How to Host a Webinar That WOWS!

Tips and Tricks

Presenter Tips

• Provide clear objectives for presenting the webinar and list any intended outcome(s).
• Know your WebEx® software.
• Provide clear instructions on the collaboration tools and ground rules (ie..mute your phone) etc.
• Use a headset with a microphone.
• Vary your tone of voice and enunciate.
• Speak slowly.
• Limit “pause” words like: “um,” “like you know,” “ah,” etc.
• Avoid reading your slides to the audience.
• Interact with and engage your participants every 4 minutes or so.
• If you are using a webcam, stay in frame, be still, and in focus.
• Enlist a producer to assist you during the webinar (OED can help).
• Practice your webinar with your producer.
• Acknowledge your participants by first name.
• Enthusiasm works!
• Be prepared and practice.
• Avoid “information dumping” on your students!

PowerPoint® Tips

• Create a powerful Welcome slide.
• Use relevant graphics to emphasize key points.
• Use animations and transitions wisely. For example, having text and graphics appear on screen just when you need them can be a nice touch, but overdoing animation detracts from your presentation.
• Avoid using all-text slides and reading to the audience.
• Use high-contrast colors on your slides.
• Choose a light slide background color with dark text.
• Use the SmartArt tool in PowerPoint® to create interesting graphics with text. Animate parts of the SmartArt graphic so that each object can be displayed as you present them.
• Leave some white empty space on your slides.
• Use sans-serif fonts, such as Helvetica or Arial for text.
• Include appropriate USGS branding on your slides.
• Include accessibility (Section 508) requirements for people with disabilities:
  • Have a script for your presentation and make it available to your participants.
  • Make sure all graphics or photos have an ALT tag describing the image.
  • Videos must be closed-captioned or a script provided for your blind participants.
  • Avoid using red, orange, or green as a text color. Eight percent of men and 0.5 percent of females have a form of color blindness. (Wikipedia, Color blindness)
  • For tables, make sure each column has a heading.
  • Use a live, real-time, captioning service for deaf or hard-of-hearing participants.

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