I’ve been doing a lot of webinars to promote my book, We, and I’ve learned that doing them successfully isn’t as easy it looks. Fortunately, I’m a quick learner and recently some real pro’s have shared tips including:

• Add a Twitter hashtag and a “Tweet this” message right on the title slide so people can spread your message and ask questions
• Have more than one presenter so you can make it more conversational or include light banter
• Immediately engaged the audience with a simple question like, “Where are you all from? Just type where you’re located in the question window…”. This makes people focus, gets them involved, and gets them familiar with the technology that can be used for real Q&A later
• Keep referencing what your going to talk about later in the session, so people won’t drop off if they aren’t interested in the topic you are currently addressing (e.g., “In a minute I’m going to talk about the 3 things managers can do to engage their employees, but first I’m going to spend a few minutes on what the individual should do for their own career…”)
• Bribe people with free books or white papers or other things to get them to ask questions, or stay on until the end

But beyond just tips I learned a lot from reading Wayne Turmel’s book, 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations, from ASTD Press. Wayne addresses each step in detail in separate chapters:

1. Identify your objectives
2. Learn the platform
3. Create a project plan
4. Work with others
5. Create compelling content
6. Create visuals that support your presentation
7. Sharpen your presentation skills
8. Rehearse
9. Present and multi-task effectively
10. Follow-up

Of particular interest to me were pages 74-75 where Wayne provides a template for a real strong email invitation. Most webinar email invites I get are informational, and don’t compel action. Wayne talks about solid use of “you” language and tying back to benefits for the participants organization. Good stuff.

Click here for 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations.

And what are the best webinar tips you have ever heard?

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Kevin Kruse is a NY Times bestselling author and keynote speaker. Get more success and tips from his newsletter at kevinkruse.com and check out keynote video clips. His new book, Employee Engagement 2.0, teaches managers how to turn apathetic groups into emotionally committed teams.