Here's everything you need to know about hosting a webinar 

Virtual events are successful when participants are engaged. It is not easy to keep an audience engaged during a videoconference or online course. Fortunately, there are techniques that can help you accomplish this. Here are some tips on how to deliver a compelling webinar, from the structure of your speech to how to create interaction. 

Enhance the content by adding value

First, you had to attract an audience to your webinar. By offering a compelling sales page and promoting your services, you convinced participants that their time and trust would be well spent. It is now your responsibility to keep your promise to them!

In order for your webinar to be captivating, it must be substantive and truly interesting. Your content should address your audience's questions and provide them with concrete solutions.

I find this advice to be basic and obvious. However, providing real added value and standing out from the crowd is not always as easy as it seems. Take the time to think deeply about your contribution and your angle of approach before deploying your oratory skills.

Adapt the format to your content and audience

Webinars are available in several formats. The following four options are available to you:

• Single speaker: you are the only speaker on stage. 
• Interview: you invite an expert to answer your questions and maybe those of the audience as well.
• Round table: several speakers discuss the webinar issue, with or without audience participation.
• Questions and answers: you answer audience questions.

You should make this decision based on your objectives and your ability to facilitate an online meeting. An event moderator or conference leader may be required depending on the number and type of participants.

👉 Looking for more information? These 7 tips will help you host a successful virtual event.

A webinar should last 45 to 60 minutes on average. It allows you to:

• Give yourself enough time to develop your knowledge or arguments;
• Maintain the audience's attention by keeping it short;
• End with a question-and-answer session;
• Promote in a way that will attract prospects.

This is how you can structure your meeting:

• A five-minute welcome;
• 5-10 minute introduction (speakers, goals, and program of the seminar);
• Presentation of 20 to 30 minutes;
• Questions and answers for 10 to 15 minutes, including acknowledgements.

Your speech should be structured and illustrated

Your speech should be structured and illustrated

The challenge of maintaining the focus and interest of an audience longer than a few minutes is even greater than in a face-to-face setting. In order to keep participants engaged throughout the webinar, it is crucial that the webinar is clear and visually appealing.

Clarity and fluidity 

A well-organized presentation will help your audience understand what you are saying and buy into your speech. Consider breaking your seminar up into chapters (introduction, development, conclusion).

Your summary should be announced in the introduction. A roadmap can also be distributed to each participant with your plan. 

Develop your information in descending order of importance if you are pushing a reasoning, or in a logical way. 

Using attractive visual aids

Prepare attractive and personalized supporting materials for your speech: images, animations, tables, graphs, photos, video extracts. 

Most likely, you will use a slide show to guide your audience. This is the right place to insert your visuals. However, make sure your slides are simple, short, with very little text and only one idea per slide.

Your audience can also fill out an interactive handout during the seminar. Engaging them, capturing their interest, and leaving a record of your presentation is easy with this method.

Adapting your materials to your personality and persona is crucial. You can take it further by designing something a little unique. As a result, you will be able to achieve three of your goals: 

• ensure that attention is maintained;
• differentiate yourself from your competitors;
• identify and brand yourself.

👉 Create your first video conference with Lemon.

Engage the audience with dynamic content

In a webinar, the content creator and audience establish a direct connection. It is a golden opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and establish your legitimacy through this privileged contact.

Interaction is the key to reinforcing this proximity. As a result, your audience will remain engaged and your trust and sympathy capital will increase.

Fun is a critical component of training and online courses. It will be easier for your students to retain the lesson if they actively participate and have fun.

You can engage people in your video conference by:

• Chatting: ask them to send you a message.
• Encouraging your followers to participate in Q&A sessions.
• Organizing an online survey or exercise: provide them with a questionnaire.
• Providing an interactive pdf to facilitate note-taking, MCQs, etc., at your conference. 

You will most likely get your target audience to attend one of your events again if you use these little tactics. Other tricks are available as well. Check out the article "Interactive Webinar: 10 techniques to increase interaction!" to learn more!

Set up a webinar with Lemon (meet our tools)

Lemon enables content creators to easily monetize their knowledge online (courses, coaching, paid meetings, etc.). However, it is also suitable for broadcasting free and paid videoconferences. Our solution has the following strengths:

• Time is not limited
• Participation of up to 5,000 people
• Uncompressed, latency-free video technology of high quality
• Replay recordings of your courses and webinars for recycling
• Euros, dollars, and pounds sterling are accepted as payment methods
• An automated invoice generation system based on the legislation of the country where your company is registered
• An online course marketplace with courses in all fields and at all prices

There are many more reasons to use Lemon!

Now that you know how to host a webinar, you can get started. Your event will be successful if it has interesting content, an effective form and format, and plenty of opportunities for interaction.

👉 Create your first video conference with Lemon.

P.S. : We have discussed the methods for conducting a webinar here. However, conducting a webinar is not just about your live time. It is equally important to prepare, promote, and follow up after a webinar.