Want Your Webinar Participants to Adore You?—Do These 5 Things!

These strategies work well for a webinar presentation or a virtual meeting and are a must in any platform no matter the audience or the topic. Read on, my friend. Read on.

1. Start on?time.

Avoid giving people 3 to 5 minutes to join before you get the session started. Before you think “How rude?! Have you never been late for a session, Bridgett?!” I hear you. Yes, it’s considerate to accommodate those who may have challenges with arriving on-time (a call ran over, they couldn’t find the webinar link, they had technical difficulties?…), but in doing so, you are simultaneously?inconsiderate?of those who?did?arrive early or on-time. The majority of the group logged-in in a timely fashion and is sitting (possibly with annoyance on their faces or in their minds) as you use valuable time to admit late arrivals.?

But how do you start on-time while also ensuring latecomers can gain access to the session?

I’m so glad you asked.?

That’s number 2.

2. Have a moderator.

This person is behind-the-scenes handling logistics while you shine on the stage. They never have to speak. They never have to show their face. (And in?this article, you will love my coverage on the speaker examining why you want participants to show their faces.) They never have to complete an activity. Give them the necessary administrative privileges to admit participants and to take care of other functionalities you need to make for a smooth event. Your moderator acts as your second set of hands, eyes, and ears.?

But what if you cannot get someone who can stay and be your moderator for the entire meeting?

Another great question.

At a minimum, have them stay for the first 10 to 15 minutes to admit participants to the session and to ensure everything is off to a great start, then you handle everything from there. If there is a glitch in the middle of the meeting that you can’t seem to figure out, then let the participants know what’s happening. They are usually quite patient and understanding, and there may be someone in the audience who can give you the answer/fix you’re seeking.

3. Immediately give everyone a reason to listen to?you.

Avoid wasting time with a “hello” here and there to people you recognize, asking people to post to the chat where they live, or gushing about how you’re so excited for the session. Additionally, as you get the session started, resist the urge to talk too much about yourself. People aren’t listening. (As a matter of fact, I usually insist that moderators provide little to no introduction of me at all when I present sessions.) Cut to the chase with a brief and friendly welcome, the meeting purpose, and what will get accomplished in the session; make it clear to everyone that time will be well-spent.

4. Use time?wisely.

Look at your session objectives and categorize them by gold, silver, and bronze nuggets. The gold nuggets are the ones that need the most amount of time, and the bronze nuggets get the least amount of time.

Pressing matters are your gold nuggets — those items that are most important for your audience to have as their takeaways. And if you are introducing a new program, concept, or idea, then right along with your must-deliver content, a Q&A opportunity is definitely a gold nugget. With new information, audience members will have questions, so do not let Q&A wait for the last 5 minutes of the session —plan for and include opportunities?throughout?for questions — and allocate more than 5 minutes for participant queries.

The silver nuggets are mid-range in priority; it’s good if you get to them, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you don’t. And for those silver nuggets you don’t cover, it’s good to have a list of FAQs ready to which you can direct people.

Finally, the bronze nuggets are the ones you cover if you have the time; but do not feel compelled to use bronze nuggets to fill time. If you have covered the major points, then by all means, do not talk for the sake of talking. End early and allow participants to reclaim some precious time to take care of that Target run they’ve been meaning to get to all day.

5. End on?time.

If start and end times have been advertised, then people show up with that expectation—that the event will start when it’s supposed to start and that it will end when you said it would end. When you ignore that established end time, then those who must leave will miss out and can feel some type of way—FOMO is a real thing, sports fans. Others will stick around for that reason—for fear of missing out—but because of the psychological noise created by their expectation that the facilitator would stick to the scheduled end time, they do not even hear a thing you’re saying. If the session was supposed to end at 4:30pm, then trust and believe folks’ brains started to check out at 4:25. Real talk. (That’s kinda why I insist you don’t save Q&A for the last 5 minutes. Trust me on everything. There’s a method to the madness.) For sessions that take place later in the day, that’s all the more reason to end on time. By late afternoon/early evening, busy professionals are likely wrapping up their day shift and are getting ready to clock-in to commence their next shift, which is devoted to family and personal pursuits like making dinner or bustin' a move to get to the local pickleball court.

You know the drill.

Be respectful—end on-time.

Stand out the next time you're on the mic! Take advantage of more ways to improve your presentation and communication skills by subscribing and listening to the five-star rated?Own the Microphone?podcast. You will get real strategies from Bridgett McGowen and her guests on how to own the microphone and deliver a message people love.?

Visit?Amazon,?Barnes and Noble, or wherever you like to purchase your books to order a copy of?Real Talk: What Other Experts Won't Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle, 2e?for all of the presentation skills strategies that Bridgett uses.

Visit?BridgettMcGowen.com?for more resources and services built on Bridgett’s more than two decades of experience as a professional speaker.?

If you are ready to share your message on a larger stage,?Press 49?is ready to make your dream of becoming a published author a reality.