7 tips to be a good Webinar host
Not all learning professionals are willing to impart their own webinars, which can be called virtual conference room , since they assume that being a successful webinar host requires skills they do not have. Following the theme started in our previous post How to design and lead an excellent webinar? In this article, we will share the 7 best tips to help you through this process to become a webinar host that engages and captivates your attendees, whoever they may be.
Connecting with your audience through a webinar with the best free webinar tools goes beyond the capabilities of social networks, your website, or your professional blog. It is a live and live event, builds trust between you and your assistants, and offers you the opportunity to create new connections and form prosperous professional relationships. Needless to say, being the host of your own webinar means that you have complete control over your pace and your result. But is it something he can do? Would you be able to offer attractive eLearning content and interact with your audience at the same time? Could you stimulate your curiosity, inspire them and maintain your interest until the last minute? Of course I could! These are our recommendations:
Pay attention to the sound
Audio is undoubtedly the most important element of your webinar with free webinar tools . To make sure everything goes well, keep the following tips in mind:
Choose the correct location . Find a quiet room or, better yet, a soundproof room to record. Also, consider not using a wireless Internet connection; Instead of using a land line, to avoid technical problems.
Have a technical assistant. Speaking of technical problems, keep in mind that during your webinar you should be focused on the delivery of your content. Have an assistant who knows how to handle technical problems, if they occur, in real time.
Use the right microphone . Do not trust the microphones built into your laptop or desktop; Use external microphones If your webinar includes multiple speakers, equip yourself with a high quality speaker.
2. Practice, practice, practice
Do not underestimate the power of practicing several times before entering live; Practice makes perfect. To ensure that your voice messages are effective, you will need to make sure to eliminate all “uhm” and “err” from your vocabulary, and the practice will help you gain more speaker confidence. Ask for feedback as often as possible. Have someone listen to you and offer your honest opinion. Ask them to tell you one thing they did well and one that they can improve. Is your vocal rhythm okay? Are you speaking clearly? How is your tone? Is it friendly or too serious and flat? Ask them to listen again and again for a while, to make sure that they do not end up having to run on their last slides. Also, consider recording yourself and reviewing the images to see what is working and what is not.
What is the best way to present yourself? Certainly not read a long biography or a slide that lists your resume; These are ways for you to lose, quite safely, the interest of your listeners. Tell a story; Sharing your story and explaining what brought you there will establish trust and develop an emotional connection between you and your audience. Just remember that your story should be short, personalized with some elements of suspense, and with a powerful ending. A great trick is also to smile while you are telling your story, as it helps raise your voice; Your listeners will be able to feel their enthusiasm about the session.
4.Capture and hold the attention of your audience
The average attention of a typical public is about 10 minutes. Webinar audiences are worse; You are competing for your attention with your computer screens, your always open accounts of social networks and your email boxes. That is why it is important not only to capture your attention, but also to maintain it. Limit the text on the slides and avoid overloading them with bullets. Instead, have your audience participate with an interesting mix of interactive questions, mini-challenges and tasks, rich images, compelling videos and even music.
5.Keep a conversation tone
Remember that you are talking to real people, not a machine. Personalize your seminar with these strategies:
Imagine you are talking to a friend or colleague. If you have, say, 150 attendees listening, you are really having 150 one-on-one conversations. This may seem overwhelming, so try to visualize a friendly face you are talking to.
Interact with questions and answers. Questions and answers are an excellent way to maintain interactivity. No one wants to hear a person talking endlessly, no matter how soft or pleasant their voice is.
Address your audience by using “you” or “you” in your sentences. Do not say “Today I will be sharing …”; Instead of saying “Today will learn …”. Do not ask: “Does anyone have a question?”; Instead, ask “Do you want to ask me something?” Using the word “you” or “you” makes your audience feel more engaged .
Use humor. Do not be afraid to throw a funny comment; Just make sure that your humor is politically correct and relevant.
6.Use interesting facts and examples to support your message
Listening to real-life experiences and thinking about how to apply the same solutions to your own situations is one of the most effective ways to learn. Fill your webinars with multiple graphics and boring figures will not captivate your audience; it will do so if it uses real-world scenarios, case studies and examples. Real success stories, research and attractive infographics to back up information are great ways to support your message. Explain why certain strategies work and others not using real facts and make sure your audience will want to remember everything you are hearing.
7.Remember that your voice is the connection
Of course you will need to pause while you are talking. Use them, but keep them short; Do not allow more than 2 or 3 seconds of silence, otherwise your audience may think they have lost their sound. And if you want to shut up, let your listeners know. For example, when you want to give them some time to read something, tell them that “now I will let you read some lines about …”.
The webinars are here to stay. Follow these tips on how to be a successful webinar host and make sure that you not only have complete control over this indispensable eLearning tool, but also that your audience keeps coming back wanting to participate in their webinars.