Last week, we looked at a few ways to bring your online event to life, rather than just “popping” it up online and assuming that the live, traditional format will translate to an online version of your event. I hope some of you found it useful, as you adapt your approach to online events for the foreseeable future.
This week we’ll look at some other ways in which you can really bring personality and tone to your online events & webinars.
Just be yourself
Your attendees are there for a reason, whether it’s an interest in your subject matter, they want to support your event or maybe they don’t know much about the topic, but they do believe that you’re the one who can teach them. No matter the reason, it’s important to be yourself and that delegates are convinced of your authenticity. Being authentic can help a great deal, establishing trust and rapport immediately with your audience. If you’re hosting an event or moderating for others, a strong briefing document will help them get into your style of event.
Pre event Questionnaire
Hit the ground running knowing what your attendees will expect. Pre event questionnaires or surveys will also help you to tailor your content and ensure that you’re not missing any important and required subject matter, as well as giving you an overall “feel” for your audience, their concerns, issues and goals. Often surveys are sent out just before the end of a webinar or afterwards, which is also useful when it comes to tweaking the content for your next event, but having this information in advance of your online event will greatly help in your preparation. Don’t ever miss an opportunity to “make it count” and ensure that all pre or post questionnaires/surveys are giving you really worthwhile data that you can use to improve your offering.
Backup Plan
What’s the one thing we all dread happening at events and can often keep us awake at night? Yes, the technology! Fear of something going wrong, breaking down, slides not working, people having difficulties logging in, hearing you or seeing your slides. Having a production partner or event moderator will ease the burden here. And it’s not just for technical items, your event moderator can set the scene, manage the Q&A, help with any tech issues, keep an eye on your time and generally “manage” your overall online event, so that you can focus on the important