Virtual classroom

1. Analyze the participants in the webinar.

Analyze the people who will play the role of listeners in the webinar. To do this, you can ask yourself some questions:

• What is their technical knowledge?
• What technical problems may they face?
• Who are the participants in the webinar - are they members of your organization or are they non-members?
• What are their expectations and motivation?

2. Set goals.

Define the goals of the webinar you will hold. Questions you can use:

• Which should you focus on more - the presentation or additional activities, such as chat?
• Can the software you choose meet the set goals?
• How should you design the webinar in order to achieve the set goals?

3. Define the topic of the webinar and its content.

Formulate the topic of your webinar and make a content plan - what do you plan to talk about in each part of the webinar and what will be their duration? Prepare additional materials, such as articles, exercises, etc. A presentation alone is not enough if you want to train the people who will participate in your webinar. You can provide links to useful resources - videos, animations, documentaries, podcasts and more. Remember to plan when to use the whiteboard and when to use the screen sharing feature.

4. Determine the number of participants in the webinar and their rights.

The rights of the participants in your webinar are largely determined by their number. If 2-6 people will participate in the session, you can allow them to make a voice connection with you and increase the level of interactivity. If the participants will be between 7 and 19, in order to avoid communication problems, you can turn off their microphones and allow the use of chat. If more than 20 people will take part in the webinar, we recommend that you do not use chat or microphones, as you will not be able to fully control these communication channels. Instead, to add some interactivity, you can conduct a survey. 

5. Determine the number of modules in the session and their duration.

A suitable duration for one module is 45 minutes, and we advise you not to include more than two such modules in one session. Of course, you need to take a 15-minute break between them.

6. Inform the participants about the technical requirements of the software used.

Before participating in the webinar, participants should be familiar with the software and hardware requirements of the webinar program used. Different programs have different requirements. See what the manufacturer has stated and comply.

7. Prepare a plan for the session.

You can include the following information in the plan for how the session will go:

• date and time of the event;
• duration;
• team and responsibilities of the individual members;
• number of participants in the webinar;
• interactive tools;
• software;
• technical requirements;
• topic of the webinar;
• webinar program (content).

8. Choose a way to evaluate the results of the webinar.

Determine in advance how you will evaluate the success of the webinar. Think about things like assessment methods, questions, session recording, and more.

How to choose the right webinar software?

Basic functionalities that webinar software should have

When working on organizing your webinar, one of the mandatory things you need to do is choose the right software.There are various webinar programs - those with basic capabilities and well-developed systems. On the Internet you can find a lot of information about each of them, including articles comparing their capabilities and uses. Today we will look at some of the leading features that your webinar software should have. They will guarantee you quality, useful and interactive conduct of the event you want.

 

• high quality audio service and a large number of speakers;
• functionalities for displaying and directing attention;
• shared "whiteboard", which allows writing, sharing images and presentations, drawing, etc .;
• "raise your hand" function;
• screen sharing function;
• conducting live video sessions;
• chat functionality, which can be started or stopped if desired;
• possibility to conduct online surveys;
• option to record the session and its later review and analysis.

 

Webinars are an affordable product because their technical and software requirements are not very high.

 

They are compatible with most computers configured for office or home use. This means that almost all internet users can take part in them, as long as they have a stable internet connection.

 

 

• computer;
• stable internet connection;
• browser with Java or Adobe Flash Player installed;
• microphone and headphones;
• camera - optional.

 

If you meet the specified technical requirements, you will be able to conduct your webinar, and your listeners will be able to see and hear the broadcast content, use chat and more.

 

Of course, the hardware and software used must be tested before the event.

 

Don't forget to warn the participants of the webinar about the technical requirements for its implementation and make sure that they will test both the audio and video connection.

 

Don't leave everything to the last minute. Working with software or hardware is often accompanied by technical problems and clarifications that need to be clarified before the start of your webinar.