Unless you have been hiding under a rock (lucky you!), you are on webinars and virtual meetings DAILY! What used to be a monthly occurrence is now part of the way we all conduct business, and it isn’t going anywhere even after our offices start opening up and in-person collaboration is an option again. But like the early days of email and social media, everyone is dealing with a learning curve as we adapt, so let us take you right to our top 5 virtual webinar/meeting tips!
Tip 1: Give the people a break!
If you don’t offer breaks, your audience will find a way!
Burnout is real and not something to be trifled with… and studies show you only have 47 mins before it kicks in! After that time, you start to lose your attendees attention and their ability to retain the information. Thankfully, there are many ways to combat it!
Give them a break – longer than 1 or 2 minutes – where they can step AWAY from their devices every 45 mins to an hour.
Ask attendees to participate in your meeting using the tools of the webinar platform every 10 mins or so. Creating polling questions or requesting discussion via chat can be an easy way to facilitate this!
Take advantage of features such as “Together Mode” on Microsoft Teams for a fun layout that keeps audiences engaged!
Include your takeaways and call to action at the start of the webinar, so the message you intend to deliver is not lost due to drop off and burnout at the end.
Tip 2: Virtual backgrounds are SO the start of the pandemiC
You can still utilize Virtual Backgrounds to up the production capabilities of your event in creative ways.
Unless you have an actual green screen behind you, step away from the virtual backgrounds. The silhouetting around your frame can be distracting, and if you move your hands often you will suffer from vanishing hand syndrome. Instead, we recommend finding a blank or lightly decorated wall in your home to present in front of, with minimal or no natural light in the background, and position yourself with at least a few feet of depth behind you. This will ensure a clean look that doesn’t change with the time of day and keeps your living area private.
What you SHOULD use the virtual background feature for is to display timers, fake picture-in-picture, and other little tricks of the trade!
Tip 3: Video is everything (as long as it looks good!)
We always recommend you be on video if you can to personally connect and engage your colleagues and audience.
If you’ve seen this on a virtual meeting before, this section is for you.
Look into the camera, that’s how you make eye contact! Be sure to position your camera as close to eye level as possible to avoid slanted angles.
Laptops like MacBooks are not known for having the best integrated webcams, and your video quality even on low bitrate streams can only be as good as the source you send. It may be time to up your game with a small investment in an HD quality webcam or USB camera and tripod. The difference can be dramatic!
Try using a microphone (even if it’s just ear buds!). This can cut down on room noise and improve your sound quality. Test your audio in a private meeting if you have a few options available to decide what’s best.
Lighting is everything! Make sure a primary light source is positioned in front of you vs behind you and that your room is well lit from above. (don’t be a ghost… Halloween is over)
Make sure you’re close to the router and your WiFi signal is strong so your new professional setup is not compromised by connection issues! If you have the ability to plug in your computer via Ethernet, even better.
Tip 4: Practice, and then practice some more!
And we are not even talking about your content, it’s all about the tech! Make sure your speakers know how to join, share their screens, navigate the settings, use the chat, or even simpler tasks if they’re completely new! Do a technology review and training prior to your live event to iron out all the little kinks that can arise with each setup. And on event day, have your speakers join 30 mins early to check again. Worst case you all are a little bored and have extra time to catch up… but worth it for streaming perfection!
Tip 5: Ask For support!
It can be a lot to speak, moderate panelists, manage attendees, mute the guy with the dog, share your screen, and send everyone to breakout rooms all at the same time. And the more attendees you have expected to join, the more distracting it can be to manage. Designate someone from your team or a hire a professional (HI!!!) to handle the producer, tech support and technical director role on your behalf, so that you can focus on your content and engaging your audience!
Follow the above simple tips, and your attendees will not only thank you but celebrate your webinar wizardry.
As always, Revent is here to help so give us a ring!
Let others handle the support so you can focus on delivering great content!