Twelve tips to present an effective webinar

Abstract

Educators are increasingly invited to present via webinars rather than in-person. Webinars offer multiple advantages over in-person presentations, including the ability to speak to participants across a wide geographic area and the possibility of reduced financial and time costs for the webinar organizer, speakers, and participants. To capitalize on these advantages, educators need strategies to present effectively using this medium. Here we provide 12 tips for effective webinar presentations based upon best practices identified in the literature and the authors’ experience organizing educational webinars. The 12 tips are: (1) Learn webinar logistics, (2) Conduct a needs assessment, (3) Write specific learning objectives, (4) Attend a webinar, (5) Create clear, engaging slides, (6) Develop interactive learning activities, (7) Familiarize yourself with the technology, (8) Practice your presentation, (9) Be organized, prepared, and energetic, (10) Evaluate participant learning, (11) Learn from feedback, and (12) Share your experience with the organizer. We hope these tips help presenters improve the quality and effectiveness of their webinars.

Keywords:

• Communication skills
• conferences
• e-learning/computers
• methods

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David R. Topor

David R. Topor, PhD, MS-HPEd, is the Associate Director of Healthcare Professional Education and a clinical psychologist at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Andrew E. Budson

Andrew E. Budson, MD, is Associate Chief of Staff for Education and Chief of Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Director of Education at the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and Lecturer in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.