Top tips to Running a successful webinar on Zoom

As we moved across to the virtual world of communication we have also become more familiar with the world of webinars and online networking.  Having attended many webinars and virtual meetings over the last year, it has been interesting to see the progression of people’s skills from novice to professional.

At First Rate PA we have found we have spent a lot of time attending webinars and networking on Zoom, and as a result we have been in demand for that extra support needed when hosting a webinar or networking meeting.

So, we thought we would share some key top tips we have learnt to running a successful webinar or meeting on Zoom.

1. Be organised!

Always be prepared and plan your webinar or meeting with an Agenda.  This helps keep it flowing, keeping delegate’s attention and avoiding those awkward quiet moments. You could look at creating some visual slides to break up the meeting.  This will also help keep your delegates engaged with your content, don’t be afraid to throw in a few fun images (just make sure they are relevant).

Remember to press record!  You can then share it with the delegates after the event, or you can just record it for yourself. This way you can watch it back through to review the discussions you had, or the questions you were asked.  You must let your delegates know that you are recording the meeting, so if they don’t want to be seen they can choose to turn off their video, or amend their name as it is seen on the screen.

2. Ask for help – get a co-host.

You don’t want to spend the whole meeting trying to figure out what you have to click and when.  Having your delegates watch as you are looking around the screen for the next slide, or trying to figure out who to put in what breakout room.  Delegate a co-host who can do all this for you!

By giving your co-host

• a copy of the meeting agenda
• the slides for the meeting and
• a list of the delegates attending.

They can take control in the background, as you effortlessly move through your meeting and presentation.  Using the meeting agenda, they can work out the timings for each slide and be one step ahead of you at all times.

3. Have fun with breakout rooms.

Using the list of delegates, your co-host can pre-assign the delegates to a breakout room.  Whether this is for a task group, or just a network natter, your co-host can open the groups when you are ready.  They can also re-organise the delegates so that they can mix in different groups throughout the event.  This keeps you free to visit the breakout rooms if your delegates need some help.

4. Find your way around the screen share options.

Using the screen share option, this can be a simple share of documents or a presentation.  Or you can have much more fun!  You can use the annotations option so that the delegates can be interactive with you on the shared document, so you can all makes notes at the same time.  Then you can also save this document to review later.  Using the whiteboard option, you can create a teaching space where you can jot down other people’s comments, or again let them play around with the annotations.

You can also share sounds, so you could create a waiting room music set up as the delegates arrive, rather than seeing lots of people slowly pop up on the screen.  We have had great fun using buzzers and sounds during ‘a minute to win it’ to help identify when peoples time is up.

5. Save!

Remember to:

• Save your recording.
• Save your chat information – as this is a great way to review questions and shared information.
• Save your annotations on your documents or whiteboard.
• Save your poll responses.
• Give permissions for a delegated person to record in your breakout rooms, and to save the shared whiteboard tasks.

We have found by having a co-host for your meetings, you never have to worry about forgetting something, or going over time.  As someone is there to help you keep on track.

At First-Rate PA we offer services in Event Management.  To find out more about how we could support you and your business, get in contact for a free discover call:

Call us on 0333 577 9698 or email [email protected]