Online conferencing tips

Arrive early. Web conference presenters should log in about 30-45 minutes before the start of online conferencing and make sure everything works properly (interface properly installed, sound is in place, etc.) to avoid hassles at the last minute.

Explore features. Most moderators only use a fraction of the online conferencing options available to them. To get the most out of the rich functionality that an online conferencing solution provides, you may want to use your dry runs and free demo periods to explore the different applications you can use to create a better experience for you and your audience.

System test. Encourage all attendees and participants to test their systems prior to joining the session. Most default email confirmations provided by vendors include a standard test-system link.

Using visual aids. With presentations, use detailed charts and graphs and keep text to a minimum. Remember slides should be a visual aid and you should be able to walk attendees through the presentation so there's no need to give them a lot to read on screen.

Partner up. You can share the responsibilities of running the online conferencing with one or more co-workers. For example, while you talk through the meeting and conduct group edits with your attendees, one of your co-workers takes questions and runs the live chat. This is typically called an "assistant" and many solutions enable you to designate participants as assistants in advance of the event. They will automatically have certain privileges, such as being able to "control" the floor.

This is a recording. The FCC requires you to notify all participants before the start of online conferencing that you plan to record the session. This is done either through an audio prompt that the attendee hears over the phone when they enter the conference, or an automated text message in the chat function.

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