How to conduct webinar: standard rules

Webinars are not a new format for online communication. Online classes have been held before, but under the conditions of quarantine restrictions, they have acquired a grandiose scale. Most of the offline classes have moved to the vastness of the World Wide Web and are called a webinar. In this format, you can conduct almost any theoretical lesson. Therefore, webinars are not only a trend but also a necessity. This material will tell you how to organize an event of this kind.

What is a webinar

It is customary to call a webinar a training lecture on the Internet. An online meeting of this format is characterized by:

•       the layout of the lesson where information is presented to the audience;
•        there is only one speaker; it minimizes the communication with the audience;
•       voice messages from users often are not accepted, and only chat is available;
•       the organizer manages the broadcast by moderating the activity.

Depending on the platform, webinars can be configured in different ways. There are options with interactive elements or polls, and ordinary broadcasts are also possible without specialized possibilities.

We use webinars for

The possibilities of the modern Internet are diverse, and therefore, in the format of a webinar, the following are implemented:

•       school lessons and lectures at universities;
•       sports activities, from corporate warm-up to yoga and fitness;
•       optional training programs on any topic;
•       broadcasting thoughts and ideas of opinion leaders;
•       private and group psychological trainings;
•       applicable courses for employees of various enterprises;
•       hybrid corporate broadcasting of events;
•       reports and reports of heads of departments of the company or branches;
•       any format of theoretical studies, including even lessons in a driving school.

The only significant drawback of webinars is the complexity of organizing practical training. The audience must have the necessary props, but with a high level of audience involvement or fundamental preparation for practice, this problem is also solved.

Among the problems faced by webinar organizers, the key ones are:

•       setting up a broadcast for a large audience;
•       keeping the audience’s attention;
•       maintaining stable picture and sound quality;
•       protection of personal information.

Regardless of the platform you use, webinars seem like a simple matter. But creating quality content requires experience, knowledge, and technical ability.

Where is it possible to conduct online broadcasts

There are many webinar services: free and paid, with different functionality and audience, closed and public, designed for corporate meetings and household use. Among the most popular, we note:

• Zoom. The most famous platform for online meetings globally with a very wide (and partially paid) functionality. Allows you to create a webinar of any format and subject, gathering a large audience. The main advantage is cross-platform – you can hold a conference in zoom using any device, just like watching. But the many settings and the availability of paid functionality make this platform difficult for beginners to master.
• YouTube. Free platform with millions of users and the ability to organize broadcasts in a few clicks. But it is very protective for copyrights and topics, so a webinar here requires careful preparation.
• ClickMeeting. A convenient and popular platform suitable for both corporate meetings and classic webinars. It has many different functions, from capturing part of the screen to interactive elements. The free version has limited functionality, and to conduct exciting and high-quality webinars, you need to buy additional options.
• ETutorium. A paid platform with various tariff plans and options that you get depending on the cost of the package. Great for implementing online training sessions. Here are just the number of tariffs and the possibilities offered in each of them; an inexperienced user will quickly get confused.
• Webex. An enterprise platform designed primarily for business. Creating a webinar for ordinary users on this resource is not very convenient, but it is ideal for communication within a team or workshops.

There are many options on platforms for holding events on the Internet. Choosing the right one based on your target audience and technical needs is an essential metric for recruiting an audience.

Structure of the webinar

If we talk about the general rules for holding an online event, then you need to highlight the main stages of preparation:

1. Choice of topics. The topic of the webinar should be well known to the speaker. If you raise a burning issue, then you should study it tightly before broadcasting.
2. Definition of the target audience. The topic may not be attractive to everyone, so you need to determine in advance for whom the webinar is being held. The style and presentation of the material depend on the target audience.
3. Material preparation. Graphs, tables, records, photos, and videos are helpful for visualization speakers’ ideas. It is crucial to consider the purpose of the meeting – acquaintance with the topic or in-depth study of some aspect.
4. Planning. It is worth dividing the webinar into sections but following a specific structure.
5. Set up a registration page and its advertising. Usually, this is a landing page for which an advertising campaign starts to attract a target audience.
6. Choice of the platform for broadcasting. Zoom, YouTube, or highly specialized resources – it depends on the topic and content to broadcast.

Note that the decision on where to organize the webinar is made by the latter. This is done in order to select the platform that is optimal in terms of functionality. If you choose a resource or program in the first place, then all other nuances will have to be adjusted to the capabilities of the service.

Webinar rules

There are several vital aspects that most beginners overlook. Because of this, the quality of the webinar suffers, and the number of viewers decreases during the broadcast. Or it doesn’t meet expectations at all. In addition, user reviews can hardly be called enthusiastic. So, you need to take care of the following separately:

• Accessibility to the audience. When choosing a platform for a webinar, you need to consider the participants’ technical capabilities. Not everyone is ready to download special applications. The optimal way is to conduct the broadcast via the most popular programs or create a website for webinars.
• The convenience of viewing. An important fact – 75% (or more) of the audience watch webinars from mobile devices. Therefore, it is best to avoid small items on the screen. The speaker and his presentation should be visible on the smartphone display.
• Comfortable duration. The principal value of a modern user is time. Therefore, there is no need to drag out the webinar. The recommended lesson timing is up to 1.5 hours.
• Answers to questions. The audience will clarify the details of interest towards the end of the lesson anyway. You can use unique Internet resources (for example, do.esprezo.ru or the sli.do application), which allow viewers to ask questions and choose the best ones so that the speaker will notice them accurately react.
• Correct exposure. Correct placement of cameras, microphones, and lighting is an essential factor in viewing comfort. In addition, the lecturer must also be visible in the frame. Therefore, you should not, for example, have a bright light source behind you.

Meeting user expectations is the best recommendation for watching a webinar. Viewers, as a rule, expect high picture quality, good sound, and attention from the speaker.