Because of the COVID-19 measures we all switched en masse to online, Teams and Zoom meetings. Initially for one-on-one meetings but also for webinars. After all, these allow more people to be reached at the same time. Often the same laptop with a built-in camera and microphone is used as for a one-on-one meeting. Is this set-up also suitable for presenting to a larger group? Do the same rules (quality, professionalism, image, …) not apply here too as when we present to a full hall?

What are the most common mistakes with webinars and what is their consequence:

• Camera and microphone of the laptop - although these are good for individual meetings, they are often not sufficient to inspire a larger group. The microphone picks up a lot of disturbing ambient noise and the image is of only limited quality.
• Positioning in front of the camera. The laptop traditionally stands on the desk and we present the webinar from that position. The image therefore comes diagonally from below, so the speaker looks down and, as it were, looks down on the audience. If there is a lamp hanging from the ceiling or the speaker sits in front of a window there is also an unclear image due to backlighting.
• A PowerPoint presentation that is full of text and uses no animations or slide build-up. The audience tries to read the slides but loses their attention for the speaker as a result. By using overly full slides, these stay on the screen too long and there is too little variation to keep the audience attentive.

The most important consequences of this approach:

• Loss of the audience's attention. After all, during a webinar we compete with various things that are less important in a physical presentation: incoming emails, Facebook, a smartphone, WhatsApp, children running around, ….
• A non-professional approach to our (potential) customers. Large budgets are spent to bring the company's image up to standard. With a poorly executed webinar we can lose that in one go.

What risk do you want to take when your reputation is at stake? What risk do you want to take when you tell your story to 20, 30, 50 or 100 people at once? So with a webinar, think carefully about how you are going to build it up and which technical resources you need for it.

Smartpresentations is the expert for online presenting and webinars. We not only help you with a strong story and the right slides, we can also take care of the entire technical execution of the webinar. We take the direction in hand and ensure a flawless and above all professional webinar.

This is what we take into account when organising a professional webinar for high-quality online communication.

• Script - this includes the storyline of the presentation(s), the order and timing of speakers or videos you wish to show, interactive moments, question and answer, etc.
• PowerPoint presentation - supporting slides for the story brought by the presenter. These are built up visually and contain a limited amount of text.
• Image and sound - professional studios are springing up like mushrooms. Attention is paid here to:
• Streaming platform - the right platform to broadcast the webinar and receive your participants/audience on.
• Registration and login - it is not only important to know who has registered for the webinar, but also who took part in it and for how long.
• Follow-up and sending on - after the webinar you can send the participants who were present extra documentation together with the recording of the webinar so that it remains a strong tool afterwards too.

Recent references

• Vivium - presentations, script and technical execution of an online partner meeting
• Lyreco Digital Launch - storyline and presentations for an online sales convention
• Camino - storyline and presentation for the internal launch of Camino
• SD Worx - presentation design for a monthly webinar
• Ecopuur - storyline and presentation design for the webinar 'reverse-running meter' and product launch for architects
• Beaulieu International Group - presentations for various internal sales meetings

Interested in presenting your company or product(s) professionally in a webinar? Get in touch with us quickly.