What is Webinar Training & How to Host One Effectively: 9 Steps

What is a webinar training?

A webinar training is any sort of training or teaching done in an online context. They are held on platforms equipped with webinar-specific features, including: 

• Polls and surveys
• Chat and Q&A tools
• Screen sharing
• Breakout rooms
• Interactive Whiteboard 
• Custom Branding
• And more

Webinars can be in the form of a lecture, a lesson, an online course, or a product demo. 

Why should you use training webinars?

Here’s why you should consider using training webinars:

• ‍A replacement for in-person learning: The in-person version of webinars, called seminars, is dependent on location. But with webinars, you can teach people from anywhere in the world. They’re also used by trainers in the workplace to teach their remote staff. ‍
• It slashes costs: Because seminars occur in a physical space, they can involve expenses like venue rentals, travel costs, and catering. On the other hand, you just need a stable internet connection and a webinar platform for conducting webinars. 
• ‍Scalability: Webinars can accommodate a large number of participants simultaneously, allowing organizations to reach a wider audience.
• ‍A webinar can be accessed later: You can access a webinar at any time after the original webinar's streaming. This later viewing is convenient for participants who couldn’t make it to the meeting. ‍
• Large reach: Many webinar platforms allow up to 1000 participants or more, which can help you reach more people. 

How to conduct a successful training webinar: 9 Easy Steps

Here are 9 steps to running a successful webinar: 

Step 1: Set clear objectives for the webinar

Figure out what you want your students to learn by the end of the webinar. 

For example, if you want to teach the topic ‘Master Instagram in 30 days,’ then by the end of this period, your students should have the skills to gain followers and get quality engagement on the platform.  

Step 2: Define the audience

Define the demographics of your students. In the case of the Instagram example above, the ideal demographic would be people who have no clue how to make it big on Instagram. 

Step 3: Structure the webinar 

In this step, you’ll want to structure the webinar. Here’s a format we recommend. 

Welcome and introduction (5-10 minutes)

• Introduce yourself or the speaker.
• Set the tone and expectations for the webinar.
• Provide an overview of the webinar agenda.

Ice Breaker or poll (5 minutes)

• Kick-off with an ice-breaker question or a quick poll to engage participants right from the start.
• This can also help in understanding the audience's background or expectations.

Presentation of content (40-45 minutes)

• Break down the content into manageable sections or modules.
• Use a mix of formats like slides, videos, infographics, and live demonstrations.
• Ensure the content is clear, concise, and relevant to your objectives.

Case Studies or Real-world Examples (10-15 minutes)

• Present case studies or real-world examples that relate to the webinar topic.
• This helps in illustrating practical applications of the concepts being taught.

Break (5-10 minutes)

Hands-on Session or Workshop (20-30 minutes)

• For skill-based webinars, include a hands-on session where participants can practice skills or work on a project.
• Provide guidance and feedback during this session.

Q&A and Discussion (10-15 minutes)

Summary and Key Takeaways (5-10 minutes)

Feedback and Follow-Up (5 minutes)

• Request feedback through a survey or a feedback form.
• Inform participants about how they can access additional resources, recordings, or follow-up sessions.

Closing Remarks (2-5 minutes)

Step 4: Choosing the webinar platform

Choose a webinar platform. We’ve created a detailed list of some of the best webinar platforms, which we’ve recommended here. You can also try free webinar software.

One of the best platforms we’ve recommended in the above list is Riverside. Here are features that it an attractive webinar solution:

• High resolution with up to 4K video and lossless WAV audio
• Presenter recorder, which lets you upload and record slides  in up to 4K
• Live editing with our Media Board, which you can use to add sound effects or and audio and video clips
• iOS and Android mobile apps let participants join from anywhere, on any device
• Live call-in and chat features for audience participation
• Browser-based platform means no software downloads are required to participate
• Host up to 7 guests and 1000 audience members (who can join in any time for a live call in)
• Live stream and broadcast automatically to LinkedIn, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Twitter, and Twitch while simultaneously recording your webinar
• Script and teleprompter to keep track of the script while recording
• Highly accurate AI transcriptions available in over 100 languages
• Text-based editor can edit videos just by editing the text in the transcription
• Local recording, where recording takes place on each person’s computer instead of over the internet. This bypasses disruptions caused by poor internet connections, resulting in high-quality audio and video.   
  

Step 5: Equipment

To record a high-quality webinar, you’ll need:

• Good internet connection
• A decent laptop
• A camera
• Headphones 
• A microphone
• Good lighting 

If this equipment is too expensive, you can use your laptop’s built-in camera and microphone. Just be aware that these won’t provide the best clarity in terms of video quality and output. 

Step 6: Practice and Rehearse

If you’re not confident in presenting the webinar, you might want to grab a patient friend who wouldn’t mind listening to you go through the entire webinar sequence. You can also use this opportunity to familiarize yourself with webinar tools and features. 

Step 7: Setup

Make sure you have a strong internet connection and check if your equipment is working properly. Test your audio and video before the webinar to avoid technical glitches. 

Step 8: Conducting the webinar

Log in at least 15-30 minutes before the webinar starts. This will give you time to resolve any last-minute technical issues. 

As attendees come pouring in, welcome them and let them know when the webinar will start. You could also play soft background music or display a countdown timer. 

It’s important to respect your attendees' time. Give the introduction, deliver the main content, and follow up with Q&A. Wrap up the session by summarizing the key points and letting the attendees know the next steps. This could be downloading additional resources or purchasing a product or service.

Step 9: Promoting Your Webinar

After the webinar, send a Thank-You email to all registrants within 24 hours. 

In this mail, include a recap of the webinar, the key takeaways, and the CTA.

For the no-shows, you can send a separate email on what they missed. Add a link to the recording or briefly summarize what was discussed. 

You can even share any resources referenced in the webinar, like a book, blog post, video, etc. 

While you’re on your way to mastering the art of webinars, it’s a good idea to always ask for feedback when possible. Post-webinar is a great time to do so, when you could send a feedback form in your thank-you mail. 

Ask attendees what they liked, what they didn’t, and what topics they’d be interested in the future. Keep the survey short and to the point to increase completion rates.

6 Best practices for hosting an engaging training webinar

If you want to make your training webinars extra engaging, here are some additional best webinar practices to try:

• Use breakout rooms to drive interaction.
• Use visual aids like slides, images, graphs, infographics, and videos to make the content more appealing and easier to understand. 
• Tell stories. People love them and they help in the recollection of important content as well as make content more relatable. Use case studies and anecdotes to illustrate your points further. 
• Encourage participants to use the chat function to ask questions, provide feedback, and interact with each other. 
• Don’t use text-heavy presentation slides as long walls of text do not engage the reader. It can overwhelm the audience’s cognitive capacity, decrease engagement, and reduce attention. 
• Keep mobile users in mind. Use a webinar platforms that supports mobile well (Riverside is great for this). When preparing slides or visuals, make sure that they’re large enough for mobile viewers to view. 

FAQs on Webinar Training

What is the difference between a webinar and a seminar?

Webinars are essentially online seminars. A seminar is traditionally an in-person event where a group of people gather to exchange information or learn about a specific topic. 

The main differences between a webinar and a seminar include:

• Location: Seminars are held in person at a specific venue, while webinars are conducted online. 
• Cost and Resources: Organizing a seminar can be more costly and resource-intensive due to the need for a physical venue and other logistics. In contrast, webinars can be organized more quickly and cost-effectively, as they only require an internet connection and a platform to host the event. 
• Reach: Webinars can reach a global audience, while the reach of seminars is limited by the physical location and the capacity of the venue. 
• Interactivity: While both formats allow for interaction, the nature of this interaction differs. 

In seminars, interaction is in person, which allows for richer communication. In webinars, interaction is virtual and can include chatting, video chatting, file-sharing, or asking questions with a microphone.