Tips for Webinar Hosts: Preparing for a Webinar

A limited number of Zoom webinar licenses are included as part of the college’s master contract with Zoom. These licenses are managed by the Campus Events office for use by larger events such as guest lectures, panel discussions, and public events. We recommend you review the feature comparison between webinars and meetings and contact the Campus Events AV team to discuss next steps.

If you’re hosting a Zoom Video Webinar, these steps will help you create the best experience for your panelists, co-hosts, and attendees. Note - if this is your first time hosting a Zoom webinar, consider signing up for a Zoom Webinar Training to become familiar with the tool.

2+ Weeks Before

• Confirm the date, time, title, and description for your webinar
• Assign webinar roles: host, co-hosts, panelists, and attendees
• Schedule the webinar
• Meet with panelists to confirm the webinar’s structure and content
• Decide whether your webinar will require attendees to register
• Request any necessary permissions
• • If your webinar includes between 500 and 1,000 attendees, apply for a Large Webinar License
  • If you are expecting attendees from other countries, request an international dial-in code

1 Week Before

• Review the webinar and account settings to confirm they’re to your liking
• Finalize your presentation; add poll questions as needed
• Check your list of attendees
• • Encourage attendees to download the desktop client or app before the meeting
  • In the unlikely event that attendees do not have a computer and can’t call into the webinar because of long-distance restrictions, consider applying for a Zoom toll-free phone number
• Host a tech rehearsal to review the features of Zoom Video Webinars

30 Minutes Before

• Start the webinar at https://zoom.us/webinar/list or via your host calendar appointment
• Enable Practice Session so that only the host and panelists can join
• • Greet panelists and review everyone’s roles
  • As panelists join, confirm that their audio and video are running smoothly
• Set up and manage webinar tools:
• • Chat: Click the More menu at bottom to allow or disable attendee chat
  • Participants: Click the More menu at bottom to allow panelists to start video and mute on entry
  • Q&A: Click the Options menu at top to allow or disable anonymous questions
  • Polls: Select Polls to prepare to launch the poll

15 Minutes Before

• Run a final audio, webcam video, and content sharing test
• Review your host controls

5 Minutes Before

• Mute all panelists; they will remain muted until the presentation starts
• Use the broadcast button to move from practice to start mode and allow attendees to join
• Attendees will join muted; they will be able to see and hear panelists
• Moderator: welcome the attendees and let them know you’ll be getting started soon

Webinar Start Time

• Start recording (unless you have enabled automatic recording)
• Unmute yourself and start the video
• Begin the presentation with welcome and housekeeping items (sample housekeeping slides)
• Confirm that other presenters are ready to be unmuted and video is on
• Monitor Q&A or chat for technical concerns from attendees

After your webinar

• Trim the webinar recording
• Send a follow up email to attendees
• Be sure to include the webinar recording
• Include a call to action (what you want them to do next) - for example, a post-webinar survey link

Get support

• Visit Zoom’s online Help Center
• Contact Events AV