Hosting a successful web conference

Abstract

Web-based conferences, or “webinars,” are an effective way to hold meetings and training sessions with colleagues and clients at a distance. In a webinar, participants can sit at their own computers, or watch as a group with a video projector, while connected to other participants via the Internet. Web conference software manages the connections of participants into the webinar, displays content, and provides interactive features such as collaborative editing, polls, and online chat. This effective practice is based on a white paper submitted by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in January 2007.

Issue

Although it requires less coordination and logistical support than a face-to-face meeting or training session, planning and hosting a webinar still takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Moreover, depending on your comfort with technology, interacting with people online and over the phone may prove more challenging than face-to-face meetings and trainings.

Action

Key tasks in webinar development and delivery are listed in a checklist format and grouped within the general phases of webinar planning as they are likely to occur.

General Tips and Strategies

Depending on the limitations of your webinar account, you may need to control registration to keep attendance within a proscribed limit. This can be managed in one of two manners:

Directly inviting a small, pre-selected group
If you will be marketing to a large pool of potential participants, you can send out a general marketing message first and require people get in touch with you directly to be sent the login details. Be sure to let people know up front in the original message that registration will be on a “first-come, first-served” basis. (See the Two or Three Weeks Before Webinar section, below.)

If you know your webinar will attract a lot of interest, try to offer multiple sessions and/or set aside one or two back-up dates for additional sessions.
If possible, bring a laptop to the room where you will be hosting the webinar and connect it as a participant. This allows you and other presenters in the room to see what participants are seeing on their screens (although it will likely be somewhat different from what you will see on the computer from which the webinar is run).
Develop a slide show presentation or other document to organize the webinar session and display information to participants. Even if you plan on having a highly interactive session and/or have participants navigate an application or website with you, you will still want something to appear on the screen when participants first connect into the webinar so they know they have landed in the right place. The slide show or other document can also be used to display the session agenda and list references and resources cited during the webinar.
Appoint a colleague (preferably one with some Web conference experience) to act as “tech support” during the webinar. This person will attend to technical issues the host or participants may have, freeing the presenter(s) to focus solely on delivering the webinar content.
Hold a “dry run” session of the webinar a week before the actual date to acclimate presenters to the format, test the flow of the content, and identify technical challenges. Try to make the run-through as realistic as possible, including having colleagues and/or reviewers connect to the webinar and phone systems that will be used.
Send a reminder e-mail to participants that repeats the login information and housekeeping details a couple of days before the webinar. Send any slide show or other written materials for your webinar to participants in PDF format in the reminder email. This benefits participants who would prefer to have session materials in hand, allows them to take notes, and allows for a “Plan B” should you or participants have technical difficulties during the webinar (you and/or they can read the handout and follow the discussion on the phone).
If using a teleconference, include on the first slide or screen of your webinar the phone connection details (see sample below); some participants may log into the webinar but forget to also dial into the teleconference.
Start off the webinar with an opening “script” (see the first section of Appendix I for a sample) that sets participants’ expectations for how the webinar will run and provides housekeeping tips.
End the webinar with a closing script (see the second part of Appendix I for a sample) that thanks the audience for their participation, reminds them to fill out the evaluation, and supplies them with information on how to get additional help after the webinar.
Be sure to address how questions will be taken – i.e., can participants ask them at any time or should they save them to the end? Alternatively, you can have participants e-mail questions to you or a colleague in the course of the webinar, which you can address at a certain point during the webinar.
When moving between slides or screens during the webinar, periodically read out the slide number or slide/screen title to help participants know they are seeing the same thing you are.

One Month Before the Webinar

Establish that a webinar is necessary or desired.
Decide which computer will be used to deliver the webinar, and make sure that it is properly configured with the necessary software and internet access.
Work with team members to determine:

Target audience(s)
Invited attendees (e.g., other staff, representatives from the field)
Specific goal(s) or learning objective(s)
Specific topics or content to be covered
Specific approach to be used (e.g., lecture, group discussion)
Working title
Rough agenda and outline

Note: Aim for a webinar of no more than one hour’s length.
Resources to be presented or incorporated into the webinar content
Means by which the webinar will be marketed

(Optional) Draft proposal containing agreed-upon webinar details and share with team members for review and revision (see Appendix A for a sample).
Schedule webinar for a date and time agreeable to all team members, invited guests, and potential participants.

Note: Eleven o'clock (11:00) a.m. Pacific Time is a good time to schedule webinars that will target a national audience.

Note: Build in at least a half hour before and after the official webinar time slot to allow for technology setup at the beginning, and for the possibility of running over time at the end.
(Optional, but HIGHLY recommended) Schedule a webinar “dry-run” (practice session) at least one week prior to the live webinar at a date and time agreeable to the team members and guests who will be presenting at the live session.

Note: This webinar dress rehearsal will help you discover any kinks in the content, presentation format, or technology prior to the live webinar, and will help you gain confidence with the presentation tools.

Note: The dry run should be conducted just as it would be for the live webinar, if time for sufficient development allows it.]

Two or Three Weeks Before the Webinar

Determine how registration for the webinar will be handled.

Option 1: A marketing message with connection details is sent to potential participants who log in at the time of the webinar.

Note: Good for webinars targeting a small group of pre-selected participants.
Option 2: A marketing message with general webinar information—but no connection details—is broadcast to potential participants, who must then contact you or another team member directly to get connection information.

Note: Good for webinars when you expect a large response and must control registration.

Note: If you choose this option, you will probably want to create a tracking sheet to record people who are registered or put on a waiting list; a sample can be found in Appendix B.

Craft a marketing message/invitation detailing the scheduling and agenda of the webinar (see Appendix C for an example).
If you are sending login information with the initial invitation, include the following three pieces of information; if you are controlling registration and asking people to get in touch with you before you give them connection details, skip to the next step:

Webinar login details
Teleconference access information (if applicable)
Tips on ensuring a successful webinar (see Appendix D)

Launch/distribute marketing message through designated channels.
If you are controlling registration and asking people to get in touch with you before you send them connection information, prepare a confirmation notice (see Appendix E for an e-mail example) containing the following pieces of information to send as people respond and request to be registered:

Brief restatement of the webinar topic and date/time
Webinar login details
Teleconference access information (if applicable)
Tips on ensuring a successful webinar (see Appendix D)

Be sure to record registrations in your tracking form, if you created one.
Manage registrations and/or troubleshoot participant issues.

Note: You may also have to prepare a “sorry, webinar is full” notice for people who request to be registered after the deadline (see Appendix F for an example).

One Week Before the Webinar

Finalize presentation and roles and responsibilities with staff and other presenters.

Note: Appoint a colleague (preferably one with some Web conference experience) to act as “tech support” during the webinar. This person will attend to technical issues the host or participants may have, freeing the presenter(s) to focus solely on delivering the webinar content.

Note: If using a teleconference, include on the first slide or screen of your webinar the phone connection details (see sample below); some participants may log into the webinar but forget to also dial into the teleconference.

Prepare webinar evaluation forms for use by participants after the session (see Appendix G for a sample evaluation form).

Note: For faster development and distribution of evaluations, you can create online surveys and deliver them to participants via e-mail. Several free or inexpensive survey tools can be found on the Web.

Prepare opening and closing remarks for the webinar (see Appendix I for an example).
(Optional but HIGHLY recommended) Secure access to a second computer (preferably a laptop) that you will be able to bring into the room from which the webinar and optional dry run will occur. If your webinar account allows, you can connect this second computer as a participant so that you can see what the participants see (it is not exactly the same as what you’ll see on the computer running the webinar).
(Optional but HIGHLY recommended) Hold a webinar dry run with available staff/presenters to run through the agenda and troubleshoot any technical problems. (See instructions for Day of the Webinar, below.)
Continue to manage registrations and/or troubleshoot participant issues.

Two Days Before the Webinar

Convert any documents you will be using in the webinar to PDFs for distribution via e-mail to participants.

Note: Sending PDFs of the session materials beforehand helps participants prepare and allows them to take notes; it also allows you to have a “Plan B” for working through the session if you or participants have technical difficulties with the webinar.

Send a reminder notice to registered participants with login details and webinar housekeeping items, including any PDF presentation materials (see Appendix H for a sample).
Continue to manage registrations and/or troubleshoot participant issues.

Day of the Webinar

30 Minutes Before the Webinar (or earlier)

Set up the room and technology for your webinar.

Set up, turn on, and log into the computer you will be using to host the webinar.
If using the recommended second computer to log in as a participant (to see what participants see), set up, turn on, and log onto it.
(If applicable) Set up and turn on the LCD projector or display board you will be using.
(If applicable) Set up conference phone and test for dial tone and volume.
If using a slide show presentation or other documents during the webinar, open the file(s) on the computer you will be using to host the webinar.
Gather together the following materials to have on hand during the webinar (make copies for other presenters with you in the room):

Hard copy of any materials that will be presented during the webinar
Hard copies of the registration list (if available) for taking attendance
Connection information for phone conference system (if applicable)

15 Minutes Before the Webinar

Log the host computer into the webinar.

10 Minutes Before the Webinar

Dial into the teleconference system (if applicable).
Greet participants already on the phone; acknowledge participants as they connect into the teleconference and webinar; and troubleshoot any difficulties participants are experiencing.

During the Webinar

Formally welcome participants and read through the introductory script (see the first part of Appendix I for a sample opening script).
Explain how you will address questions from attendees.
Conduct the webinar.
At the end of the formal webinar session, read through the closing script (see the second part of Appendix I for a sample closing script).
When finished, log out and close all webinar windows.
Hang up on the teleconference line (if applicable).
Shut down computer(s) and clean up the room.

Day After the Webinar

Prepare a “thank-you” message. Distribute to participants, along with any additional resources promised to participants in the course of the webinar. Include instructions for completing the post-webinar evaluation.
Clean up any webinar registration list(s) for entry into any database or other reporting system.
Follow up with any one-on-one training or technical assistance promised to specific participants in the course of the webinar.

Week After the Webinar

Collect participant feedback from the post-webinar evaluations.
Discuss results with your team to glean best practices for the next webinar.

Context

As this guide was developed within the context of one particular Web conference service, it may not necessarily represent all of the tasks and decisions you will face in coordinating your own webinars. Thus, you may ultimately determine not to follow the instructions precisely as provided here, or to make adaptations to suit your team’s particular needs. Regardless, this guide will give you a head start in arranging and delivering successful webinars.

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Hosting a successful web conference

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