Zoom: Hosting a Webinar

Before the Webinar

Format

One Speaker, Interview Style, Moderated Panel Discussion, Interactive

Content

Determine the content and presentation format. Each presentation should include the following: a lobby slide, a slide introducing each presenter, including job title, affiliation, and a photograph if available, a quick overview of the webinar agenda and the topics to be covered.

Moderator

Nearly all webinars should have a moderator. The moderator's duties include (but are not limited to): sending participant invites and fielding questions from participants prior to the webinar, disabling microphones and videos upon participant entry, start/end recording, offering 2-3 “seed questions” to get the Q&A started (if applicable), and ending the webinar (disabling participant interaction).

24-Hour Email

24 hours in advance, send a “Best Practices Email”. The email should inform the participants of the following: Arrive 10-15 minutes early, test sound and/or use headphones (if desired), close other applications to increase connectivity, and please leave the microphone and camera off (if applicable).

Dry Run

An introduction to the participants, an introduction to the webinar tool and its features, an equipment check, and a review of your agenda and visuals. Think of things like direct sunlight exposure and exterior events impacting the quality of your webinar

Reserve Equipment and Space

Make sure you have: Headsets, Power Cords, and Network Cables (Note: we recommend connecting directly to the network and not using a wireless connection). Regardless of the equipment you use, you will need a quiet space in which to conduct your webinar. In addition to using a headset, you should reserve a conference room or place where there won't be background noise or interruptions. Keep in mind that construction noises and sirens can be a distraction when presenting.

During the Webinar

Water

Keep water off to the side to be accessed easily and discreetly.

Interactivity

If asking the audience questions or polling the audience for a response, be sure to explain where to find the “chat function”, as well as how and when to use it.

Lobby Slide

If using a PowerPoint or keynote slide deck, the first slide should be a “lobby slide” which tells the participant that they are in the correct webinar and that it will begin momentarily (e.g., “Welcome to the Life Science Webinar, Hosted by Dr. Sally Green. We will begin shortly.”)

Noise Control

Put a sign on the door which the presenter will be speaking in. The sign should read: “Webinar Recording in Progress. Please Do Not Disturb”. Desk phones and cell phones should be set to silent. The presenter should have no other applications or windows open while giving the presentation (This helps with connection speed, and negates unwanted “dings” and other application noises).

After the Webinar

Debrief

What went well and what could use improvement? Determine these areas for next time.

View Participants

View participant's statistics on BlueJeans (email address/name, time entered, duration of stay). Send Thank You notes to audience members for participating in the webinar.

Post-Webinar Survey

Distribute a survey after the webinar to collect feedback.

To Request Webinar Functionality

Webinar for Zoom

Fill out this form and select options.