If you’re in the business of providing continuing professional development (CPD) there are numerous benefits to taking things online and hosting a webinar. A CPD webinar provides the benefits of interacting with attendees in real time, while reducing some organisational costs and overheads.
Here’s how you can create an engaging CPD webinar that will attract attendees and provide them with an optimal learning environment that’s accessible from anywhere in the world.
What is a CPD Webinar?
Compulsory professional development (CPD) is the process of continued education after someone enters the professional world. It can include tutorials, seminars, courses and any other content that helps people grow and succeed in their careers.
A CPD webinar is the process of learning in an online environment that has been optimised for a virtual audience and is provided through a dedicated online platform— making it accessible to more people, in more places.
Some of the benefits of taking your CPD online is that it’s cheaper than accommodating in-person attendees and you can produce the content easily using existing technologies such as your laptop, mobile phone or a cheap webcam.
Step 1: Preparation is Key
Just like any professional presentation, preparation is key to a successful CPD webinar. And while preparation means practicing your content delivery, another vital element of the process is choosing the right provider to host your webinar.
Look for a provider who:
Can manage your webinar, if required
Has proven experience providing managed virtual business events
Will record your event for future training and marketing purposes
Requires no software downloads so more attendees can attend with ease
Step 2: Have a Solid Promotion Plan
There’s no point hosting a webinar if you don’t have any attendees. Therefore it’s essential to put time into researching and developing a solid promotion plan that will help you reach and attract your target audience.
Your promotion plan could include:
An email trail that includes invitations, reminders and post-event communications
Creating registration pages that are on-brand and easy to use
Working with sponsors to give your promotion plan further reach
Using relevant social media channels to promote your event
Step 3: Learn How to be an Engaging Host
It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable a presenter is, if they struggle to hold an audience’s attention, the crowd will disengage from your content. The good news is that almost anyone can train themselves to be a good host.
All it takes is a little bit of practice and skills like:
Speaking with your online platform provider so you can learn how to use the features to their full potential
Rehearsing your presentation and practicing logging into the platform
Incorporating games or activities to break up the speaking sessions
Using pre-organised polls and Q&A sessions to make your presentation richer and more interactive
Having a backup plan for any problems that may arise on the day
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Step 4: Provide Technical Support for Attendees
It’s important to provide support to those who may have difficulties properly connecting, or engaging with your webinar. One of the easiest ways to ensure that everyone is able to participate seamlessly is to work with a platform who can moderate your webinar and offer 24/7 tech support in both the lead up, during and after your event.
It also helps to choose a provider who offers a range of different ways your participants can join your virtual event, such as with a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop.
Step 5: Use Platform Features to Your Advantage
Professional webinar platforms come with a host of features that will help keep your event engaging, interactive and provide you with great data and resources you can use in the future.
Look for a platform that has the following features:
Pre and post-event support
Secure access codes to avoid unwanted intruders
Managed Q&A sessions
Interactive polls
Post event reporting on attendees
Recording and transcribing of your virtual event
Step 6: Provide a Long-Lasting Relationship
The impact of your CPD webinar goes far beyond the event itself. With the right post-event communications you can leverage your hard work and continue providing your attendees a great experience long after they’ve logged out.
Provide engaging post-event communications by:
Sending out CPD certificates to everyone who attended
Using the data gathered in your webinar reports to tailor your communications
Sending attendees a recording of the webinar
To create an engaging and successful CPD webinar you need a great virtual event platform by your side. At Express Virtual Meetings, not only does our easy-to-use platform facilitate a seamless experience for you and your attendees, our expert virtual events team can manage your webinar for you end-to-end, so you only need to worry about delivering the content.
Book a demo today with the team and take your CPD webinar to the next level.
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