Webinars are a great way to learn from experts, network with peers, and showcase your own educational leadership skills. However, they also require some preparation and planning to make the most of them. In this article, we will share some tips on how to prepare for a successful educational leadership webinar, whether you are a presenter or an attendee.
The first step to prepare for a webinar is to choose a topic that is relevant, engaging, and aligned with your learning goals. You want to pick a topic that showcases your expertise, addresses a challenge or opportunity in your field, and offers value to your audience. You also need to decide on the format of your webinar, such as a presentation, a panel discussion, a Q&A session, or a workshop. The format should match the purpose, the content, and the style of your webinar.
In my experience this is the first goal. You must build a presentation that speaks to a topic that is close to your heart, that you connect with with all your heart. In this way you will be able to sway and excite your audience.
The next step is to plan your content and delivery for the webinar. You need to create an outline of your main points, subtopics, and examples, and organize them in a logical and coherent way. You also need to prepare your slides, visuals, audio, and interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, or chats. Make sure your slides are clear, concise, and consistent, and use images, graphs, or videos to illustrate your points. You also need to practice your delivery, paying attention to your voice, pace, tone, and body language. You want to sound confident, enthusiastic, and professional, and avoid filler words, jargon, or slang.
Craft a captivating introductory script that hooks your audience with a relatable anecdote, a surprising statistic, or a thought-provoking question. Then, weave a narrative that engages their hearts (emotional connection) and heads (intellectual stimulation) throughout the webinar. Infuse your script with storytelling elements like anecdotes, case studies, and personal experiences. This adds an emotional layer, making your information relatable and memorable. Don't bombard your audience with information overload. Build in strategic pauses for reflection, allowing them to absorb key points and ask questions.
The third step is to test your technology and equipment before the webinar. You need to check your internet connection, your webcam, your microphone, your speakers, and your software. You also need to make sure you have a backup plan in case something goes wrong, such as a power outage, a technical glitch, or a disruption. You should have a second device, a second platform, or a second presenter ready to take over if needed. You should also test your webinar platform and features with a small group of participants or colleagues before the actual event, and get feedback on your content and delivery.
The fourth step is to promote your webinar and engage your audience before, during, and after the event. You need to create a landing page or a registration form for your webinar, and share it on your website, social media, email, or other channels. You also need to send reminders and confirmations to your registrants, and provide them with the access details and the agenda for the webinar. During the webinar, you need to welcome your attendees, introduce yourself and your topic, and encourage participation and interaction. You can use polls, quizzes, chats, or Q&A sessions to get feedback, questions, or comments from your audience. After the webinar, you need to follow up with your attendees, thank them for joining, and provide them with a recording, a summary, or a certificate of attendance.
The fifth step is to network and build relationships with your webinar attendees and presenters. Webinars are not only a learning opportunity, but also a networking opportunity. You can use your webinar platform or social media to connect with your audience, exchange contact information, share resources, or ask for referrals. You can also join or create online communities, groups, or forums related to your topic, and continue the conversation and the learning. You can also reach out to other presenters or experts in your field, and collaborate, mentor, or learn from them.
The final step is to evaluate and improve your webinar based on the feedback and the results you get. You need to collect and analyze data on your webinar performance, such as the number of registrants, attendees, dropouts, engagement, satisfaction, and learning outcomes. You also need to ask for feedback from your attendees and presenters, and use surveys, polls, or testimonials to measure their experience and their expectations. You need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your webinar, and use them to improve your content, delivery, and technology for future webinars.
As with all walks of work, we want to ensure that we have feedback loops which inform and develop future practice. Really and truly, the 'event itself' is not the end, as such, but rather the beginning of future opportunities for improvement ...