Web Conferencing Best Practices

When you can’t meet face-to-face, web conferencing provides a convenient and effective way to collaborate and exchange information without the costs and hassle associated with business travel. That being said, when the time comes for you to run your own web conference, there are a few important things to keep in mind to ensure your meeting is as effective as possible, including:

Pre-plan
Planning ahead of time – like with any other type of conference – is crucial to ensuring the success of your meeting. While it is impossible to predict every issue that may occur, setting up a dry-run of your conference will help iron out any issues in advance, and spare you the embarrassment of looking like a rookie. Be sure to go over the topics you will be discussing thoroughly until you are satisfied that your presentation will run smoothly.

Stay on Schedule
Make sure you are prepared to start and end your meeting promptly. If the invite you send out states that your meeting begins at 2:00pm, make sure it starts exactly at 2:00pm. Not 2:05 or even 2:01. Consider even joining your meeting a few minutes early in case any of your attendees have trouble logging in. The same rule goes for ending your meeting as well. And do not forget to manage your meeting time wisely, and allot time for polling, Q&A sessions, and other features you plan to include.

To Record or Not to Record, That is the Question
Remember the information you share – no matter how private – in your web conference can be saved by your attendees. If you do decide to record your meeting, make sure you restrict access to your personal information stored on your computer to ensure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

Get the Message Out
Planning your meeting far in advance may be helpful for you, but it’s likely your attendees are very busy with other tasks and could forget the date or time of your meeting you planned a month ago. To avoid this and help guarantee your audience shows up on time, send out reminders one week, one day, and one hour prior to your meeting taking place.

Keep your Attendees Engaged
What good would all your hard work be if your audience is not engaged in the material? Even though you aren’t meeting in-person, web conferencing provides features that allow you to chat and collaborate in real-time. Take advantage of the features your web conferencing provider offers, such as polling and Q&A sessions, to get your participants actively involved and help make your meeting as productive as possible.

Collect Feedback
Allow your attendees to share their opinions and thoughts on how your web conference went to increase the effectiveness and productivity of future meetings.