We’ve all experienced them as attendees; the good, the bad, the ugly webinars. But, what makes a good webinar good and bad webinar bad? The presenter and the presentation material are a key to the experience, but so are many other little details. Attend this session to explore many of the before-and-after details of a webinar that can make or break the experience. What is your process and webinar preparation checklist? Have you considered time zone differences in your promotional message? Have you established the location from which the presenter will participate? What information will you provide the audience when they enter the webinar?

1. Andy Petroski
Director & Assistant Professor of
Learning Technologies
Harrisburg University of Science &
Technology
Karen Lubrecht
Owner, Founder &
Hybrid Learning Consultant
cKc Consultants
Corporate Faculty
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology

2. cKc
Consultants
Harrisburg
University
Karen Lubrecht
Owner, Founder & Hybrid Learning Consultant
cKc Consultants
ASTD Corporate Faculty
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology

3. Harrisburg
University
CAE&LT
Andy Petroski
Director of Learning Technologies
Assistant Professor of Learning
Technologies
Harrisburg University
LTMS

4. pitfalls and expectations
Do you currently Design
conduct webinars for Technology
training?
Team
Yes – 66%
No -34%
Webinar
before | during | after

5. logistics

6. location
Is your audience and your team
 global?
 within the US?
 within your time zone?

7. appropriate time
When?

8. marketing
Who should attend?
What is in it for them?
Why is your session unique?
Webinar

9. marketing
Where do they find info?
Webinar

10. attendance expectations

11. communication to attendees

12. webinar introduction

13. audio & media

14. energy and tone of voice
“In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives,
in an effort to alleviate the effects of the... Anyone?
Anyone?... the Great Depression, passed the... Anyone?
Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which,
anyone? Raised or lowered”
--Ben Stiller’s Character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986

15. energy and tone of voice
How do you end up with a boring
facilitator?
Facilitator who has taught the course in the
classroom is auto-selected for webinar
format
Manager or leadership wants to present
Instructional design wants to present the
content they created
External SME is brought in for their subject
matter expertise
Other? (type your experiences in the text
chat)

16. energy and tone of voice
How do you end up with a bad What can you do?
facilitator?
Facilitator who has taught the course in the • Create a good experience for the
classroom is auto-selected for webinar facilitator
format
• Training and guidelines
Manager or leadership wants to present
• Project plan
Instructional design wants to present the
content they created • Recordings
• Multiple speakers
External SME is brought in for their subject
matter expertise • Media
Other? (type your experiences in the text • Engagement
chat)
• Attendee feedback

17. pacing
What
time is it?

speed | frequency

18. engagement . screen design
• Remember that after audio, visuals are the most important part of
the session. Good visuals can engage the audience visually as well
as mentally. They are the primary focus of the virtual classroom,
versus the facilitator being the primary focus in the classroom.
• Use whitespace , grouping, highlighting and other graphic design
fundamentals to design screens that are easy to read and digest but
also require some mental processing by the attendee
• Use bullets sparingly. Try to reduce the amount of text you use in
general.
• Use key phrases or terms as visuals. Consider white text on a black
background for impact. Use the technique intermittently.
• Keep it simple. Build complex visuals one element at a time.

19. engagement . screen design
KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID
K.I.S.S.

20. engagement . screen design
   + =

21. engagement
Digital Mental Physical
• Polls • Rhetorical • Stand on the desk
• Chat Questions

22. engagement
Groups Individuals
Rhetorical questions
Physical Movement
Breakout Rooms Web Quests Interactive Multimedia
Chat Polls Games/Sims Workbook
Stories Watch a video and report back
Whiteboard
Puzzles / Riddles
Synchronous Asynchronous

23. engagement . accountability
1.
2.

24. assessment & feedback

25. creating a community

26. questions & feedback

27. resources
• DO NOT DISTURB template
• Attendee Submitted Pitfalls and Questions
• *144 Tips on Synchronous eLearning (eLearning Guild)
Complete the Webinar Feedback Polls to receive:
• Webinar checklist
*FREE Associate Membership Required

28. other opportunities
Attend in Harrisburg or Online!
Workshop: Techniques for Successful Webinars and Virtual Classes
Thursday, May 23 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration is open!
Graduate Course: LTMS 609: Synchronous Facilitation
Tuesdays, August 27 – December 10

29. feedback survey