A few weeks ago, I was tasked with hosting my first short webinar. It was only 20 minutes long, but I had a blast. Here are some of the lessons I learned in hosting this webinar that may be good to pass on.
Here is my webinar recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T66EHC6u0fo
Tips for Hosting a Webinar
Relax
This one was a cooncidence, but worked in my favor. I had the flu and my priority for the day was to rest. I slept until about an hour before the webinar, took some medicine, and was fully relaxed for my webinar. This worked in my favor. I highly recommend a relaxation technique if this type of experience is overwhelming.
Practice Is Useful
I practiced on a team member and my significant other. It really helped to figure out what parts I need to add, what slides were unclear, and when I needed to be more animated. I would highly recommend practicing for technology troubleshooting as well. In practicing, I figured out the screen arrangement, sharing techniques, and demonstration flows.
Working Team PLUS Classmates
I extended an invitation to my work colleagues and many people attended. This was great for me because it puts a formal pressure on me to be professional and stay focused. I believe it put me at that perfect threshold of challenge and nerves for optimal performance.
Enjoyed Myself
As with many experiences in my MA program, I found myself excited to host another webinar after I was done. I enjoyed my time on-screen with everyone and wanted more of the spontaneous possibilities that come with a live event. I could do this again! I may even be better at this than presenting in-person. (Oh no!)
Lighting Troubleshooting
Prior to my webinar, I made sure my camera was capturing a good video quality and frame. Since I hosted the webinar at 2pm, it was very bright outside. I had a humorous moment of considering putting tacks in the wall to hang a scarf or blanket or nailing a quilt to the wall. Nothing was drowning out the light enough, though. I ended up turning the computer screen slightly so most of the screen was a wall instead of a window. I saved myself holes in my wall as well as frustration getting a blanket to hang. I am happy I made this decision. Also, a blanket would have looked unprofessional.
The webinar was part of an assignment for my Webinars and Synchronous Learning Events class through my ILT MA at University of Colorado Denver. You an view this project on my corresponding portfolio page: Webinars and Synchronous Live Learning Events.
