Attendees spend the duration of the webinar looking at their computer screen.  What they see is called the “webinar room.” Prepare the room with the attendees’ perspective in mind because the presentation should cater to them.

There are three elements to focus on:

1. Content: A PowerPoint presentation is the centerpiece of most webinars.  Upload the slide deck to the webinar provider’s server (which most require) and leaf through each slide to make sure they render correctly and properly display any effects. It is a best practice to upload and test the slide deck 24 hours before the webinar begins. This lets you correct any errors before it is too late.  Include a high-quality image of the presenter on the screen. It is a vital element because it humanizes the speaker who the attendee cannot see.  Most events have a Q&A portion. It helps when attendees and presenters can read the questions in addition to hearing them being asked. Make arrangements to display each one.

2. Attendee Care: Attendees ask a variety of questions and can have a number of technical problems throughout the webinar. It helps to verbally cover common questions and problems at the beginning of the webinar, but that is not sufficient. A number of attendees will arrive late and miss the beginning. And, like a flight attendant’s safety instructions, many attendees ignore whatever details the facilitator covers. Therefore, it is worth posting such items as:

a) The call-in number for telephone audio
b) A number to call for technical support
c) The time the webinar begins and ends (and the Q&A, too)
d) Whether or not and when attendees will receive a PDF of the presentation slides
e) Whether or not and when attendees will receive a recording of the event
f) Instructions for writing in with questions

3. Marketing: Most webinars have both an editorial and marketing element to them. A best practice with such webinars is to clearly separate marketing and editorial content (lest it become an infomercial). To do this, you can:

a) Create a space separate from the editorial content that showcases whatever the webinar is marketing, be it a book, research report, or whatever.
b) Let the final presentation slide feature a marketing call-to-action.

The final slide usually sits on the screen throughout the Q&A making it an ideal place to promote something.