Have you ever noticed that some people are able to give the most fantastic webinar presentations while others just fall flat? Hosting an effective webinar is a skill just like anything else and therefore has to be treated like one. There are plenty of things that you will have to consider and take into account if you want your webinar to be a hit.
Here are some of the secrets to hosting an effective webinar.
Pick a Good Webinar Platform
When it comes time to give a webinar, you have to make sure that the platform you have chosen to host it on is good. What are things you want to look for? First, you want the platform to be something that is easy for everyone to use. You want to ensure you are able to easily access and present all of your resources, and at the same time you want to ensure your audience is able to easily connect and view your presentation.
The next thing you are going to want to look at is the amount of features the platform offers you. Platforms like Zoom for example have become popular for webinars but are very bare bones. You are not given many tools to create an exciting presentation for your viewers. Platforms such as WebinarJam are full of features that you can use to create a strong presentation. While there will be a learning curve to understanding a new platform, once you take the time to become fully comfortable with the one you choose, you can utilize all of its features to create a very effective presentation. Always keep in mind the platform you are choosing when it comes time to host a webinar.
Create a Strong Set of Slides
Even though the main focus of the webinar is going to be on you and your speakers, you want to make sure that your guests have some sort of visual that they can look at and follow. Creating a strong visual presentation is something that is extremely difficult, and can completely derail your presentation if it is not done correctly. What are some things you should consider when creating a strong slide deck?
Do not clutter your slides or read word for word from them. Your slide should be an enhancement of the presentation itself, it should not be the presentation. Utilize a few keywords on it to help guide the audience, but at no point should you have long sentences on it nor should you be reading from it.
Do not cram it full of animations. The next mistake people make is that they fill their presentation up with animations and spinning images and text. A lot of visual noise takes away attention from you and what you are trying to say. Instead of the audience listening to you, they are now watching a picture spin in circles on the screen.
Finally, ensure that you are using a good colour scheme with your presentation. Having too many colours will once again create too much visual noise, but having something that looks extremely boring will also turn your audience away as well. Find a nice combination when it comes to choosing colours.
Advertise It
Most of the time, webinars are used to entice new customers into choosing a company. If you are not reaching out to build your audience, your webinar is going to fall flat. Consider using tactics such as search engine optimization to allow the word of your presentation to be seen by as many people as possible. The more people who see your presentation, the more audience members you are going to get.
Present with Passion
The final key to hosting an effective webinar is to host it with passion and excitement. If you sound bored while you are presenting, the audience will not care what you have to say. If you can get excited about your content however, the people listening will also be excited and will carefully listen to each word that you have to say. Chances are, the presentations that you remember are all ones where the speaker was able to draw you in with their words and captivate you with their ideas. Keep that in mind when you plan to present to your audience.
These are some of the top secrets to remember when it comes time to create your own webinar. It can be difficult and nerve wracking to present in front of a group of people, but with enough practice you will be able to get up there and do a great job. What do you plan on adding to your webinar?
