What is a webinar and how does it work?

Summary

Daniella from Livestorm introduces webinars as online video presentations combining training and teaching elements. She explains the benefits of using a dedicated webinar platform for personalized registration, automated emails, and engagement features like chats and polls. Daniella also covers the importance of having a team for a successful webinar, including a presenter, guest speakers, and a moderator. She advises keeping presentations engaging and concise, suggesting a duration of 30 minutes to an hour, and encourages viewers to plan their own webinars.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Webinars have evolved significantly since the 1990s, especially with the surge in online video communication post-2020.
• 💡 Webinars are online video presentations that can be live or pre-recorded, often with a focus on training or teaching.
• 🔑 The term 'webinar' is a blend of 'web' and 'seminar', indicating its nature as an interactive online event.
• 🎯 Webinars are versatile and can be used for online events, onboarding, product launches, and more.
• 🚫 While not mandatory, using a dedicated webinar platform offers personalized registration, automated emails, and engagement features like chats and polls.
• 📊 Dedicated platforms provide valuable analytics, such as attendance rates, viewer retention, and audience engagement data.
• 👥 Running a webinar typically involves multiple roles, including a presenter, guest speakers, and a moderator to manage audience interaction.
• 🖥 The presentation format for webinars often includes PowerPoint slides, videos, and multimedia, adapted for online engagement.
• 👀 Keeping the audience engaged in webinars can be challenging due to the lack of physical presence and eye contact.
• ⏱ It's recommended to keep webinar presentations concise, ideally between 30 minutes to an hour, to maintain audience attention.
• 💌 The video encourages viewers to plan their own webinars, highlighting the importance of continuous creation and engagement.

Q & A

What is the origin of the term 'webinar'?

The term 'webinar' is a combination of the words 'web' and 'seminar', indicating it is an online video presentation.

How have webinars evolved since 2020?

Webinars have become more popular and versatile since 2020, especially with the ban on many in-person gatherings, and are now used for various purposes like hosting online events, onboarding, and product information sharing.

What is the primary purpose of a webinar?

Webinars typically involve a main element of training or teaching, though they can be used for a wide range of purposes.

Is it necessary to use a webinar platform to host a webinar?

While it's technically possible to host a webinar on platforms like YouTube or Facebook Live, using a dedicated webinar platform offers additional features like personalized registration pages, automated emails, and engagement tools.

What are some benefits of using a dedicated webinar platform?

Dedicated platforms provide personalized registration pages, automated email reminders, engagement features like chats and polls, and analytics to help optimize future presentations.

What are the typical roles involved in running a webinar?

A typical webinar involves a main presenter, possibly a guest speaker for credibility and exposure, and a moderator to interact with the audience and assist with the presentation.

Why is it not recommended to run a webinar with just one person?

Managing a webinar alone can be overwhelming as it requires presenting while also handling audience interaction, messages, and potentially polls, which is why having a moderator is beneficial.

What does a typical webinar presentation consist of?

Webinar presentations are similar to in-person presentations but online, often using PowerPoint slides and including multimedia content like videos and web pages.

How can presenters keep their audience engaged during a webinar?

Presenters can keep their audience engaged by using interesting content and visuals, setting up breaks for interaction through polls or Q&A sessions, and keeping the presentation concise, ideally between 30 minutes to an hour.

What is the recommended duration for a webinar presentation?

It's best to keep a webinar presentation between 30 minutes to an hour long to ensure key points are communicated and to allow time for audience questions.

How can the analytics from a webinar be used?

Analytics from a webinar provide insights such as sign-up versus attendance rates, audience engagement duration, and drop-off times, which can be used to optimize future presentations.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Webinars and Their Evolution

This paragraph introduces the concept of webinars, tracing their origins back to the early 1990s and highlighting their significant growth, especially post-2020. The speaker, Daniella from Livestorm, explains that webinars have become essential for remote communication and collaboration. She defines a webinar as an online video presentation, which can be live or pre-recorded, and typically involves an element of training or teaching. Webinars are versatile, used for online events, client or employee onboarding, product information sharing, and more. The paragraph also addresses the question of whether a webinar platform is necessary, comparing it to hosting on general platforms like YouTube or Facebook Live, and emphasizing the benefits of a dedicated platform, such as personalized registration pages, automated emails, engagement features like chats and polls, and access to detailed analytics for presentation optimization.

05:01

🎥 Logistics and Presentation Techniques for Webinars

The second paragraph delves into the logistics of running a webinar, emphasizing that it typically requires a team rather than a single presenter. It suggests the importance of having a main presenter, possibly a guest speaker for credibility and exposure, and a moderator to interact with the audience, allowing the presenter to focus on the content. The paragraph describes the structure of a webinar presentation, which can include PowerPoint slides, videos, web pages, and other multimedia, and stresses the importance of keeping the audience engaged through interactive elements and visuals. It advises against overly long presentations, suggesting a duration of 30 minutes to an hour, and recommends setting aside time for audience questions. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to plan their own webinars and an invitation to engage with the content by subscribing and commenting.

Keywords

💡Webinar

A webinar is an online seminar or presentation that can be conducted live or pre-recorded. It is a form of interactive online communication that combines elements of training, teaching, and engagement. In the video, Daniella explains that webinars have evolved significantly since their inception in the 1990s, especially with the rise of online video communication post-2020. They are now a primary tool for staying connected, interacting, and collaborating, with uses ranging from online events to product launches.

💡Online Video Communication

Online video communication refers to the use of video technology to facilitate communication and interaction over the internet. The video script highlights how the ban on in-person gatherings due to the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online video communication, making webinars a popular choice for businesses and individuals to connect and share information.

💡Webinar Platform

A webinar platform is a specialized software or service designed to host, manage, and facilitate webinars. The script mentions that while it's possible to host a webinar on general video platforms like YouTube or Facebook Live, using a dedicated webinar platform offers additional features such as personalized registration pages, automated emails, and engagement tools like chats and polls. These features are crucial for enhancing the webinar experience and gathering valuable audience insights.

💡Engagement Features

Engagement features are tools and functionalities within a webinar platform that promote interaction and participation from the audience. The video discusses how features like live chats, Q&A sessions, and polls are essential for engaging the audience and collecting real-time feedback. These features help keep the audience attentive and allow presenters to adjust their presentation based on audience responses.

💡Analytics

Analytics in the context of webinars refers to the data and metrics collected during a webinar, such as sign-ups, attendance, and audience retention. The script emphasizes the importance of analytics for understanding audience behavior and optimizing future presentations. It provides insights into how long viewers stay engaged and at what points they may disengage, which is crucial for improving the effectiveness of webinars.

💡Main Presenter

The main presenter is the individual who leads and delivers the content of a webinar. Daniella points out the importance of having a dedicated presenter to ensure a smooth flow of information and interaction. The main presenter is responsible for guiding the webinar, explaining the content, and addressing questions from the audience, making them a central figure in the webinar's success.

💡Guest Speaker

A guest speaker is an external expert or influential figure invited to participate in a webinar to share their knowledge or perspective on the topic. The video suggests that including a guest speaker can add credibility to the webinar and attract a larger audience. Guest speakers can provide unique insights, enhance the content's value, and increase the event's visibility.

💡Moderator

A moderator in a webinar setting is a facilitator who manages the logistical aspects of the presentation, such as handling audience questions, managing polls, and ensuring the smooth progression of the event. The script explains that having a moderator allows the main presenter and guest speakers to focus on delivering the content without being distracted by the technicalities of managing audience interactions.

💡Presentation

In the context of the video, a presentation refers to the content and format of the information shared during a webinar. Daniella discusses how webinar presentations often involve multimedia elements like PowerPoint slides, videos, and web pages. The presentation should be engaging and interactive, with breaks for audience interaction to maintain interest and participation. It's also advised to keep the length of the presentation适中, typically between 30 minutes to an hour.

💡Audience Engagement

Audience engagement refers to the strategies and techniques used to involve and interact with the webinar's audience. The script highlights the importance of keeping the audience engaged through interactive elements like polls and Q&A sessions. It also mentions the challenge of maintaining engagement in an online setting without the benefit of direct eye contact, emphasizing the need for compelling content and visuals.

Highlights

Webinars have been around since the early 90s.

Webinars became more popular in 2020 due to the ban on in-person gatherings.

A webinar is an online video presentation, live or pre-recorded.

Webinars typically involve training or teaching elements.

Webinars are used for online events, onboarding, and product information sharing.

While not necessary, using a dedicated webinar platform offers more features.

Dedicated platforms provide personalized registration pages and automated emails.

Engagement features like chats, Q&As, and live polls are available on webinar platforms.

Webinar analytics provide insights on audience engagement and presentation optimization.

Running a webinar typically requires a team, not just one person.

The main presenter is crucial, and guest speakers can add credibility.

A moderator helps interact with the audience, allowing presenters to focus.

Webinar presentations are similar to in-person but adapted for online engagement.

Keeping the audience engaged online can be challenging without visual cues.

Interactive elements like polls and Q&As should be included to engage the audience.

Webinar presentations should be kept between 30 minutes to an hour for optimal attention.

The video aims to inspire viewers to plan their own webinars.

The presenter encourages subscription and engagement in the comments section.

Transcripts

Did you know that webinars have been around since the early 90s?

No?

Well, me neither.

But regardless, webinars are now completely different compared to what they used to be…

especially since 2020 where online video communication has really taken off!

With the ban of many in-person gatherings, webinars have been the go-to.

Now, many people use them to stay connected, to interact, and to collaborate in many new

and different ways!

Hey guys, I’m Daniella, Content Manager at Livestorm.

And today I’m going to explain what exactly a webinar is and how they work.

So, first thing's first: what is a webinar?

Well, the word “webinar” actually stems from the combination of the words: web”

and “seminar”.

In a nutshell, it’s an online video presentation that can either be done live or recorded ahead

of time.

One thing you should know is that webinars can be used for all kinds of things but typically

there’s always a main element of training or teaching that’s involved.

To give you a few examples, they’re great for hosting online events, onboarding new

clients or employees, for sharing information about a new product… and the list goes on

and on!

Now you might ask yourself, “do I need a webinar platform to host my webinar?”

Well, technically speaking, no.

It’s definitely possible to host a webinar on YouTube or even Facebook Live.

But there’s a few crucial things that you’d be missing out on.

What’s great about using a dedicated platform is you can have personalized registration

pages with details and great visuals to really promote your webinar.

And you can also set up automated emails or reminder emails for everyone who signs up.

Also, with a webinar platform you can also have access to all the engagement features,

like chats, Q&As and live polls.

And what’s great is that it’s one of the few ways in which you can interact and collect

valuable insights from your audience, at scale, and in real time!

And finally, you have all the analytics!

You can see how many people signed up versus how many people actually attended, how long

your audience tuned in for, and approximately what time they started to sign off, and so

much more.

All of this valuable data gives you the clues on how you can optimize your presentation

next time.

Ok, I’ve talked about what a webinar is, as well as what’s possible with a dedicated

platform.

Now, let’s focus on the logistics and the presentation itself.

There’s typically several people involved when running a webinar because having one

person to present, while simultaneously answering messages and questions, and even launch that

little poll on the side is virtually impossible.

I have actually made this mistake one time and I was completely overwhelmed.

I don’t recommend making your webinar a one person show unless it’s a really simple

presentation and you're expecting a really small audience.

So first of all, there’s always a main presenter of a webinar.

And depending on what kind of webinar it is, there might also be a guest speaker, like

a relevant industry expert, which, by the way, is always a great idea in terms of adding

credibility to your topic and getting you more exposure for your event.

And second of all, it’s good to have a moderator to help run the webinar.

This person acts as a kind of behind the scenes helper that can help interact with the audience

so that the host and the other guest speakers can really stay focused on the presentation

itself.

And finally, let’s talk about what the actual webinar presentation looks like.

You might be wondering this if you’ve never attended one yourself.

Think of it as an in-person presentation but just online.

Most presentations are in the form of PowerPoint slides but often include videos, web pages

and other multimedia content.

The same exact goes for webinars.

The main difference, and one thing to keep in mind, is that with online presentations,

it can be trickier to keep your audience engaged - especially as you can’t see them.

There’s no eye contact.

That’s why spicing up the presentation with content and visuals to make it more interesting

is really important.

And it’s great to set up little breaks throughout the session so that you can interact with

the audience, for example with a poll or even a little Q&A.

And you also don’t want to keep your presentation too long.

What you’ll notice is that people will start signing off after a certain point.

While there’s no set rule here, it’s best to keep your presentation between 30 minutes

to an hour long.

You want it to be long enough to communicate your key points and also save a little time

at the end so you can take some questions from the audience.

Alright, I’ve covered what a webinar is, how it works, the logistics, and the presentation.

I think that covers it for this video.

I hope you found this video helpful and informative so that it inspires you to get out there and

start planning your own webinar.

Don’t forget to subscribe, and if you have any questions or comments, please add it to

the comments section below!

I’ll see you in the next video and until then keep creating, keep engaging and keep

those connections alive!

I’ll catch you soon!

Take care!