Abstract
Webinars are an increasingly common methodology for delivering education in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving world in which employees are no longer able to gather at one site. Webinars give both the employer and the employee flexibility in the delivery of education. Because of the lack of face-to-face interaction with the participants, the presenter of a webinar is faced with some unique challenges. Thought must be given to each phase of the webinar as well as the instructional design of the presentation. The following is a collection of tips and pointers collected from a wide variety of sources.
General Considerations
Determine what content you can omit if time runs short. Be prepared to eliminate up to 25% of the presentation.
Never put yourself in the roles of both moderator and presenter.
Never present via speaker phone or cell phone.
Keep a printout of your slides handy in case you lose your Internet connection.
Consider having a second computer with an Internet connection available.
Smile. Though the group cannot see you, a smile can be heard.
Practice, practice, practice.
Developing the Presentation
Avoid using video clips—these have an extremely high rate of technical failure.
Use more graphics than words; 55% of learners are visual learners.
Start with a strong opener to grab participants ‘attention. It is more effective to start with, “Welcome! You are in for a treat! You are about to learn …” as opposed to “Good morning. Today I will be …”
Don't tell the participants what you are going to do; tell them what they are going to experience. For example, “You will learn about the four methods of widget making” instead of “I will review the four methods of widget making.” The use of the word you has been proven to increase audience engagement.
Don't tell the participants what you are going to do; tell them what they are going to experience. The use of the word you has been proven to increase audience engagement.
Before the Webinar
Prepare yourself and your environment to eliminate extraneous noise and distractions. For example, place a note on your door that states, “Do not disturb. Webinar presentation in process.”
Use a series of looping slides to convey important information and foster participant engagement while waiting for your presentation to begin. These slides should communicate:
when the session will begin
the conference dial-in number
your photo, name, and title
learner objectives
what to do in case of problems
how to ask questions and answer polls
quotes from past participants
fun facts related to the topic being presented
Send a reminder e-mail twice—the day before the webinar and 1 hour before the webinar.
Consider soliciting questions before the webinar (e.g., as part of the registration process).
During the Webinar
Plant a question every 6 to 10 minutes. This can be done by having the moderator ask the question, by polling the group, or by saying, “We've covered XYZ so far. I would like to pause and ask, what are your questions?”
Every 15 to 20 minutes, have the moderator reintroduce the speaker(s). For example, “We are approximately 15 minutes into today's webinar, (give title), presented by (name the speaker).”
Use a filler slide (e.g., a logo or related photo) when transitioning to a new topic or a new presenter.
Halfway through the presentation, have the moderator or speaker summarize what has been covered so far.
Always summarize at the end.
Consider a slide with takeaway points.
After the Webinar
Always conclude with a post-webinar survey. This can be done either at the end of the session or via e-mail after the webinar.
Send follow-up e-mails to all registered participants, those who attended and those who signed up but did not attend.
While this list of pointers is by no means all-inclusive, it will help you to get started in conducting value-added webinars and raise the level of your current practice.
Footnotes
Gen Guanci, MEd, RN-BC, CCRN, is a consultant with Creative Health Care Management.