Professional Webinar Hosting Skills

Here’s my step-by-step guide on how we produce highly attended (700+) webinars that result in customers, influenced pipeline, and nearly instant raving reviews from the audience. 1. We decide on the shell/theme of the series → Our content is focused on inside the deals → We want expert guidance from senior leaders → Highly tactical → No thought-leadership talking heads → If someone shows up, they should leave with something they can actually use 2. We lock the topic and the guest intentionally Either we: → Start with a very defined topic and find the right guest → Or define our dream guest and fit the topic around where they’re strongest 3. I run a mini brainstorm with the SME (1:1) → Get their thoughts out on what the content should be 4. I use AI to speed things up → I take the AI meeting transcript from that SME brainstorm (love you, Granola) → Grab relevant LinkedIn posts from the SME and the guest → I drop everything into a defined AI work project with context and have it outline a deck for me → I try to take the first stab to take as much work off the SME and guest as possible (they're being generous with their time!) 5. I create a detailed run-of-show doc Every single detail. Broken out by: → Minutes → Sections → Who runs what → I include bullets and talking points and encourage both the SME and guest to add to it → I want guests to feel extremely prepared before we even meet for the first dry run → I also find it helpful for everyone to have in the background to reference during the event 6. I create the first draft of the deck → It’s not fully flushed out yet → The goal is to take work off the SME and guest’s plate before we meet 7. We have a 30–60 minute working session with the guest We walk through: → The event → The topic (more info to feed into AI afterwards with their content/expertise!) → The run of show → The deck → And get their feedback before locking anything in 8. I finalize the deck and get sign-off → These decks are MEATY on purpose → They do not follow traditional deck best practices → We’re building a tactical leave-behind. Basically a playbook → My biggest goal is that if someone spends time with us, they can implement something the very next day to help hit their quotas or goals 9. We run the event → I try to actively facilitate engagement in the chat throughout → Especially early, with a warm-up 10. Immediate follow-up We create a post-event deal room with: → The recording → The slides → Extra materials → Any examples or content referenced → Speaker and company info (plus any special offers) → We send this out as soon as possible with a very short email → One to two sentences max Why I think our webinars work so well: ✨ They’re well prepared ✨ They’re intentional, with a clear topic and goal ✨ They’re extremely actionable and teachable, from top talent

Day 1 - This is exciting. Day 7 - I'm fine. Day 14 - What is sleep? Day 21 - I'm hallucinating more than ChatGPT. In the last 23 days, I've hosted 21 live webinars for up to 400 attendees per session. My audience were mid-senior corporate professionals seeking career advice. Each session was 3 hours in duration. My back almost gave up around Day 14. My voice followed shortly after. But here's the thing — I learned more in those 3 weeks than in the previous 3 years of hosting webinars. So here are 13 things that actually work. I hope it helps you. 1. Don't undersell yourself - charge more. Higher ticket price = better audience. They show up. They engage. They don't message you at 11pm asking for a recording they'll never watch. 2. Ditch Zoom's webinar format. Use the Meeting format instead. Mute everyone, unmute one by one during Q&A. Turn cameras on. The energy shifts completely. 3. Run a live Q&A for 30 minutes at the end. This did more for my sales than any pitch I've ever made. People buy from people they trust. 4. Start on time. Every time. Waiting for latecomers punishes people who respected you enough to show up. Don't do it. 5. Get a standing desk. I resisted this for years. I was wrong. For sessions longer than 2 hours, it's not a luxury. It's basic survival. 6. Upgrade your setup. Good webcam. Prosumer mic. Overhead monitor light. That's it. You don't need a studio. You just need to not look like you're calling from a moving autorickshaw. 7. Kill the virtual background. Unless you have a proper green screen, your floating head in front of a sunset in Goa is fooling absolutely nobody. 8. Engage every 10 minutes. Poll. Question. Mini exercise. Anything. Social media has destroyed our attention spans and your audience is three seconds away from checking Instagram. 9. One headline. One image. Per slide. If they're reading your slides, they're not listening to you. You cannot win both battles. Stop trying. 10. Watch "Death by PowerPoint" on YouTube. Free. Brilliant. Will make you delete half your deck immediately. 11. Don't tell people you're recording. The moment they know there's a recording, 40% mentally sign off and plan to "watch it later." They won't. Keep the urgency alive. 12. End with one clear next step. Not "thanks everyone, take care, bye-bye." Tell them exactly what to do next. Buy. Book. Apply. A confused audience does nothing. I have the revenue data to prove it. 13. Bonus point: Get a good team to support you. You cannot host large scale webinars yourself - and you shouldn't try to. You'll need at least two assistants to manage the ops. PS. Indian webinar audiences are genuinely terrific. Respectful and polite, but their BS meter is high and they expect full value for money - rightfully so. Got questions about live webinars? Let me know in the comments.

Most webinars flop because they feel like lectures You get a boring deck A 45-minute monologue An audience that checks email the whole time Then silence No pipeline No follow-up No ROI I’ve helped teams fix this. Here’s what actually works 1. Start with the audience Before anything else Ask who you’re helping And why they would stop what they’re doing to listen If that part isn’t clear You’re not ready to plan 2. Break the format No long monologues No one wants to sit through that Use short segments Switch between speakers Have someone guide the energy like a podcast host 3. Use every interaction as intel Your polls and forms are gold Ask things like What’s your top priority this quarter What tool are you replacing Now sales has context Not just names 4. Keep faces on screen People connect with people Not slides If you wouldn’t show a deck in a coffee meeting Don’t show one here 5. Change what success means Nobody cares how many signed up What matters is who booked a call What questions were asked What deals moved forward 6. Go personal with invites Forget the mass emails Get your execs to send 10 personal notes to top accounts Make it feel real 7. Nail the follow-up High intent gets a call Medium gets a tailored message Cold goes into nurture Also clip the recording into 10 pieces of content Turn one event into a content machine 8. And please Stop treating webinars like one-off tasks They’re systems Fuel for content Fuel for sales Fuel for your brand Build them like that And you’ll never run a dead webinar again

In a world where attention is fleeting and virtual fatigue is real, how can you successfully host online events? Here are 9 essentials to keep in mind: 1. Start with a Compelling Opening Your opening should grab attention, set the tone, build anticipation and give people a reason to stay. 2. Make Eye Contact Look directly into the camera to create a sense of connection. If you're using a teleprompter or script, keep it at eye level to maintain that engagement. 3. Mind Your Facial Expression People are paying close attention to your face. They can see when you’re smiling, or when you appear bored, upset, or frustrated. Be conscious of your expression. 4. Manage Your Energy Your energy drives the entire experience. If you seem disengaged or flat, your audience will tune out. 5. Build Emotional Connections Use personal stories, relatable examples, and analogies. These human elements help your message resonate on a deeper level. 6. Engage the Audience Make your audience part of the experience. Use polls, Q&A, or chat prompts to keep them actively involved. 7. Be Clear and Concise Attention spans online are shorter. Get to the point quickly, and use clear language. 8. Use Visual Aids and Multimedia Use images, short videos, graphics, and animations that support your message. However, don’t overload your slides with text. 9. Check Your Tech Setup Poor lighting, audio, camera quality, or an unstable internet connection can lead to frustration and reduced participation. Test in advance. Hope this helps. I’m Temi Badru, a professional event MC for physical, virtual, and hybrid events. I also train individuals and teams in public speaking and effective communication. #temibadru #voicesandfaces #eventhost #mc #moderator #speaker #events

Regardless of how great your ideas are in your virtual sales pitch, webinar, or team meeting… People are most likely checking their email, browsing social media, or working on other things while you present. How can you prevent that and actually get your audience to pay attention? Here are 4 of the most powerful techniques we use for our own virtual training courses: 1. Win the first five seconds According to research from the University of Toronto, people need only five seconds to gauge your charisma and leadership as a speaker. In virtual environments, this first impression is even more critical. To establish instant rapport: - Keep your posture open and inviting (avoid fidgeting, crossed arms, and closed-off postures) - Use open gestures that welcome the audience into your space - Gesture with your palms showing at a 45-degree angle - Speak with clear articulation and energy from the very first word The quickest way to lose your audience? Starting with tentative body language that signals you’re unsure or unprepared. 2. Design your presentation for virtual viewing When designing slides, assume varied viewing conditions. Design for the smallest likely device and the slowest likely Internet speed. Make your slides accessible by: - Using larger fonts (24-32pt) - Applying higher contrast colors - Limiting each slide to ONE clear idea - Adding more space between lines when using smaller text - Stripping excess content (you can provide additional information in a separate document) 3. Vary your delivery Our research shows the optimal length for linear presentations is just 16-30 minutes, while interactive ones can maintain engagement for 30-45 minutes. People’s attention will go through peaks and valleys during that time, so try these techniques to keep their attention: - Vary your speaking pace (faster to convey urgency, slower to express gravity) - Use intentional pauses to let key points land - Adjust your vocal tone (lower pitch for authority, higher for approachability) - Shift between slides, stories, and data at regular intervals Each change helps reset your audience’s attention and signals importance. 4. Build in structured interaction Don’t make your audience wait until the end of your presentation to interact. According to our research, presentations that incorporate audience engagement through polls, chat responses, or breakout discussions maintain attention longer. For the highest engagement: - Use a variety of interaction types throughout your presentation - Incorporate breakout rooms for small-group discussions - Switch modalities regularly to keep it interesting Remember: In virtual environments, you need to recreate the natural engagement that happens in person. Your virtual presentation success isn’t measured by perfection…it’s measured by action. Master these techniques and your audience won’t just pay attention, they’ll respond. #VirtualPresentations #CorporateTraining #WorkplaceLearning

Webinars can be the most mind-numbing, drivel-inducing waste of time, making you want to throw your computer screen into the Hudson River while screaming "They're all corporate shills!" at the top of your lungs. Sometimes they're okay though. So after hosting 100+ webinars, some with over a thousand participants, I figured I'd share my favorite formula for a killer webinar. 🔴 First, a few guidelines: 1. Substance Over Showmanship: Like most thought leadership and content marketing, a lot of it comes down to 🥁🥁🥁... if you don't have anything to say, just keep your mouth shut. Celebrity guests are great but overindex on people who have smart things to say and know how to deliver a message. Good delivery + content > Brand Name. 2. Prep: Invest 20-25 minutes to sync with your speaker on topics that resonate with your audience and that, more importantly, they are passionate about. Bored speaker = bored guests. 3. Conversation Pillars: Based on that sync, identify two or three core topics and find data points or industry trends to build up into them. Then come up with crisp questions that encapsulate each. You're going to spend the webinar making your guest look smart; the questions you ask are where you get a chance to establish your personal and brand credibility. 4. Don't sell: You're going to build in two sections where you deliberately push your product or brand. Do everything humanly possible to only sell there. 🔴 Structure: 1. Quick introduction: Welcome people and give a quick overview of the topic. 2. Company intro: 30-45 seconds on your company, primarily presented as why you feel qualified or what pushed you to host this webinar. 3. Capture Attention: Lead with The Big Question and use it to intro your guest. 4. Guest intro: Let the guest present themselves. Briefly. They are going to impress people with their content, not their resume. 5. The meat: Present a data point or trend that you identified and use it to segue into your question to the guest. This is not a stand-alone question - it's a starting point for a back and forth conversation that should go 4-8 minutes. 6. Repeat: Use your suave convo skills to repeat that 2-3 times, depending on available time, your guest's chattiness and the earth's rotation. Remember, your guest is the hero, not you. Your job is to make them look smart. 7. Q&A: If you're an awesome multi-tasker, let people ask questions by chat during the webinar to steer the conversation. If not, throw in a dedicated session at the end. 8. Push: Explicitly mention that the next 45 seconds will be an ad, which subtly reinforces that anything else before was not (sneaky, right?), and then push your relevant product or service. It's okay if you don't too. 9. Mic drop: 🎤 Your turn. What are your tips for not-sucky webinars?

The strategy is important, but execution makes or breaks the result. Here’s an example for everyone running SME Live events (webinars). Here’s my experience as a speaker. Most of these events invite the SMEs to speak on topics relevant to their expertise. Usually, they send over a quick prep document or just ask the SME(s) to connect on their own or create the content. If there are multiple people speaking, they just hope the talking points and chemistry work. After all, they are SMEs, so the content will be good, right? Not necessarily! ❌ They do the event, and the content is okay but not as good as it could be. Why? Preparation and content validation. You need to make sure it is valuable for your audience. Every SME does have something valuable, but it needs to be focused for your audience. The event concludes, and you don’t see much after the event as a speaker or participant. You’ll get a link to the recording and maybe a blog summary. ✌️ Two big misses 🟡 There is NO CONTENT VALIDATION OR FEEDBACK before the event. 🟡 Content creation and distribution strategy post-event that includes the SMEs. Here’s how you should do it ⬇️ 1. Be organized - provide a run of show, key talking points you want to SMEs to touch on, and operations (calendar invites, docs, promo assets etc.) 2. Facilitate a great prep session - Secure key talking points, who is going to talk about what, and who will lead and support each key point, and allow the speakers and host to get to know each other so the conversation is more natural. (Trust me, this helps the speakers be more confident and deliver a better live experience) 3. Share the post-event plan and set expectations - How will the video be repurposed, and if they plan on using your content, how so? If they plan to create a written asset will you get to review it before it goes live? Enable your speakers to share the event after (video clips, social posts) and also be a distribution engine for any additional assets produced from it. If you take the time to do this, your speaker's content WILL BE BETTER, the additional content you can create WILL BE BETTER, and it WILL RESONATE BETTER with your audience! Win-win-win Shoutout to Corrina Owens and UserGems 💎 for running a top-notch virtual event process. I was blown away in our prep session earlier today. See you next Wednesday, Adam Jay ♾️ to talk about The Cheat Code to Unlock More Pipeline.

My client tried a webinar program I didn't approve of. The results? 40 attendees, 0 engagement. → no questions → people left halfway through → the pitch? it dragged on for 30 minutes Had to look away. Couldn't let it happen a 2nd time! After that flop, we had a serious conversation. I created a new strategy fit just for their brand. The result? → chat was buzzing → people were asking questions → stayed to the end and hung onto every word   → reached out to my client directly after the session Sometimes, it’s not about the numbers.  It’s about the connection you build. Here’s what changed: 1. Asked people to share where they're from. 2. Every 10 minutes, we answered some questions. 3. Used my client's story to resonate with the audience. 4. Gave freebies to download at start and end of webinar. 5. Made the pitch short & sharp - no dragging it out! The 1st program focused on pitching only. My program focused on engagement & relatability. Want a killer webinar? Focus on building trust with your audience. Selling can only happen when the audience trusts you enough. P.S. Do you join webinars often?

Nobody wants to go to a boring webinar. I personally don’t have the attention span for that and you probably don’t either. Earlier this year, we hosted a virtual event at Exit Five that brought in 3,300 registrants, a 40% attendance rate, over 4,000 live chat messages, and 6+ hours of content we’re still repurposing months later. Safe to say most people didn’t think it was boring! Here are four things that made it work: 1. Make registration a no-brainer We treated the registration page like a product landing page - clear value prop front and center, short and simple form, real speaker photos and bios, a detailed agenda, and an FAQ to answer common questions. No fluff, no vague promises. Just straight to what’s in it for attendees. 2. Make it feel like an experience It’s not a meeting - it’s a show. We prepped with speakers ahead of time to keep the pace tight, transitions smooth, intros short, and get straight to the content. We left space for live Q&A, used interactive features like polls and giveaways, and kept the chat active the entire time so keep attendees engaged. 3. Build for repurposing Every session became content fuel for weeks and months ahead. Full recordings went to our podcast over the next few months. We pulled clips for social and gave speakers assets to use on their own channels. 4. Use a tool that helps you move fast We use Zuddl. Their event platform helped us build branded landing pages, manage invites and reminders, track promo performance, review post-event data, and host an event that ran smoothly from start to finish. So, the difference between forgettable virtual events and memorable ones isn’t budget or big-name speakers - it’s treating the whole thing like a real experience that’s actually worth people’s time. Make attendees excited for the next one before this one even ends. P.S - Zuddl is a sponsor of Exit Five and our Email Teardown (but we genuinely love the product and recommend it). We also wrote an article with more detail on how we pulled off this event - check it out below.