July
2, 2020 | By Lindsay Crafford
COVID-19 has had a profound impact on
marketing functions around the globe. Whereas in-person events were the norm
until just recently, it’s necessary to switch to more virtual events these
days. While this is an abrupt change for many, don’t worry! Webinars are
an excellent way to keep your marketing events going while ensuring that
everyone stays safe.
One of the biggest challenges during a webinar is
engagement — from both the host’s and attendees’ perspective. With that in
mind, we’ve compiled several webinar tips for presenters and attendees to
ensure everyone gets the most from the experience. Check them out below!
For hosts
1. Get ready for your
close-up
Even before COVID-19, the importance of video
in online collaboration couldn’t be overstated. Now, it’s more important than
ever in the age of social distancing. A webcam presence helps build and nurture
relationships and makes communication more efficient and intuitive.
With GoToWebinar, you can use high-definition video
conferencing to meet face-to-face with your other session participants. Up
to 25 different webcams can be shared during
a session! All you need is a solid internet connection and a webcam to begin
enjoying a quality telepresence experience.
2. Create engaging
content and hone your presentation style
If you show your audience relevant content
from the get go, you won’t have to worry about them getting bored and leaving
midway through.
Ensure that you’re showing new slides to your
audience often – this keeps monotony (and boredom) at bay. Aim to spend no
longer than one to two minutes on a single slide, and make your copy short and
easily readable.
You can also leverage the following in your
slides to keep things interesting:
·
Vibrant colors
·
Thought-provoking
graphs
·
High-quality visuals
3. Use polls and
surveys throughout
When you interact with your attendees, you’re
showing them that you value their time and opinion.
One of the easiest and most effective ways of
interacting with your audience is by polling or surveying them at various
points throughout the webinar. For example, if you’ve just demonstrated a
specific feature of your product or service, you might ask your audience how
they see themselves using it in their lives.
You’ll also want to tee up anticipation for
each poll or survey by telling your attendees that one is coming up soon.
4. Have multiple
Q&A sessions during the webinar
It might sound strange, but don’t leave your
Q&A session until the end! Doing so means that you’re likely losing
opportunities to engage your audience with Q&As throughout the webinar.
Instead, have Q&As at various points, like
after you’ve talked about a specific topic. This will keep your audience
mentally engaged while also increasing the value of your webinar by clearing up
anything that’s caused confusion.
5. Include in-session
activities and breakout sessions
Exercises get your audience thinking, which
keeps them hooked on your content! The more you can get them to focus, the less
likely they’ll be to leave.
Consider this: If you’ve just wrapped up a
short segment on a certain subject, tell the audience it’s time for virtual
break-out groups, where people can gather in smaller numbers to go over your
points and complete exercises based on your talk. Modern software, such
as GoToTraining,
gives you the chance to break out virtually.
For attendees
1. Troubleshoot
technical issues beforehand
It’s hard to stay engaged when you’re dealing
with technical glitches instead of listening to the presenter. So before
you run into problems joining the session or hearing audio, it helps to
understand how webinar software works.
Our GoToWebinar
Support Site contains dozens of resources on system
requirements, how to join, connect to audio, and more!
2. Focus, focus, focus
It’s not so much webinar etiquette as it is
about you getting the most from the webinar you attend. When you show up ready
to absorb and retain as much information as you can, you’ll likely stay engaged
because you’re actively participating.
Be prepared to:
·
Take notes
·
Submit questions
during Q&A
·
Collaborate openly
with other attendees in breakouts
3. Relax – the host
can’t see you!
Whether or not they can be seen by the
presenter is a common concern among webinar attendees. If you’re one of them,
don’t fret: the host can’t see you or your PJs, but they will know your name if
you submit a question during Q&A.
Therefore, there’s no reason to feel
self-conscious during a webinar. Keeping this in mind, you can rest easy and
focus on the information being presented without feeling like you’re being
watched.
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