Tips for Giving Effective Webinars
Conducting webinars can often involve a learning process but there's really no limit to what you can do.
Make use of the webcam and a blank background and make use of props whiteboards videos and other media to make the webinar as engaging as possible and suitable to your audience.
Make sure you do not have any distracting posters/wallpaper/pictures in the background of the presenter.
Make sure you prepare all all relevant materials and handouts for the webinar in advance and make the handout materials available immediately after the webinar has finished.
Ensure you have only relevant websites or applications open on your computer that you need during the webinar. Close unnecessary browser tabs and make sure anything you do not want attendees to see is closed in case you wish to share your screen.
Try not to have numerous apps or browsers open at the same time as this will cause your computer to struggle unnecessarily, which can potentially disrupt the webinar.
If you are conducting the webinar at home or where the connection speed is temperamental or on a shared network, ensure all unnecessary devices are either switched off or have Wi-Fi turned off.
Shut the window/door/turn off any audio devices that may result in ambient sound. For example radios, TVs, music etc., it is very hard for attendees to hear presenters if there is ambient noise in the background.
Mute your mobile phone! It will certainly impact the perception and attention span of the attendees if the presenter's own phone is buzzing or ringing during a webinar. Never take a call if you are presenting a webinar.
When presenting a webinar, it is impossible to read body language to ensure audience understanding. Ask lots of questions and encourage interactive feedback by asking attendees to type their answers in the chat pane. Setup several polls beforehand and ask attendees to vote, this will also increase attention and make it more interactive. When asking questions, publishing polls, give the attendees time to respond.
Layout your webinar topics in front of you, allocate a time for each, maintain momentum.
Learn to deal with inevitable technical glitches! These most often relate to connection issues. If you have an old computer, understand your computer's limits. Or if you can, upgrade to a modern machine. Learn how to quickly shut down unnecessary apps/browser tabs (see above). Be prepared to instruct attendees to do the same.
Finally, if in doubt, practice the webinar beforehand, especially if it's your first time, and do a dry run with colleagues or friends so you can tweak and improve anything that potentially stalls the momentum. With a webinar it