium.

Guests are welcome to join us for this presentation. Scroll down to register and get the online meeting link.

John Haydon is one of the most sought-after digital marketing experts for nonprofits and charities. He has helped hundreds of nonprofits realize their best marketing and fundraising results. He is also the author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies. You can learn more about him and his work at johnhaydon.com

RSVP Now!

Darren LaCroix, World Championship Public Speaker, at Online Presenters

Monday December 11, 2017 7:30 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST (see in your timezone)

Guest Speaker

Since winning the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2001, one of the ways Darren LaCroix has put his talents to work is by founding StageTimeUniversity.com, The Ultimate Online Programs for Presenters. We have asked him to share what he has learned about how delivering a speech online is different from doing it in person. Guests are welcome. See below for instructions on how to RSVP.

His story: In 1992, Darren LaCroix took the stage in a Boston comedy club and bombed miserably. It was horrible. The headliner that night told Darren to keep his day job. Friends told him that his dream of making people laugh for a living was “crazy” and “stupid.” He didn’t listen.

He may have been born without a funny bone in his body, but he possessed the desire to learn and the willingness to fail. These were the essentials for achieving his dream. This self-proclaimed “student of comedy” is living proof that anything can be learned.

Less than nine years later, in 2001, Darren LaCroix outspoke 25,000 contestants from 14 countries to become the World Champion of Public Speaking. He did it with a very funny speech. Some say it was one of the best speeches in the history of the contest.

Since that victory, Darren has traveled the world demystifying the process of creating a powerful presentation. His story has roused audiences in faraway places like Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman, Malaysia, and Taiwan with his inspirational journey from Chump to Champ. He is passionate about showing people that if you have the right mentors and you are a sponge, anything is possible.

In any industry, standing out to one’s peers carries great meaning. Darren has achieved the National Speakers Association Certified Speaking Professional designation and Toastmasters’ Accredited Speaker designation. He is currently the only speaker in the world who is a CSP, an AS, and a World Champion Speaker.

RSVP Now!

Replay: WordPress for Toastmasters workshop

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr

The WordPress for Toastmasters project aims to give clubs a first-class web and social media marketing platform to use when promoting their clubs, along with Toastmasters specific features such as meeting role signup. David F. Carr, the founding President of Online Presenters, is also the prime mover behind the development of the WordPress for Toastmasters software. In this educational workshop, he covers some of the essentials for using the software effectively, and answers questions from the club and guest attendees.

George Marshall on Mentoring in Pathways

Posted on by David F. Carr

George Marshall has been one of the pioneers at defining how the new Toastmasters Pathways educational program will be implemented in District 57, the first district to go live with this program. Also a member of Online Presenters, here George gives a Pathways speech on how mentoring factors into the Pathways program and the role it has played in his own career.

Online Presenters Welcomes Guest Speaker from Zoom, Joshua Jones

Posted on (Updated: ) by David F. Carr

The April 24 meeting of Online Presenters will be a special workshop meeting featuring Joshua Jones of Zoom Video Communications, maker of one of the most popular online meeting and webinar platforms. Members are encouraged to attend and guests are welcome.

Joshua’s presentation will cover:

  • Webcam best practices – position, lighting, green screen
  • Content best practices – resolution, content size, playing back videos, pause, annotation
  • Audio best practices – headset, voip vs phone

Guests may register using the RSVP form below to get the link to the online meeting. Our online meetings platform, provided courtesy of RingCentral, is RingCentral Meetings, a special edition of Zoom included with RingCentral Office.

Monday April 24 7:30 PM EDT
Timezone conversion – dateandtime.com

Joshua Jones
Joshua Jones

About Joshua Jones

Joshua A. Jones is a 10 year veteran of the online meeting industry and has a passion for the way people communicate over various channels. Employed by Zoom, Joshua manages customer education, training engagements and front-line consulting services for meetings and webinars.

Joshua launched The WebiNerd in 2014 to service friends and clients with their online events and help contribute to better communications. @thewebinerd

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