Last night I had the opportunity to Co-Host a Webinar with my friend Jeremy Watson. Our special guest was Mr. Daegan Smith. We called it Date Night with Daegan.
I’m here to tell you I learned a lot. First, let me start off by saying, I’ve done a lot of webinars in the last 2 years. Too many to count. And you know what? I still get nervous. Bigtime. So, last night when we had a full house of 100 people, which was what our line would hold, and we were having a few technical challenges I was beyond nervous. Not only did I have one of my mentors and friends on the line but we also had a whole bunch of people who didn’t know Jeremy or Me. Ok, remember those nerves? You know what I do when I get nervous? I talk. And I talk fast.
Yes, instead of doing what would be better, which is listen with my two ears and talk with my one mouth proportionately, when I get nervous I talk. So, we’re going through the webinar, dealing with some tech stuff and I’m just praying it’s not looking too silly (not Daegan and Jeremy – just me). And I can tell I am starting to talk – trying to reign myself in while the nerves are taking over. We’ve got one of what I believe is the most genuine and transparent marketers on the line…and 100 people. Lesson learned…work on the nerves and the tech stuff.
So we’re cruising along and Daegan is just knocking it out of the park with value and insight and some POWERFUL mindset stuff. (No, I am not surprised). We’re talking some seriously awesome learnings. I was taking some notes, trying to flip slides and monitor questions to help people feel heard.
Jeremy is rockin it in his laid back Southern Style while he’s engaging with Daegan. Did I mention Jeremy is an amazing 21 year old who’s been marketing on the internet since he was 16? So, we’re cruising and time is getting later and later. Now I am watching the clock. We were hoping to go 60, maybe 75 minutes.
We went a FULL 2 hours! I know Daegan loves to help people and he was amazing. And I was feeling bad it was way late on the East Coast. Why do I tell you all this? I’m sharing this story to let you know we’re all human.
Here’s what I learned from last night:
1) It’s ok to be nervous. You just have to practice working through it. I promise I’ll work on it!
2) If you provide value people will stick with you as long as they can. We were full almost the entire two hours. Some folks were even up until 4am in the UK.
3) Technical glitches happen and it is best to just roll with them. I’m getting over being perfect – the internet and life just aren’t perfect.
4) Folks are generally interested in learning and want to improve themselves. They ask great questions and appreciate answers.
5) We can all become the guru we were meant to be. One of Daegan’s general themes was — just because others seem to have guru status doesn’t mean someone else can’t get there. We all improve and get better at what we do. There’s room for all of us.
6) Stepping out of your comfort zone leads to growth. Never be afraid to ask the question, even if the answer turns out to be no. Weeks ago when we asked Daegan if he’d do a webinar with us, while I wasn’t shocked that he agreed because he’s such a giving guy, I was more honored and humbled that he agreed to spend time with us and help introduce us to the world on a larger scale. This meant he felt we were worth his time and energy. To me there’s a trust factor there. A true leader helps their followers and students become better.
7) I continue to be proof that a general person like me (a mom, entrepreneur, community volunteer, normal person) can continue to grow and thrive in this industry – especially through collaboration and partnerships. This is a WE game not a ME game.
Those are some of my takeaways from Date night. I want for you to be the best you can be in your endeavors. You just have to want that for yourself and then take action on it. Wanting is not enough. It is in the action and implementing that we grow and move forward. So, even with nerves, tech challenges, and whatever else comes your way – if you’re learning and growing you’re moving forward.
Hope to see you in the next webinar or at the next event!
All the best,
Don’t forget to share a comment or this post as you never know who you might help.
V-,
You were great last night! You handled the tech issues pretty quick and you seemed really under control considering that the call was JAMMED. That was the first time I listened to Daegan live and that guy is AWESOME! A man I can relate to as he calls them as he sees him. Can’t wait to meet that cat in person one day.
In closing, you are right the world is not prefect nor is the internet, but you constantly are trying to improve yourself V and thats why you ROCK.
T
Thanks Tom. Daegan is great. Jeremy is too. And as long as we are all working on growing and improving we keep going forward. I want to be better and get better. It helps me and it helps my students. It’s all good. Thanks for joining us.
Glad that went so well Vanessa and I say that because it lasted two hours. Apparently none of the glitches or problems incurred during the webinar affected any of the participants. I love webinars like that where I get so much information and am able to ask questions from someone who is where we all strive to be.
I admire you because I have yet to do my first webinar. Okay, one of those fear factors I haven’t quite worked through yet. You know, like getting up on a stage and speaking in front of lots of people. I still have a couple I have yet to conquer but I have no doubt I’ll get there. Baby steps, I’m STILL taking baby steps.
Thanks Vanessa for sharing this with us. It’s good to know that after two years of doing webinars that you still get nervous. That is comforting to know.
~Adrienne
Thanks Adrienne. I am sure you will be just fine when you get your webinars going. Do some test runs with some friends and that will help you get over the initial heebie jeebies. 🙂
Adrienne,
I would have to agree with VaNessa. Partner with someone else and just share with each other and pretend no one is on the other end. When VaNessa and I did a 4 part Q & A series we had a blast. We shared some good tips and cut each other off occasionally. The back and forth action brings out other view points and allows for additional input.
Ken
That was a fun series Ken and the live interaction was realtime which made it even more fun.
Hi VaNessa, what a cool account of your 1st webinar! It sounds like you handled yourself well (we ALL have a bit of room for improvement). I think it’s great that you’ve shared these valuable tips about hosting here because I’m sure that many people avoid doing these types of presentations out of the fear of what it’ll be like…just like anything else of value in life, we have to work on our skills to become proficient.
I remember my 1st webinar and how I felt a lot like what you described above. It’s liberating to get 1 done and under your belt though! The next ones are a lot easier because you then sort of know what to expect and how to better gauge yourself! 🙂
Hey Cat, thanks for the message. This was by far my first webinar 🙂 I’ve done dozens and dozens. And yes, it is all about working on our skills and getting better as we go along.
Thanks VaNessa for the enlightening information in this post. Good stuff and helps to remember at times “fake it till you make it” works. I just read that Michelle P. said that she was teaching way before she was making 10K+ per month. Good stuff!
Thanks for sharing
VaNessa,
I absolutely love with your candid writing style! Talk about an incredible ability to connect with people through story telling. I had a little chuckle about the listening with two ears and speaking with one mouth proportionately. Perhaps because I know I’ve done the same when I’ve been nervous 🙂 Appreciating that silence is ok when you’re in the public spotlight can be challenging.
A technique I recently learnt from my mentor for resetting the nervous system is to clench every part of your body for 60 seconds. This basically sends a signal to the old part of your brain that lets it know everything is ok and calms your entire system. It works perfectly when you’re not in public view!
Thanks for the awesome takeaways from date night.
Michaelé
Vanessa,
I was on that epic call you had with Daegan. You guys rocked it…for two flippen hours! But I could not get off it becasue of the energy the three of you had. To me that’s the magic of a live interview.
You don’t need a script or professional slides. All you need is heart and a purpose. By giving your time and allow Daegan and Jeremy to chime in and out on all those different topics…well that was purpose and going for two hours…that was heart.
Ken Pickard
The Network Dad
Thanks Ken. it was a fun call and in the end I believe there was a ton of value shared and I’d like to think we helped a bunch of folks get closer to their dreams.
Hey Vanessa, way to go on the webinar. Wish I could have joined. Sounds as if you knocked it out of the park though so Congrats and keep up the awesomeness!!
Thanks Brian, it is good to see you here. It was a fun event. Keep being the motivator you are! V-