Dos and Don'ts of Webcasting
Essential reading if you are planning to do a live webcast!
This list of recommendations is based on our years of experience in doing live and recorded webcasts. We know what works and what doesn't. Before you go ahead and plan a webcast, we recommend you consider the following points.
1. Public versus private: Public webcasts in which people can go to a webcast without registering have much higher attendance. However, you won't know who those people are. If you require people to register in advance, you'll have lower numbers but better measurement.
2. Presentations and interviews: Webcast viewers don't have the patience to sit through a 45 minute presentation before they can ask questions. Consider recording the presentation, let people view it on their own time, and then set a date for when the expert (or experts) will be available online to take questions in a casual interview format. Alternatively, ask for questions early on in a presentation, not just at the end.
3. Physical and online audiences: If your event has a physical audience, alternate taking questions between the physical and online audience. Do not ignore the online audience! Doing so will alienate them. Print out online questions and have someone in your organization filter them.
4. Advance questions: On average, between 40 and 90 per cent of the people who register for a webcast will actually attend. Give everyone the chance to submit a question in advance in case they cannot make the live date. They can then access the response when they use the recording.
5. Advance hand-outs: It's a good idea to send out slides, summaries and other documentation related to the webcast in advance either through a web link, email or both. Armed with background information, the audience is motivated to follow up and attend the webcast. Also be sure to link any PDF hand-outs and charts directly on the webcast page for downloading and printing.
6. Timing is important: Webcast attendance is down on weekends and nights. If you're doing a business webcast, plan it during business hours. Summer is a bad time for webcasts. Time zones must be respected. Don't expect people from the West Coast to tune into an 8am Eastern time zone webcast (since that's 5am on the west coast!). National webcasts should be scheduled for lunch time in the Eastern time zone.
7. Promotion is everything: Busy schedules and short attention spans work against live webcasting so proper promotion is absolutely vital. Give your audience plenty of lead time and talk to us about our reminder services which go beyond basic email. We use a variety of effective tools such as fax and Outlook calendar files.
8. Emphasize the participation aspect: When doing a live webcast, stress to your audience that the whole idea of a live event is to interact with the expert(s). Make it clear that if they miss the live event, they also miss the chance to have their questions answered. Some people may not believe their question will actually be addressed so also emphasize that every attempt will be made to answer every question.
9. Plant the first question: Nobody wants to be the first to ask a question so plant one or two of your own to get the ball rolling.
10. Start on Time: While people physically attending a workshop or presentation don't mind waiting a few extra minutes before things get underway, people online will resent having to wait. There are too many distractions that will pull them away if the webcast does not start on time.
11. Webcast goals: Give some thought as to what you want to achieve from the webcast. The number of people online may not be the most important thing. For example, is it more important to have certain people on as opposed to a lot of people?
12. Audio versus video: Surveys show that most people like to see the faces of the speakers so video webcasting is preferred from an audience perspective. However, audio-only webcasting requires far less bandwidth and can be accessed through dial-up modems. Therefore, consider audio-only webcasting if a portion of the expected audience is in rural and remote areas.
Galbraith Communications can be of great benefit to you as a consultant to help you plan a successful online event. Free consultation is available to all serious enquiries. Call 1-877-580-9915.
Webcasting from hotels and conference centers:
Place draping behind the podium to improve contrast. Go to our sample page and watch the default press conference video.
Ensure there is adequate lighting on the podium for video webcasts. You can dim the room lights if slides are shown but there must be spot light on the podium.
Place name tags on the podium so the web audience can read who is speaking.
Consider having a webcast "reporter" who types in what is happening so that people who tune in late or leave their computer for a bit do not get lost. Real-time captioning is also excellent for people with hearing disabilities and for those who want to copy and paste text minutes.
Tips for Speakers who are being Webcast
All speakers should be aware they are being broadcast over the web and/or recorded and should be asked for their permission in writing.
As a speaker who is being webcast, be sure to speak clearly, close to the microphone and in a strong voice that projects. Many speakers mumble or speak so softly that their voice is not sufficiently heard over a webcast. Speaking far away from a microphone is also problematic for webcasting.
Do not use small font sizes that are difficult to see. The larger the text and more concise, the better. Large photographs look good on slides that are webcast.
Do not read your slides or excessively stare at the overhead screen. The camera may be positioned to capture both the overhead slides and the podium. By constantly staring at the screen, the camera will show the back of your head.
Avoid moving quickly. If you prefer to walk around rather than stay at the podium, do so slowly in order for the camera operator to keep you in focus.
Dress in standard business clothing with solid colors. Avoid stripes and patterns.
Try to avoid saying "As you can see here" in case the webcast camera operator is not focused on the slide to which you are referring or if the webcast is in audio format only. Instead, refer to the slide you are on so that webcast attendees can consult their PDF download.