A GUIDE TO PRODUCING A RESEARCH WEBINAR
Office of the Senior Vice-Provost and Vice-Provost Research
The producer could be an academic or professional staff member and is responsible for the operational planning and logistics of the webinar.
As the producer you are responsible for;
- Supporting the webinar topic selection;
- Supporting the host and panelist selection;
- Collating the audience list;
- Advising on the type of zoom to use;
- Scheduling and sending the invite;
- Assigning responsibilities;
- Supporting the acknowledgement of Country preparation;
- Supporting the script and/or panel questions preparation;
- Liaising with the host and panelists;
- Having a practice run;
- Co-hosting the pre-webinar meeting;
- Producing the webinar;
- Co-hosting the post webinar debrief and
- Sharing the recorded webinar.
SUPPORTING THE WEBINAR TOPIC SELECTION
The webinar sponsor and host may ask you to provide them with support while they are scoping the webinar topic. You may provide both administrative support in planning meetings, advice on the best way to technically execute their vision and research on particular topics.
While researching particular topics for the webinar sponsor ensure that you reflect on the overall webinar strategy and highlight any connections between the topic and the strategy when you present the summary of your research to them.
SUPPORTING THE HOST AND PANELLIST SELECTION
The host is the face of the webinar (sometimes this person is also the sponsor) and is usually an executive or a leader in a field of research being covered in the webinar.
The panelists are responsible for providing expert insights on the webinar topic, they are usually high achieving researchers or industry professionals from a range of different career stages and backgrounds.
You could contact the potential host and panelists via email using the template below so that they have a written record of the details that they can refer back to.
Subject line: Invitation to [ROLE] for the [WEBINAR SERIES TITLE]: [WEBINAR TOPIC] Email: Dear [TITLE] [LAST NAME]* Our office** is producing a webinar series on various topics related [TOPIC] and we would like to invite you to be a [ROLE]. The webinars are designed to [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WEBINAR SERIES INTENT/STRATEGY] exploring topics that are timely and relevant to [AUDIENCE], as well as showcasing our expertise internally. The topic of the webinar is [TOPIC]. We invite you to take part in the panel style webinar that we are holding on [DATE] at [TIME] via Zoom. We think that you would have an interesting and valuable perspective on this topic. We also thought that you may be able to provide insight on [ONE OF THEIR AREAS OF EXPERTISE]. Please let me know if you would like to take part and if you have any questions. Kind regards, [YOUR NAME] |
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* if you are on a first name basis with the person just use their first name
**replace with area, lab or research group ect. if more appropriate
COLLATING THE AUDIENCE LIST
Once the sponsor has scoped and identified the ideal audience (see here) you can start collating a list. You may use existing documents or lists that you have access to in your team’s files and/or you could contact your area or faculty’s marketing and communications team for help and/or advice.
ADVISING ON THE TYPE OF ZOOM TO USE
There are two types of zoom available to Monash staff members, the Zoom meetings platform and the Zoom webinar platform (you will need to contact the Monash Service Desk to activate your Zoom Webinar platform access). There are pros and cons to each of the platforms which are listed below, reflect on these in relation to your webinar and then advise the sponsor on which you think is most appropriate.
PROS | CONS |
Monash staff members can schedule Zoom meetings directly from their google calendar |
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PROS | CONS |
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SCHEDULING AND SENDING THE INVITE
It is the producers responsibility to schedule the webinar. You should schedule a zoom meeting or webinar depending on the platform that the sponsor has chosen (see above).
Depending on the audience the sponsor may want you to send the invitation to the audience or they may want to leverage their own or the hosts research reputation and following by sending the invitations from one of their accounts. You could adapt the template below to either send the invitation email or draft it for the sponsor or host.
Dear [GUEST FIRST NAME] [SUMMARY PARAGRAPH OF WEBINAR TOPIC AND WHY THE AUDIENCE SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN IT] In the [WEBINAR SERIES TITLE] webinar series, the [RESEARCH AREA] have gathered a panel of experts to present their perspectives on [WEBINAR TOPIC]. DATE: [DD/MM/YYYY] TIME: [TIME] REGISTRATION: [REGISTRATION LINK] Our panellists are:
This event will be hosted by [HOST TITLE AND NAME, ORGANISATION]. Kind regards, [NAME OF PERSON SENDING THE EMAIL] |
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ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITIES
Depending on the size of the webinar you may want to consider asking some colleagues to help you while the event is live. You may want to assign someone to:
- Moderate the chat function
- Collate good questions for the Q&A section for the host
- Provide technical support to the host and panelists
If you have delegated some of these responsibilities you can play a coordinating and troubleshooting role throughout the event. You may want to set up a group chat with your event team or alternatively you can use the inbuilt zoom chat platform and send them private messages.
If you would like to share the recording of the webinar it is a good idea to record on multiple computers to ensure that you have backups if your version is laggy or cuts out. You can record to your computer or to the cloud and ask the same colleagues that are helping you with the other live duties to do the same.
SUPPORTING THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY PREPARATION
Support the webinar host to prepare an Acknowledgement of Country using the Monash Recognising Traditional Owners website.
Contact each of the panelists and ask them if they are willing to share the location that they are joining from so that it can be included in the Acknowledgement of Country. Also prepare some dot points about the influence and contributions of Indigenous people and cultures in your Faculty, area of research or the webinar topic, etc. Provide all of this to the webinar host to reflect on while preparing their Acknowledgement of Country.
SUPPORTING SCRIPT AND/OR PANEL QUESTIONS PREPARATION
Work with the sponsor and host on the webinar script, questions and panelist brief. This should be guided and approved by the webinar sponsor with input from the host. The webinar producer can provide research, administrative and communication support for the process.
Begin this process by preparing an information pack for the sponsor and host. The pack could include the following;
- Some general information about Monash research capabilities related to the webinar topic;
- Some information about each of the panelists;
- Summarise how their research expertise and impact connects to the webinar topic.
If possible organise a meeting with the sponsor and host to develop the script and questions together. While developing the script and/or panel questions you may draw further connections between the key messages and the panelists research, ensure that you highlight these to the sponsor and host.
LIAISING WITH THE HOST AND PANELISTS
Briefing the panel allows them to reflect on the questions and bring their A game. You still want there to be an element of conversation and building of ideas throughout the webinar but a short brief about the topic and intent behind the webinar is key to making the panelists feel comfortable and confident.
The brief could include the following;
- A short description of the webinar topic;
- A short description of the expertise that you envisage that particular panelist bringing to the panel;
- A list of potential question close to those that will be asked of them in the webinar;
- Some information about the other panelists and their areas of expertise;
- A link to A Guide to Being a Research Webinar Panelist and
- A link to A Guide to Getting Your Shot Right on Zoom.
If the host has not been heavily involved in the script, question and brief writing you could also provide them with a brief.
The brief could include:
- A short description of the webinar topic;
- A draft of the introduction script including an acknowledgement of country;
- A list of strategic key messages that the sponsor would like to communicate to the audience;
- Some information about each of the panelists and their areas of expertise;
- The lists of the questions that have been sent to each panelist;
- A link to A Guide to Hosting a Research Webinar and
- A link to A Guide to Getting Your Shot Right on Zoom
HAVING A PRACTICE RUN
Ensure that you are familiar with the platform that you choose and have a practice run. It might be a good idea to ask the colleagues that you have assigned live duties to to help you with this or join the practice webinar from multiple computers.
Below is a list of key things to check during your practice run.
- That the video, sound and presentations appear as you expect
- Check this as if you were a panelist and then as if you were an audience member.
- That the webinar is appearing as you would like it to on the computer/s that you intend to record it on. Ensure that it is just the panelists or speakers that are recorded.
- Tick “Hide non-video participants” in the zoom video settings (you can access these via the up arrow next to the camera icon > Video settings > video)
- Turn the video off by clicking the camera icon if you intend to record from a computer that does not need its video on.
- It is a good idea to record the webinar on multiple computers in case the internet falls out on one.
If you are unsure about any of the technical aspects of the webinar have a look at the great Zoom YouTube channel and “How To Zoom” playlist that covers many topics.
CO-HOSTING THE PRE-WEBINAR MEETING
Set up a meet and greet zoom meeting to take place directly before the webinar. The sponsor, host, panelists and producer should all attend and the host or sponsor should lead the meeting with support from the producer. There are two main purposes for this meeting.
One purpose of this meeting is to ensure that there are no technical issues. The producer should take the lead during this part of the meeting. Check the video, sound and slides (if applicable) of each of the panelists and the host. Also make sure that they all have a good understanding of the event format.
Inform the panelists and host that you will be available via the Zoom chat function throughout the webinar and that they can contact you if they have any questions, issues or concerns privately. You may also want to give them a phone number to contact you on in the event that they lose their connection to the webinar.
The other purpose of this meeting is to use it as an icebreaker for the panel. The host (or sponsor) should take the lead in this section of the meeting.
PRODUCING THE WEBINAR
It is the producers role to start the webinar by either selecting the ‘go live function’ on the webinar platform or letting the audience in on the meeting platform.
It is then the producers role to;
- Manage the support team (if applicable);
- Monitor the audience controls (especially if using the meeting platform);
- Ensure that it is recording on multiple computers;
- Respond to any technical questions from audience members, panelists or the host;
- Note the timestamp of any lag issues to check the recording.
CO-HOSTING THE POST WEBINAR MEETING
Set up a debrief Zoom meeting straight after the webinar, this will give the panelists a chance to chat to each other about how they felt the event went and discuss anything unexpected or interesting that popped up. It will also give you a chance to thank the panelists.