The webinar presenter may never have dealt with your specific webinar technology and probably has only a passing familiarity with how to prepare for delivering an online event. Help the speaker by reviewing the technology beforehand and going over the final details on game day.
Prior to the Webinar Date: The speaker, on delivery day, will see a busy computer screen. There will be a streaming audience chat box, the presentation slides, a private presenter chat box, recording buttons, whiteboard options, polls, audience activity trackers, and more. This can be variously overwhelming, distracting, and confusing. As the expert webinar facilitator, explain how you, and not the presenter, will handle each element. Only if the speaker asks for an explanation of a feature should you bother them with the knowledge. The presenter will manage some technical elements such as clicking through each slide and using a whiteboard overlay. Help them master the technical elements they manage so that, come webinar time, they have total confidence in what to do.
Finally and critically, let the presenter know how to prepare the brick-andmortar room where he or she will deliver from. For example, they will need to call from a land line, use a wired Internet connection, press the “Do Not Disturb” on their phone (and make sure their office dog cannot be heard barking). Compile a list of these things and send it to the presenter to check off before delivering.
The Day of the Webinar: During the live event, you probably will not have time to resolve problems or the privacy to resolve them away from the audience. Have the presenter log in to the webinar and call in (with VOIP or the telephone) at least one half hour before the go-live time for a sound and general technology check. Other details worth reviewing include: what the presenter must do when the webinar goes live; when the presenter takes control of the slides; how the presenter should prompt you to pull up the interactive polls; and any other areas of collaboration.
Does it take a half hour to do all of that? No. But most times something goes wrong and that half hour provides you with the time cushion you need to troubleshoot things (or to visit the restroom). The webinar facilitator can also call the presenter(s) after the presentation to say congratulations, debrief, and review what went well and what might happen differently next time.