Webinars are becoming increasingly popular in companies. Unfortunately, most of them are still poorly prepared. They quickly bore listeners and reduce their engagement. Check how to improve the quality of your webinar.
Before you start preparing for a webinar, you need to choose the right format. Consider whether you want to host the webinar yourself, or invite guests and interview them. Or are you planning a discussion with multiple guests and a moderator? Consider the topic and the availability of experts, and then decide on a specific solution
This may seem pretty obvious, but if you want to put together an interesting webinar, you need to know well the topic you are going to discuss. A great knowledge of the topic can sometimes compensate for a lack of confidence, but not the other way around. Even if you are an excellent speaker, mistakes in basic concepts will diminish your credibility with your audience
Read the material you’ve collected, check all the facts, and have the necessary sources on hand. Prepare some tidbits to deal with difficult questions from attendees. Try not to give vague or useless answers. If you don’t know something, communicate it straightforwardly and promise that you will research the issue and then provide a substantive answer, e.g., via email, after the meeting
For the information you plan to present to be easy to understand, it needs to be consistent. Think about how to tie together all the aspects you want to discuss in the meeting. Never assume that the audience is familiar with a particular topic. Beforehand, you can conduct a short survey: check how many participants already know the basics and adjust the knowledge transferred to them.
Focus on a specific topic. Discuss it in great detail and show how to use the knowledge in practice. Instead of conducting a webinar on paid search, opt for one smaller topic, such as rate management strategies
Pay attention to the video quality and your employees will definitely appreciate it. Make sure the webinar room looks clean and tidy. Choose a visually organized background. Add subtle decorative elements and props to give the meeting a professional feel. Also, use all available natural light sources or invest in a few LED lights
Also take care of the sound by investing in a good microphone. Try to muffle noise from the outside world. Remember to place a good directional microphone close by. If you want to include graphics in your webinar, avoid obvious stock photos. Rather, look for natural photographs or enlist the help of your company’s graphic designer and ask them to make some diagrams or charts to aesthetically present all the data.
A webinar doesn’t have to be limited to a lecture at all! Professional tools allow for two-way interaction with your audience. They allow you to add discussion segments in the style of teleconferences, Q&A sessions and group work. Also think about adding a virtual whiteboard where you can record key information and draw charts
Most tools also offer screen sharing or file sharing so you can pass notes, exercises, and other materials to participants. Another important element is group chat, which encourages interactive discussion during the webinar
Finally, make sure you have the right additional materials (worksheets, short quizzes, exercises) and an audio or text recording of the webinar available after the meeting
