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Make Sure There Isn’t a Fire Drill – and Other Webinar Best Practices

By: Beth Minnigerode | 08/31/2010

We've been conducting several webinars this year to teach health care nonprofits how they can use social media to further their missions. We learn something new with each webinar, so I wanted to share a few of our best practice tips to help you execute a flawless webinar.

• Showing your presenters on webcams helps create a more personal connection with attendees. However, test out the lighting and makeup before going live. The quality on webcams isn't great, so they can make a room look darker than it is and a presenter look washed out.
• Presenters should call in from a quiet location and place signs on their doors that state "Presentation in process. Please do not disturb." Also, turn off the public announcement system during the presentation, and make sure there isn't a fire drill scheduled that day.
• Do a rehearsal of the full presentation at least a week before your actual event. This will give you time to work out any kinks.
• Incorporate a variety of teaching methods into your presentation, such as video clips and poll questions.
• Keep the webinar length to around one hour, or attendees will lose interest.

For more tips, here's an article on the 10 Steps for Planning a Successful Webinar

What webinar best practices do you recommend?

Posted in Public Relations