5 Ways You’re Failing Your Webinar Audience

Professionals today are stretched in every direction imaginable, from work obligations to projects, to family events and social commitments. It’s been constantly reiterated that our thinning attention capacities are changing how we learn, and the need to have flexibility and ease in our learning has contributed to the popularity of webinars. Webinars are a great tool for instructors and learners alike: they’re typically shorter than an hour, easily accessible from any device, and a great way to share valuable insights into the professional landscape.

We at Mimeo have been creating and recording webinars for a little over five years, and we’ve certainly learned a lot. Below, we’ve aggregated the five most important “webinar don’ts!”

1. Overly Relying on Visuals

Ideally, in your webinar, your listeners will be doing just that: listening. The visuals are there as an added seasoning to really hammer home important points that you have. A great way to ensure that your learners pay attention is by not letting them get distracted. Any great presenter will tell you that the best presentations are the ones where their audience is focusing on what you’re saying and not reading along with your slides. Don’t inundate your viewers with a kaleidoscope of words and images: keep them mentally present by having only keywords or charts on the screen.

2. Not Having Music

Music is an integral part of any digital learning tool; especially webinars! Use fast music to pump up your audience or music with a slower tempo to keep them focused. For more information about the best practices for music in webinars and with digital learning, check out our in-depth article here.

3. Not Being Personable

By and large, your audience is there for you! Yes, your content is important and they’re certainly there to learn, but the presenter is just as important as the information. They could find similar content in a variety of places. Make sure you inject aspects of your personality into your webinar. Don’t be afraid to “get weird” and have fun with it! Students retain more when they laugh and have fun!

4. Not Making it Short

The beauty of a webinar over a traditional class is not just the accessibility but also the length. Your learners are typically tuning in after work, where they already spent upwards of eight hours being exhaustively mentally present. We recommend keeping your webinar between 35 to 45 minutes, with a Q&A section at the end that lasts for about ten minutes. Generally speaking, this is a great window of time to get your point across!

5. Panicking

Lastly, don’t panic! No matter how prepared you are, there’s always the chance that you’ll encounter technical difficulties. The most important thing to do is calmly tell your listeners that you’re “currently experiencing technical difficulties, and hope to have them resolved soon.” This both informs your audience of what’s going on and lets them know that you are working to fix the issue!

Webinars, like eBooks and blogs, are a great way to disseminate information to a wide audience and build your brand as an educator. Make sure you don’t let yourself become so encumbered with the ins-and-outs of webinars that you forget to enjoy what you’re doing! At the end of the day, a great webinar is one that you enjoyed making.