Sarah Fejfar 0:00
Don't try to string together pre recorded presentations and expect engagement. Yes, some occasional videos are welcomed, and I would even encourage it. But do not expect to string together a bunch of pre recorded presentations and expect your guests to stay engaged. And know that them staying engaged is a show of strategy.
Sarah Fejfar 0:24
Your guests staying engaged will help encourage them to show up the next day and the next day of your bed. So engagement is pretty important. And I believe personal opinion here that live is essential. Because when it's live, it's a gathering. Simultaneous participation and engagement is essential to it feeling like it's an in person gathering, and ask people to engage while they're live so that they feel seen and heard, just like they would have in person.
Sarah Fejfar 0:59
How are entrepreneurs like us daring bravely to build a stage? Ditch the sweat pants and step up to the mic? How do we create our own transformative events? So we can get our message out into the world in a bigger way. It's not only profitable, but it's actually something we can be proud of.
Sarah Fejfar 1:19
That's the question. And the answers are inside this podcast. My name is Sarah Fejfar. Welcome to Green Room Central.
Sarah Fejfar 1:27
Welcome to the green room central podcast, I've got something special for you over the next five weeks. Each Monday, you're going to receive another training in my five part challenge called the virtual event lab, a training program developed to help you scale your business business by leveraging virtual events. And today you're listening to part four. Now, I will be referencing a framework I've drawn on some note cards and some worksheets for you to complete.
Sarah Fejfar 1:56
If you want those resources, then I want you to hop into your members area for free access, just go to greenroom central.com. To get access look for the button that says the virtual event lab. All right, get your notebook and pen ready. Let's dive in. Hey, there, it's Sarah Fejfar, the events Expert And welcome back to training for the virtual event Lab.
Sarah Fejfar 2:24
Today, you're going to master proven virtual engagement strategies so that your guests steer clear of distractions and stay actively learning your awesome content, you're going to learn over a dozen virtual event engagement strategies tailored specifically to virtual events. We're almost at the top of the virtual event planning pyramid. So imagine a pyramid with five parts. We're at the second from the top, make it engaging the key piece of the pyramid, we're keeping your guests eyes on the prize. It's so important because distraction is huge right now.
Sarah Fejfar 3:04
Have you seen this too, it's so easy to inside of a virtual event to click over to another tab in the browser or pick up a phone and start scrolling or for other priorities to creep in. And for all those reasons, it's so important that you listen up to today's lesson on engagement. If your guests don't stay engaged, you can't make the impact on their lives that you intended. Your community needs you to help them stay focused.
Sarah Fejfar 3:33
But there's more. Because without impact, there's less chance they'll buy. And when they aren't buying your offer. When they aren't buying in, the money isn't coming in, you can't stay in service. Your family needs you to keep your guests focused, putting food on the table as VIP Yes. Or maybe you're so past that. And you have all the financial freedom and abundance you desire in your personal life. But maybe there are service missions or charities that you'd like to support in a bigger way.
Sarah Fejfar 4:05
And you could do that if you figured out this whole virtual event thing and got it really humming for you. Because it is such a profitable business model. Our events are such a great way to grow businesses and with virtual events, you get to do it with less overhead, which could translate to more profit. But even hearing all that I still see live event leaders struggling to make their virtual event dreams happen. And I think
Sarah Fejfar 4:39
I think people struggle here because they put so much pressure on themselves to be entertaining because it's an event or they struggle because they think that they have to do a certain engagement strategy because that's what's done. But it doesn't feel true to them or their brand. I hear the struggle in leaders voices when they say things was like, I don't want it to just be me hanging out at home on my laptop trying to make this whole virtual event thing.
Sarah Fejfar 5:07
More than a normal zoom. I feel you. And I want to give you permission to not put so much pressure on yourself. Start by creating just one moment that puts a smile on, I guess, face and ears to know that you don't have to be all things to all people. Yes, it's important to use strategies to keep your guests engaged. And yes, it takes intentionality. But no, you don't need to do all the things. And no, you don't have to do something if it isn't your thing. I want you to pick and choose the engagement strategies that resonate with you and your brand. I spent a lot of my event planning career in corporate America putting on events for field sales teams.
Sarah Fejfar 5:55
And I could be wrong. But I happen to think that it's in the DNA of every field salesperson in America to be high energy coupled with a strong dose of ADD. In fact, I felt like I was constantly looking for ways to up my game and deliver content and experiences in ways that were new and fresh, and most importantly, engaging. I think that experience, that experience prepared me really well for the times that we're in today where virtual events are more than norm. And distraction is high. And for the last couple years, I've been scouring the virtual event space to see what's new and what's working. Like it's my job.
Sarah Fejfar 6:40
Well, because it is it because I love this stuff. I've got so much good stuff to share with you today. So you're going to walk away from training for the virtual event lab, with answers to some big questions and some big work completed, you're going to know over a dozen virtual engagement strategies tailored specifically to virtual events. The training we're going to go through the work we're gonna do together here on training for the called Making it engaging will be the strategies that you need to keep your guests eyes on you. So they learn your awesome stuff. And talking about Awesome, let's talk about the fact that today's training for the virtual event lab and you are here. It's awesome.
Sarah Fejfar 7:27
And I honor you for being here. I want you to put this in your columns of column of wins for the day, or maybe for the week. And I want you to celebrate it. And I'm not even joking because higher achievers like you and me, do not do a good enough job of celebrating the small wins. Am I right? I thought a little reminder wouldn't hurt today. I need one too. Alright, so let's get down to business. Do yourself a favor, I want you to get out your journal, turn off your distractions. Close the door, download today's digital workbook page, prepare to take a lot of notes and grab your pen. And let's go.
Sarah Fejfar 8:09
Let's talk about Virtual Engagement tactics, shall we? There's one step to today's training. And we're in it. I am going to go through a list of virtual event engagement tactics that are working right now. So I'm going to start with one that's going to seem very common sense. But I'm going to say it nonetheless. Because over the last couple of years, some people have not done this. And it just doesn't work as well. So number one is make your virtual event live.
Sarah Fejfar 8:52
Novel. Yes. But here's the thing. Some people ran into the virtual event space when the pandemic started and went and ran up huge, huge bills with video production companies so that they could pre record all their stuff because they wanted to get it just right. Something about being live
Sarah Fejfar 9:15
virtually that encourages people to want to do this and I want to encourage you not to. Sometimes common sense isn't always common practice. Don't try to string together pre recorded presentations and expect engagement. Yes, some occasional videos are welcomed and I would even encourage it. But do not expect to string together a bunch of pre recorded presentations and expect your guests to stay engaged and know that them staying engaged is a show of strategy. Your guests staying engaged will help encourage them to show up the next day and the next day of your bed.
Sarah Fejfar 9:59
So, engagement is pretty important. And I believe personal opinion here that live is essential. Because when it's live, it's a gathering. Simultaneous participation and engagement is essential to it feeling like it's an in person gathering, and how ask people to engage while they're live so that they feel seen and heard, just like they would have in person. Another tactic is face to face check in another show up strategy, if you invite your guests to register, check in for the event.
Sarah Fejfar 10:38
And you provide them a link and a live human being on the other side of the zoom to say hello to and for them to personally greet them, and give them the 411 on what's happening with the event, you increase the engagement, increase the chances that they'll show up to the event, you'll increase the chances that they'll stay engaged in the event because you are honoring the fact that they are a real human being. And you're making them feel seen and heard and celebrated right out of the gate. It's awesome. The third thing I want to share is special physical deliveries. So that could be a swag box, it could be prizes.
Sarah Fejfar 11:25
Again, it's another shop strategy. If physical goods arrive at my home, in advance of an event, I'm more likely to show up at that event, because I have this goodwill, sense of like, again, feeling seen, because something showed up at my house, it's physical, and I can touch it, and feel it. And it reminds me of this thing that's virtual that have to show up to the force. The fourth thing is pattern interrupts I love this one, switch things up show videos, keep them short.
Sarah Fejfar 12:04
I'm not talking a whole hour long segment here, do a panel discussion, change your set that you're sitting in, like, maybe sit against a different wall, the next hour, or the next happy hour? Just change things up a bit. Those pattern interrupts it's a good thing really is. Five is zoom breakouts. And yes, you know, these are so engaging, because you've participated in dozens of them over the last couple years. But I want to encourage you to try them to an early and often, you can use a zoom breakout. Almost immediately upon starting the event.
Sarah Fejfar 12:52
As an icebreaker, you could run perhaps like a scavenger hunt, Show and Tell total non cheesy, but we're all sitting in our homes or offices. And so we're sitting surrounded by things that we like, and that are meaningful to us and say something about who we are. And those are props and tools that you can then have somebody go grab and show off in a breakout.
Sarah Fejfar 13:25
I'm totally not a fan of anything cheesy. And I've seen this done in such a non cheesy, awesome manner that I want to encourage you to try it to. Another zoom breakout strategy could be small group sharing, perhaps you have them share key takeaways. There is an episode of the Green Room central podcast that talks all about how to share you know invite people give commands on what to do in a virtual event breakout. So I invite you to check that out.
Sarah Fejfar 14:05
You could do breakouts to integrate learnings with role playing sky's the limit but have some fun and do them often and really set clear parameters around them so that they are useful for your guests. Number six is use a face to face platform like zoom. It's my preferred platform where they can see you and you can see them versus a slide only scenario that just feels very webinar like old school. I think it's we have these face to face platforms let's let's use them.
Sarah Fejfar 14:48
Let's use them. It offers shiny objects that keep people engaged when you can have the opportunity to go see somebody else's face and see how they're when they're Taking notes and check out what it's in the background in their video. The seventh thing I want to tell you about is taking frequent breaks. I think it's easy to underestimate the power of a break, or to be afraid that you're gonna lose people and not take breaks. And I think those are both myths.
Sarah Fejfar 15:23
Take breaks, do it, your production team needs a break a bio break, to go to the bathroom to go get food, you need it, your guests needed to take breaks. Don't think that by powering through, like six hours in a row, it's better than running an eight hour show, and having the breaks in there that everyone needs. Eight is add points of interactions. So do quick giveaways. When people ask great questions, or when everyone's ears perk up, when there's free stuff. It doesn't matter how successful you are, when someone's offering you a chance to win something.
Sarah Fejfar 16:18
Your eyes and ears, your eyes light up and your ears perk up. So do some do some q&a with giveaways. Number nine is lots of reminders. You might even need to send more reminders than an in person event. In fact, I think that's a fact. Text people email them, send them Facebook Messenger messenger messages, send a physical postcard. Yeah, know send housekeeping informations and all the things I want you to pull out out all the stops and just keep reminding people to show up. Even even after a lunch break be reminding people with, Hey, here's the link looking forward to seeing you back in a few minutes. It's always a good idea to get the link to rejoin your virtual event at the top of their inbox.
Sarah Fejfar 17:16
Because you know they're in there checking their email on break. So why not be one of yours. And then another idea 10 Is daily themes. It's nice to have a framework that keeps them grounded in simplicity of like, okay, day one we're learning acts day two is all about this day three is all about this really helps people put bookends or blocks around what's happening and to kind of reduce overwhelm and increase the chance that they stay engaged because they're not feeling like they're in a state of momentum and not stuck.
Sarah Fejfar 18:05
Number 11 is using an emcee, that's a great way to keep an event. Exciting is by just having another voice there that can kind of come in and lighten the mood and be entertaining and also another voice to hit home what those key takeaways were from the last session and set up any housekeeping what's gonna happen next. It's a great idea. 12 is physicality. So movement, really have to coach this. During your virtual events, you have to coach people to stand up. It's time to stretch your arms, it's time to close your eyes and bounce in place for a few minutes.
Sarah Fejfar 18:58
It's you have to coach this because otherwise people will say stuck in their chair for eight hours and get drained. So get them up, get them moving 13 music, play music during doors when people are walking in you can even have a live DJ do it. And gosh knows there's so many over the last couple years that have popped up that are amazing at what they do. I also want you to consider a Concierge page as the 14 number 14 If you're taking notes, it could be a custom built landing page or simply a private Facebook group if you want to do things easy and inexpensive are on circle.
Sarah Fejfar 19:54
A place for your event gas so one stop shop for announcements and downloads and The link to the video call. I think it's really some people call it a dashboard. But your event needs a home while you're live for people to come back to. And for you to refer them to, it's also a great place when you drop the link for your offer or for an ad to show up on that page that drives people to the sales page. So I definitely encourage that. It's great to keep people's head in the game and focus during the event, engaging with each other. Engaging outside of the event hours, maybe you have a wall where they write comments to each other, they share pictures with each other.
Sarah Fejfar 20:54
It's a great way to drive excitement ahead of time too. So definitely consider having some sort of landing page for your event. or private group inside of circle or Facebook. Alright. I think I just gave you a lot of engagement strategies. What was that 14 of them? I hope that got your brain. I just I hope it lit some sparks for you. I hope it got you excited. I hope some of them spoke to you and felt like oh, yeah, I totally can do that. And no, you don't have to do them all. And yes, your event is best in class. Even if you're not doing any of these and you pick something else that you do you trust that the knowing is inside of you what is the right fit for your event and your community.
Sarah Fejfar 21:57
Okay. So now it's time to act. Your action step for today is to complete the training for worksheet is available for you to download from the download section right under or next to this video. If you're in the members area. Or if you're listening. Go access the members area by going to greenroom. central.com and clicking on the virtual event lab. That worksheet will help you build engagement strategies into your agenda, set your guests steer clear of distractions and stay actively listening, you're awesome content, I want you to start by downloading the digital workbook page and then reading through the questions.
Sarah Fejfar 22:43
And then spend about 15 minutes brainstorming with your team and recording the answers on the worksheet. As soon as this video is over, I want you to please block time on your calendar to do this work. Or if you're listening. After your car's pulled to a stop or you get off the bike, I want you to block time to do this work. And if you've got time now, do it now.
Sarah Fejfar 23:12
So let's tie this all up in a little pretty bow shall we? The training for the virtual event lab challenge has been all about how to make it engaging. You learned over a dozen virtual engagement strategies tailored specifically to virtual events. And you've got your action step to complete the training four page of your digital workbook, you get it done one step at a time. This is awesome. So I do want you to get excited about this stuff. I hope today has shown you that there's a lot of fun to be had in this space. Certainly, you've had some over the past couple years that you can recall. And I'm guessing you'd love to emulate that within your community. And for them.
Sarah Fejfar 23:57
I do want you to remember that Done is better than perfect. And Money loves speed. And don't do something because everyone else is doing it. Pick what feels to true to you and your brand and don't get freaked out that you're going to do it wrong. I just want you to focus deeply with an on one person putting a smile on one person's face and having fun yourself while you're doing it. And you're going to be well on your way to creating an engaging virtual event for your guests.
Sarah Fejfar 24:35
Now, if you get stuck or you get overwhelmed, I want you to reach out inside this live event leader community that you're now a part of an ask for help. Support is available to you. You can go drop a comment below this video. If you're in the members area. If you're listening. You have a couple options. Go over to Instagram and send me a DM or and it's at Sarah Fejfar or you can go to the linchpin nation community, it's free. It's there to support you. I'm in there all the time answering questions, go to the green green room central.com and click on the button that says linchpin nation.
Sarah Fejfar 25:17
So if you're looking for more inspiration, and this is gonna sound totally woowoo, then I know that, but I want you to try meditation. I promise you that before I started drinking the headspace Kool Aid, and yes, that's my app of choice. The good ideas, were easier to come by, I mean that I read that book. You are a badass by Jensen cero. It's so good, by the way. And she described our brains like noisy bars. And meditation is kind of like a break from all the noise and stepping outside.
Sarah Fejfar 25:54
And I loved that description. And it really helped me jump on board years ago with meditation. And I, I'm telling you, when you get your head, head clear, get your head right. With a little meditation, the ideas can start flowing more freely. So try it might work for you. If you're feeling stuck on a piece of this virtual event planning, you know back in the heat of the initial big pandemic shutdown in the US I did be unimaginable.
Sarah Fejfar 26:33
And I signed up for a virtual that it was a paid event. So I'm even more shocked that I took the leap. But the awesome thing was that they did so many things that told me it was different than your standard webinar and more like an in person event. And I'm sure you've seen this too. Over the last couple years. They sent me swag, they sent so many reminders, they did it live, they did breakouts. In fact, it was my first time experiencing zoom breakouts. And it was just the coolest thing ever.
Sarah Fejfar 27:09
And they switched up this the virtual set that they were presenting from I think they had like a different set for happy hour a different set for q&a. It was kind of fun. They kept it interactive. They gave away prizes, so much more. And it was as a participant as a guest I I really took notice of all of those things and how they kept my attention of how they kept me engaged and learning and loving the experience. My ears literally perked up when I heard them starting giving out instructions for our next zoom breakout or when they would be saying what to write down in our journals.
Sarah Fejfar 27:50
It was awesome. And it worked. Even my ADD brain stayed focused. Even when I had a kid home from school, remember those days and work to do and a million other things to distract me. It kept my attention. And it's repeatable, all of it. And I know you can do it, too. Now, before we wrap up, I want to take one more moment to remind you about the tool that you've got at your disposal.
Sarah Fejfar 28:20
So download that digital workbook page for this training. It'll give you a recap of what we covered here. Remind you of your action step for today and your and kind of guide your brainstorming. I'm so darn thrilled that you're here and that you've completed training for the virtual event challenge. Let's go right? You're awesome. And three cheers to you. Because you've been keeping the distractions at bay too. In order to complete four days of this five part challenge, which is amazing.
Sarah Fejfar 28:57
I look forward to meeting you back here for training five, it's going to be all about developing competency in the simple tools that you need. So you can share your message and keep technology overwhelm from holding you back. It's gonna be a good one. Please share your comments or questions in the chat right below this video on in my DMs and Instagram or in linchpin nation. All those places are there to support you.
Sarah Fejfar 29:27
And don't forget that by you asking a question. You're likely helping someone else within this live event leader community. Someone who may have that same question, but they may not feel compelled to speak up. So thank you. And you got this. I will see you in training five.
Sarah Fejfar 29:49
Last one. Best one right. I'll meet you there. Thank you for listening to this special greenroom central podcast episode all about making your virtual event engaging, if you will. up this episode, then please take a screenshot on your phone and post it to Instagram and be sure to tag at Sarah Fejfar. And let me know why you liked it and what you'd like to hear or who you'd like to hear from in the future. That'll help me know what to create for you. Also, if skipping events in your business sounds like something that you want to tackle in 2022 or 2023, and you need a coach, let's connect to see if one on one coaching is for you.
Sarah Fejfar 30:28
Just go to greenroom central.com, you and I can work together, one on one throughout the course of the year, and dive deep into the inner workings of your events and business. You'll receive mentorship, personalized feedback and customized guidance to define your goals and achieve your next level of success. Go to green room central.com right now to apply.
Sarah Fejfar 30:51
Now, in case you're curious, this podcast is built on Kajabi. I loved how easy it was to get things set up. But more so I'm thrilled that my entire business is run within one platform, from my emails to my pages to my courses, and also my podcast. It's all under one roof. If you love simplicity and scalability as much as I do, then go to green warm central.com to get a free 14 day trial from Kajabi.
Sarah Fejfar 31:21
I appreciate your commitment to learning. I appreciate your commitment to leveling up and learning the mindset and strategy of live events. Keep going Keep learning. If you want more, head over to green room central.com For show notes and all the links from today's episode.
