Webinar Best Practices

How many of you have attended a bad webinar? I certainly have. As a webinar producer, I believe the key to an effective webinar is well-designed content. While many best practices for webinars are already documented (see HubSpot), I would like to add these focused on content design:
1. Format matters: Consider the content, presenter(s), and objectives when designing the webinar format.  A single presenter may be fine, but two presenters provide variety and counterpoint.  Is the subject matter expert a poor presenter?  Consider a panel discussion or interview format.  If it’s a Q&A forum, consider soliciting the questions prior to the webinar and structuring the webinar around responses to the questions.  If the webinar is required (as in compliance training), add an online quiz to increase accountability.

2.  Less is more:  I prefer 10 or fewer slides for a 1-hour webinar.  I find that subject matter experts have more than enough to say.  By keeping slides to a minimum, there’s more time to engage the audience.  And if the webinar ends early, that’s certainly preferable to running long.  Put key points and visuals on slides;  move sub-bullets to speaker notes.

3.  Engage the audience:  Q&A and polling are great tools for getting your audience involved.  My preference is to have the audience type in their questions.  At a pause, the moderator lets the presenter know that there’s a question and then reads it outloud (without revealing the “asker”).  Questions are responded to in a timely manner and the presenter can elaborate or clarify as needed.  I recommend sprinkling polls throughout the webinar in a way that enhances rather than detracts from the content.  Polls must be relevant to the topic — their purpose is either to provide feedback to the presenter (and audience) or reinforce learning.  I like to conduct a poll in the first 10 minutes because it engages the audience quickly and can provide valuable input to the presenter.

4.  Define and practice roles:  It is critical to clearly define roles and understand who is presenting which part of the material.  I always recommend a moderator.  This person monitors the controls, records the webinar, previews and interjects the questions, conducts polls, tracks the time, and often introduces the speakers and reviews logistics with the audience.  An effective moderator ensures the presenter can focus on presenting.  If there is more than one presenter, be sure each knows exactly who will present which slide.  With a panel, designate someone who will either speak first or direct the question to another panelist.  Practice transitions and polling.  Make sure presenters know how to use and respond to the information collected in the poll.

A webinar can be effective, engaging, and impactful!  Good design makes a big difference.

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