Organizing a webinar is not rocket science – but it’s not a piece of cake either. Especially when you’re just starting out. Luckily, there are helpful webinar tips and tricks you can use to make the meeting smooth and your audience happy. Once you master these, you’re on your way to becoming a webinar pro.
In this article, we’ll talk about:
- How to prepare before the webinar
- How to organize your webinar room to make your meeting more productive
- What to do to stay in full control of how your online event goes
Maybe you’re organizing language classes for your students that can’t happen in person. Or you’re a school teacher meeting online with 30 students at once.
Perhaps you’re running interactive workshops that have multiple elements like presentations, activities, and Q&As. Or a conference you had to move online with keynote presentations and expert discussion panels.
Each of them is challenging enough offline. But how do you translate your event into an online format? Luckily, the tech you have at your disposal will make things much easier and more enjoyable and more productive for everyone involved.
10 Webinars Tips & Tricks
So, first:
1. Have a meeting agenda ready
Unless you’re a master of impromptu performances, we recommend starting with a meeting plan. Preferably, as detailed as possible, including time slots, you need to fit your event elements into.
It’ll help you stick to your schedule and determine the tools you want to use and what your meeting should look like to make it as productive and functional as possible.
List all the different activities you, your co-presenters, and your audience will be performing. And think about the specific tools you’re going to be using to make them happen.
Is the chat necessary? And who will be moderating the discussions?
Will you be sharing your screen anytime during the webinar, or is it just the presentation deck?
Do you want to run a poll during the webinar and then analyze the answers live?
If you have activities that people need to complete, like during a workshop, think about the best formula to organize them online. Will you need additional apps you’ll be using during the webinar?
If there are multiple presenters, decide who presents when and will they have to be seen and heard at the same time.
These are some of the questions that need answering – so you can confidently move on to setting up your webinar room.
But before you do that…
2. Consider your teaching style
The layout of the webinar is one thing (and we’ll talk about it in a minute.) But first, think about a formula that will make you comfortable as a host (or speak to other presenters about what they need when presenting.)
Are you the type that’s comfortable talking and making ad hoc notes on the whiteboard? Or do you need materials prepared beforehand to share them with your audience?
Think about what will make it easier for you to explain your ideas and engage in discussions. A webinar is like a regular class, meeting, or conference, but you’re just not in the same room with others.
So, make yourself comfortable so you can present your best.
But while we’re at it, don’t forget to…
3. Think about what your audience needs
When you’re engrossed in webinar preparations, never, ever forget about your audience. Think about what they need to make the most of the webinar. After all, you don’t want them to be bored or confused. Or disappointed.
Depending on the type of event, put yourself in their shoes and think about what you’d like to see. What’s the best way to present your content that will keep people interested and won’t be hard to follow?
Will they see everything clearly? Have you planned enough time for them to ask questions at the end?
When you have that figured out, at least in theory, time to log in to the webinar platform and put the pieces together.
4. Choose the right layout for your meeting
When you know what will be happening during your webinar, the next step is to arrange your webinar room to fit your goals.
It’s like when you’re running a physical workshop, teaching a class, or organizing a meeting for your friends and family. Sometimes you’ll need to rearrange the chairs and desks in the room, so everyone faces each other. The projector needs to be positioned in the right place, so no one and nothing’s standing in the way, and you’re not blocking off chunks of your presentation when you’re moving around the room.
The whiteboard or presentation must be clear and big enough for the text to be readable for your audience.
You get the gist.
And it’s the same with your webinar room. You can enlarge the chat window to see what your attendees are asking easily. Or hide it to keep it out of the way when you’re focusing on the presentation.
Undock the video pod and drag and drop it wherever it suits you. Or hide it entirely so your audience can focus on what you’re talking about and not your facial expressions (or your hairdo.)
If your webinar formula is more varied, you can switch the layouts during the event to fit its different parts.
For more information click
here.