How? Powerful Webinar Planning & Execution
This is the first in a short series of "how-to" blog posts- an amalgamation of insights, tips, and techniques learned from my experience with a youth philanthropy organization.
1. Have an idea for topic(s)
It’s no use have a webinar series for the sake of having a webinar. Identify hot topics and assess needs in your field to discover inviting and engaging topics that people for which will want to attend a webinar.
2. Brainstorm possible partners
Why should two similar organizations host a webinar series on similar topics, both pay hosting fees and such, when they could partner together? Partnership leads to decreased costs, increased audience size, and a more diverse brainstorming team. For YPC, this was easy in 2017! A coincidental meeting with a fellow youth philanthropy organization in which future endeavors were discussed led us to a partnership.
3. Work as a team to develop true titles, descriptions, intended audiences, and dates.
Working alone is dangerous- you only bounce ideas off of yourself! Work as a team (including any and all series partners) to develop the titles, descriptions, audiences, and actual dates of of the series. Open, honest, and courteous communication amongst all team members is key.
A special note on timing- keep in mind your audience and potential speakers when scheduling a webinar.
If you plan to have youth speak, make sure the webinar is a time when they’re not in school (or start getting in contact with school officials to obtain permission to miss a class or two.)
Also, take a look at various calendars- national holidays, religious holidays, school vacations, etc. Simply because it’s not a holiday celebrated in your family doesn’t mean your potential speaker doesn’t celebrate it!
Time zones are another aspect to keep in mind. Many times, our own team was working across a three-hour difference. This may not seem like a lot, but it definitely limits the times one can host a webinar, especially if you planned to have the webinar during business hours, as most organizations do.
4. Brainstorm potential speakers
Consider speakers both in-house (within the host and partner organizations) and external speakers with whom a host organization has a connection. The benefit of a partnership in a series is a wider network of organizations and potential speakers from which to choose!
5. Outreach to potential speakers
One should be very clear in the topics, expectations, content, practice time(s), webinar times when reaching out to potential speakers. This outreach should also include a deadline by which the host organization needs a response, in case you need to reach out to another potential speaker. Consider asking speakers representative of the topic and/or intended audiences to better engaged webinar attendees. Clarify upfront as to whether the speaker permits a recording of the webinar content. If this is a webinar your organization wants to record and a potential speaker prefers not to be, further communication should ensue to reach a conclusion- either the webinar is not recorded or the speaker changes his/her/their mind and permits the recording.
6. Develop content
Developing content also includes the development of any resources:
If the knowledge needed to create the resource exists in a mind other than your own, contact potential interviewees or organizations, with the same information as a potential speaker (topic, content, expectations) and ask the permission to speak about this organization as a featured resource. This requires some delicate and intentional wording so as not to offend the organization by not actually having them speak. You want to honor the work and knowledge of the organization in a different way!
Interview the organization. Have some open-ended questions for the organization, based on the topic of that webinar. Make sure the questions fit the organization and the webinar. Have these questions ready when interviewing the organization. Record the meeting if at all possible, for later ease in creating the content. Some teleconferencing systems (such as Zoom) offer record functions of web or telephone meetings using their system. Pro-tip: Ask your interviewee to sensitive and otherwise “internal only” content as the organization’s story is shared so as not to present part of the story the organization may not wish to be shared!
Develop the resources to be used in the webinar. Maybe this is a case study, a PowerPoint presentation, or a one-page infodoc. Whatever it is, be sure to utilize the notes from the interview to ensure correct content. Also, consider scheduling yourself a few days to fully prepare the resource. It is helpful at times to create content, then come back to it the next day to review developed content for clarity and fluidity. Complete this document within a few days of conducting the interview while it’s still fresh; this gives you enough time for the next steps, including practice.
Review the resource created. Review it for the small stuff- grammar, formatting, etc. and the big stuff- content gaps, sensitive content, organizational jargon. Consider having someone who doesn’t know the organization review the content/presentation you have prepared to find any missing gaps in the information.
Send the resource back to the interviewed case study for approval. This is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s always polite to get the approval of the organization for the content you will share on their behalf. This ensures you don’t share something sensitive and that you tell their story correctly.
7. Advertise
Don’t forget to advertise! Whatever and however you advertise, make sure it’s:
Concise and informational
In a good time frame with the webinar registration date (not too soon so that attendees forget they signed up and not too late that they’ve already scheduled other meetings), and
Engaging. Because, let’s be honest- an advert with no pictures and only text with just a hyperlink is not going to get you sign-ups.
8. Practice
For goodness sake, practice. Don’t read the slides. As a mentor taught me when I presented three case studies in PowerPoint
form, think through the case study as a story- what is its story arch? Each slide should have a highlight, that highlight should be what you share audibly, and each highlight should connect to one another- beginning, climax, end.
Many organizations will have at least one scheduled practice with all its speakers. This time is just as important as the webinar itself. Make sure it’s on your calendar and that you are just as prepared as you would be for the day of the webinar.
Ensuring your external speakers are well-practiced is just as important as your own practice time, if you yourself are speaking. To paraphrase Thomas Reid, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Make sure all your links are as strong as iron and prepared not only with their own content but are familiar with their time limitations and how to respond to questions. Offer to be a sounding board for your speakers to practice and give constructive feedback. Consider making this offer more pressing to youth or inexperienced speakers so that all speakers, regardless of webinar experience, feel at ease when the time has come to present!
9. Work out tech kinks
Download the webinar program and any necessary plugins ahead of time. This means days in advance, not minutes. Don’t tempt fate (and wifi) by attempting to download a program the hour of the webinar. A few hours before the webinar (and its practice) check for any updates to the program so that you are prepared to click the link and begin! Some webinar platforms offer a test link to see if your program is up-to-date and ready to go.
10. Pre-Webinar Tips
Before the webinar starts, prepare as you would for a in-person lecture you can’t leave- go to the bathroom (yes, really), get a glass of water or cup of tea, and make sure the environment is comfortable.
Ensure stable internet connection.
If you’re not already calling into the webinar on your phone, have your phone handy and ready to dial-in in case your wifi (or computer) decides to take an unscheduled nap mid-webinar.
Think through questions webinar attendees may ask to have prepared answers or responses. It’s okay not to have answers to everything, though it is beneficial to have a response ready. Such responses can range from, “That’s a great question; I’ll be sure to get a response to you in the webinar follow-up.” or “Good question. Do any of our webinar attendees have a solution?”
11. In-Webinar Tips
First- If all speakers permit, don’t forget to record the webinar if you are the host!
Pay attention. This seems no-nonsense, but we are humans. Our minds can wander. Make sure your environment is clear of distractions (including the ever-present distraction that is social media!)
Keep an eye on time. Not every webinar speaker will keep to his/her/their allotted time. If you’re sharing the webinar with co-speakers, keep a watchful eye on the clock and intended webinar schedule.
Be prepared to change- some speakers may end their portion early, meaning you will begin your presentation early. Some speakers may speak longer, which means you may need to shorten your content.
Watch for questions from attendees and answer when there is time. Webinar attendees ask questions because they want to learn from you- don’t leave them out in the cold!
12. Post-Webinar Tips
Gather materials from all webinar speakers that are to be dispersed to webinar attendees.
Answer any unfinished questions posed by the webinar attendees who were promised a response. Include any links to resources or contact info, given with permission of course.
Prepare (or watch for) the recording of the webinar to share! Simply because it was a live webinar at one point does not mean the learning happens once.
Be honest in feedback and ask for the same. Gathering honest feedback prepares the host organization(s) to better serve future audiences.
This is a clearly a long post, maybe even the longest “how-to” one I’ll write. But there’s good reason behind it- the process in planning and executing a webinar is lengthy. By no means are the steps included here a “must” for a perfect webinar. They are, however, processes learned, methods tested- not simply hypotheses for the formula for a perfect webinar. There is no perfect recipe- each webinar will vary, speakers will trial you in new ways, and topics will present new challenges. Remember to be flexible, stay in good communication, and wholly think through how to best honor not only the speakers and their work but your webinar listeners as well.
Brea Reimer-Baum is a former Graduate Assistant to Youth Philanthropy Connect. She began her adventure into philanthropy in high school when she joined a youth grantmaking organization, which complemented her love of volunteering. She earned her Purdue B.A. in biology from IUPUI and is currently in her final year of Master's work at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. You can read more about her journey here.
