Many of you are conducting online meetings and webinars, and we want to help you make your virtual communications run as smoothly as possible! All too often, Webinars and Web meetings can be disorganized and poorly moderated, because the virtual format leads to greater anonymity and less accountability. To help your Webinars and Web meetings run smoothly and professionally, and to keep your audience engaged, I suggest setting some Guidelines for Participation at the beginning of each Web session.
- Establish roles: who will be the presenter, host, note-taker, time-keeper, and technical support?
- Decide whether or not the session will be recorded.
- Make an announcement about reducing noise and distraction by having participants mute their phones.
- Explain how questions and technical difficulties will be handled, so that participants know where to direct their issues during the session.
- Describe which interactive tools the participants will be expected to use, such as chat, emoticons, video, or poll questions.
By explaining your expectations, you can encourage focused and organized participation. Announcing your Guidelines for Participation at the beginning of each Web session is a quick and easy step that can help you avoid confusion and headaches later on!
Make Every Presentation Great!
Sheri Jeavons