Things You Can do in Advance and in Real-Time for a Polished Presentation

If you’re reading this blog post, chances are likely you’ve already decided to host a webinar. Congratulations! Now, the key is to host a webinar that runs smoothly. Whether it’s your first webinar to host or your 100th, there’s always something new to try in the hopes that things will run smooth. A flawless webinar really has an impact on its viewers.

Not to scare you, but there are many factors that might cause a webinar to fail. However, many of these things can be tested ahead of time for a smoother presentation.

Start by testing your webinar software or platform. Make sure everything is running properly on the backend. If you’re particularly worried about the speed, take a look at the network infrastructure to be sure it’s running at least 30-40 percent higher in output speed than you actually need.

This will ensure you don’t run into any loading delays, as those can be frustrating for you and the participants. If you do happen to run into similar technical issues while the webinar is running, be sure to vocalize these issues so the audience is aware of what’s happening.

If you have an IT department, it’s worth meeting with them before you host your webinar. They can take a look at all of your equipment — A/V equipment, updated software, streaming support, etc. — and make sure everything you need is in place well-before the webinar gets started.

There are a few small things you can do right at your workspace to help your webinar run smoothly, such as:

  • Set up two monitors, so you can see everything at once
  • Declutter your workspace; not just your desk, but also your computer
  • Make sure your area is quiet and all notifications are turned off
  • Print your presentation and have it in front of you, just in case
  • Make sure you know how to record the webinar so you can have it afterward

Finally, and this is likely the most important tip to make sure your webinar runs smoothly, you’ve got to make sure you have enough time in your own workday (or life, in general) to actually host a webinar.

Webinars are so popular and such a great tool for professional development, sales, and networking, but they take a lot of work! Great webinar hosts likely make the job look easy, but there’s many hours of work put in behind every 45-60-minute webinar.

Consider all of the planning, creating and sending the invitations, making the presentation and any additional materials, promoting the webinar on any and all appropriate platforms, hosting the webinar, and then sending any follow up necessary.

If you know you don’t have the time, schedule the webinar for a better day. You want to give yourself plenty of time to get all of the necessary work in place with time to spare. You’ll also want to make sure you feel prepared so you can present with ease. Trust us, your webinar attendees are going to appreciate the work you’ve put in.