Successful Webinars – Effective Long Distance Communication

A few weeks ago, I attended a news conference via webinar, a powerful browser-based tool designed to communicate with far-flung audiences. For those new to the technology, it’s essentially a presentation given via the Internet, with viewers watching on their computer monitors.

Some webinars have speakers speaking in real time in a video format. This one that I viewed featured only a slide presentation and narration by an unseen professor at a university in another state. Unfortunately for the several reporters tuned in, the slide show was very poorly designed. It featured large chunks of copy and detailed explanations from the disembodied speaker.

To make matters worse, the webinar hosts had never used the technology before and there were a number of miscues during the presentation. I found myself making mental notes on how the process and the content could have been improved.

Here are a few suggestions:


*Prepare as you would for an in-person presentation. Whether you are to be visible on the monitor or not, put together an interesting, engaging package of information. Consider making three key points and backing them up with supporting anecdotes and facts. Do your audience research and prepare an introduction that will draw your listeners in. Then conclude with a summation of your key points.


*If you are showing slides, use only key words or relevant images, and try to make the slides visually appealing. Reading from long blocks of content is boring and a waste of everyone’s time.


*Be familiar with the webinar technology you are using. Have experts in the system available during the event to solve any technical issues.


*Do a dress rehearsal. Run through the presentation in advance and have people on your own team listen in and provide a critique.


*Run a test just before you begin. Make doubly sure that the technology is working and the communication channels with the audience are functioning. Make sure listeners can email questions or voice them over the phone, whichever you choose.


Don’t make the mistake of spending all your efforts selecting the right service provider and then neglecting the content itself. Webinars can save organizations money and time and serve as valuable communication tools -- but only if they are treated as full-blown, in-person presentation events.