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Are you tired of boring webinars? Well, we are here to help! This week, we are discussing how to have more engaging webinars that will be more helpful for the audience.
When you watch a webinar, it was most likely an hour of listening to someone talk, right? Maybe there was a 10-minute Q & A at the very end that let a few questions get answered, but that isn’t truly engaging with the audience. When you’re just using a slide, people tend to lose focus because they know that the slides will most likely be shared to let them go through the information on their own time. When the whole webinar could be sent out as a video and people receive the same experience, you will most likely lose people’s attention.
Engagement is the goal when it comes to webinars. The sad thing is, we’ve been taught that learning looks like sitting in a big room and being talked at. Think about school. There is one teacher who stands at the front of the room and speaks to the class. Some teachers have it figured out and include engaging lessons or hands-on learning, but most students are stuck being lectured. The best students will come in after class for a one-on-one time where they can talk directly to the teacher regarding their confusion.
You should think about your webinar like that: a space for people to learn. How do people best learn? By engaging!
Here are some tips for having the best possible outcome for your next webinar:
1. Only have 20 minutes of material to present
Only have the goal of getting through about 20 minutes of your own content. This will allow you more time to answer questions and feel less pressure to rush through tons of different topics. Spend the necessary time on each item; don’t give people whiplash by trying to get through too much content in a short amount of time.
2. Have a second speaker
Bring another person up with you to have a more conversation-style presentation. This will allow you to bounce topics and ideas off of each other and will give the audience the sense of being part of the presentation and the conversation. Also, allow the conversation to be focused on what the audience wants to hear. Keep the topic relevant and on track, but use the questions and flow of conversation to dive deeper into the areas people most want to hear about.
3. Have one person monitor the chat box
The best webinars will have one person watching the chat box constantly, keeping track of questions and interrupting the speaker when necessary. This person can also comment and communicate with the audience while the speaker is presenting to keep everything flowing smoothly.
Ultimately, you don’t want to take your audience on a forced march. You want them to accompany you to the topics and conversations that will keep them engaged and focused. Pay attention to the number of questions coming in during your presentation. If there are too many than can be answered, then you have completed a successful webinar. Happy presenting!