The document provides tips for presenting an effective webinar. It recommends choosing clear learning objectives and focusing on meaningful content. Webinars should be broken into 10-15 minute segments to maintain attention. Presenters should speak to slides rather than read them and use activities, polls and personal stories to engage participants. Audience feedback indicates a preference for practical takeaways, real-time Q&A and multitasking. Common pet peeves include excessive housekeeping, biography and introduction time rather than focusing on the topic. Thorough preparation, practice and authentic delivery are emphasized.

1. How to Present a Webinar
Keri Cascio
Director of Innovative Technologies
and Library Resource Management
Linda Hall Library of
Science, Engineering & Technology
kcascio@gmail.com
@keribrary
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3. Agenda
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What to cover
How to present it
Keeping them interested
The good and the bad
Wrap-up
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4. Why webinars?
• Useful topics that can be implemented
immediately
• Stretch travel and training dollars
– Many free webinar options out there
• Can attend during work or watch recording
after hours
• Group interactions while watching or after
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6. What to cover
• Choose learning objectives for your attendees
– Action oriented
– Measurable
– Learner focused
• Focus on the student
– What’s their “pain”?
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7. Scope of content
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Focus on meaningful content
Select something timely
Know when to leave something out
Find your focus point
– Too basic for some, too advanced for others
• Respect the time of the attendee
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8. Timing
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Create sessions that last 60 to 90 minutes
Break into 10-15 minute segments
Add activity, poll, etc. at end of each segment
Use agenda to stay on time and on track
Image by Flickr user
Dave Stokes
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9. Slides
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Speak to the slides, don’t read them
Plan 2 – 3 minutes per slide
Add images or transitions
Find out if you can share audio or videos
Take a look at some best practices:
– http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/
– http://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
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10. Sample webinar topics
• Workflows
– Evaluating Print Book & E-Book Patron-Driven Acquisitions
– Transitioning from Cataloging to Creating Metadata
• Standards
– RDA in 10 Easy Steps
– Archival Materials: Using RDA with DACS
• Tools
– Using Open Refine to Update, Clean up, and Link Your
Metadata to the Wider World
• Theory
– Challenges with Linked Data in Libraries
– Get Ready to MOOC: Why Libraries Should Care
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11. Image by Flickr user istolethetv
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12. Presenting
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Practice by yourself or with others
Find comfortable, private location
Close other software
Move around
Modulate your voice
Smile!
Use your mute button
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13. Know your software
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Headset or phone?
Screen sharing
Video camera
Polls
Chat options
Question and answer
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14. Keep them interested
• “Sell the sizzle”
– Why are they really there?
• Personal anecdotes
– Share your real-world experience
• Activities and polls
– Break up the session
• Twitter hashtags
– Keep the conversation going
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16. Quotes
“I like the fact that I can work on certain kinds of
other things simultaneously and still learn
something.”
“I love the fact that I don't have to travel and
can view webinars at home or work. This
overcomes all I don't like about webinars.”
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17. Audience wants
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Real time surveys
Answer questions in real time
Leave with pros and cons of a topic
Hashtags for social media discussions
Copies of slides (preferably before webinar)
Chat transcripts
Allows for multitasking
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19. Quotes
“I'm not a fan, but I may just have attended really
boring ones.”
“Gimme a link to your portfolio or credentials and
say 1-2 sentences. I don't want to listen to a
webinar about the *person*.”
“My RDA-specific webinar peeve is wasting time on
history. Don't try to sell the change; just detail it.”
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20. Audience pet peeves
• Too long on housekeeping
• Too much time on presenter bio(s)
• Too much time on introduction and/or history
of topic
• Presenting something old as something new
• Being sold a product
• Hard to concentrate or focus
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21. Resources
• Teach Beyond Your Reach by Robin Neidorf (Information
Today: 2006)
• 6 Things You Should Never Do in a Webinar:
http://blogs.adobe.com/adobeconnect/2013/11/6-thingsyou-should-never-do-in-a-webinar.html
• T is for Training: http://tisfortraining.wordpress.com/
(episode 129) or follow @tisfortraining
• Giving Your First Conference Presentation:
https://webconference.syr.edu/p1rg7lrt1va/
• ALCTS webinars on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/alctsce/
• American Libraries Live: http://americanlibrarieslive.org/
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22. Wrap-up
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Focus on your topic
Create an outline
Practice, practice, practice
Be authentic
ALCTS Webinars
– Contact current Continuing Education Chair, Felicity Dykas
DykasF@missouri.edu
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23. Smile
Pause
Breathe
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24. Questions?
Keri Cascio
kcascio@gmail.com
@keribrary
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