In recent years, webinars have become an increasingly popular tool for companies to share information, hold training events or promote their products and services. There is now a huge range of interactive web-based tools developed specifically for webinars that your company can use to deliver its message – saving both you and your audience time, money and the inconvenience of travel.
Webinars have a far higher Return on Investment (ROI) than traditional conferences or presentations and are the best way to convey a message to a geographically-distanced audience. However, delivering a successful webinar requires significant patience and planning to achieve the best results. Read on for some tips on how you can make your next webinar a success. Try our best webinar software.
The key players in the production of a webinar
As a general rule, there are three main players in most webinars each with their own specific remits and responsibilities:
Organizer: The webinar organizer will be responsible for designing content, deciding on a location, working out filming requirements, finding skilled presenters, marketing the event, arranging online registrations and liaising with participants before, after and during the presentation. The organizer will also often introduce participants and give short opening and closing statements to the event.
Technical assistant: It’s vitally important that your presenter can concentrate all their attention on delivering the message of the webinar without having to worry about the potential technical issues of live streaming. An assistant will deal with any equipment problems or faults and can also help any viewers having difficulties, allowing the presenter to get on with their delivery.
Presenter(s): The presenter is the star of your show. He or she should be well-versed in the topic of your webinar and should also be confident at public speaking.
Decide on the format of your webinar
There are many different formats companies use when delivering a webinar and you’ll need to decide which is best for the message you’re trying to convey. Some of the more popular methods include:
Single speaker: As the name suggests, a presentation with only one speaker who also fields any audience comments or queries.
Interview: A presenter asks questions of a subject expert, similar to a TV interview show.
Discussion: A presenter tables discussion with a panel of experts, moderating comments and keeping the webinar on-subject.
Audience interactive: Can be a mix of any of the above but with the main focus being a presenter taking questions from the audience.
Plan the visuals and content
The best webinars are highly interactive and feature audio-visual content that complements the overall message. Most people opt to use traditional slide content but don’t be afraid to include animations or videos if you think they’ll work better at explaining what you’re trying to say. Also, you could think about using live captioning to ensure the greatest number of viewers understand your content. Captioning is essential for those with hearing problems but it can also be useful for augmenting your subject matter – or helping your audience understand speakers with strong dialects or accents.
Additional considerations
With the main content of your webinar now planned, you can move onto organizing the event itself. You will need to choose a location, create a basic agenda, reserve any required audio-visual equipment and choose how your audience will register for the event. You should also look to hold at least one practice session of your webinar to identify potential issues before going live.
