Who, What, Where, Webinars?

You’ve probably seen the term before. The medium was already immensely popular and after everything that has happened in the last year, many companies, big and small, wouldn’t know what to do without them. Chances are that you have at least once received an invitation. Maybe you have even watched one.

We’re talking about webinars, of course!

Are you thinking about organizing a webinar, but are you not sure whether you should? Perhaps you just want to know what a webinar is. Whichever the case is for you, after reading this blogpost, you will have an answer to your question.

What is a webinar? And where does the word ‘webinar’ come from?

Let’s start with a definition:

A webinar is a presentation, for example a workshop or a lecture, that takes place completely online.

You can view a webinar as a meeting where information about a certain topic is shared. It’s the same as what happens at a seminar. The only difference is that people don’t go to a physical location, but attend a webinar through the web. Everyone who is involved in a webinar participates online. Including the audience.

It doesn’t take much effort, then, to find out where the term ‘webinar’ originated. As you may already have guessed, it’s a combination of the words ‘web’ and ‘seminar’.

What is the goal of a webinar?

A webinar gives you the opportunity to reach a large number of people in a short period of time. It often focuses on one particular subject and is used to share information (or) to get more clients.

Some examples:

• A Q&A session for potential clients to eliminate worries about your new product.

• A promotion of your new book.

• A discussion of the results of your research project.

How does a webinar work?

Just like any event, you decide in advance when your webinar will take place. Viewers subscribe and when the webinar is aired, they (and you as the presenter) all log in at the same time.

You give your talk by using your microphone. If you want to, you can also use your webcam to let the viewers see you. You can even support your presentation with a PowerPoint presentation, images or videos.

Participants only hear and see you. They cannot hear or see each other. Do you see how you can still compare a webinar to an offline seminar, where everyone in a room is listening to a presentation?

One of the great benefits of a webinar is that you can use interactive tools to measure your audience’s behavior. By chatting and asking questions, your viewers give you loads of useful information. But you can also initiate interaction by using specific tools. For example, use a poll or ask the audience a question. You can even measure viewing behaviour. This data can be incredibly useful!

Who can organize webinars?

That’s easy: anyone can. We see this every day when we talk to our clients. They are from all workfields and countries. The days in which webinars were only hosted by large organizations, are in the past. Webinars are highly accessible for both organizers and viewers. They provide an easy, inexpensive and safe way to communicate with a large group.

Obviously, your situation and goals are unique. You may find that there are fun and unexpected ways to use a webinar to reach your goals. Have a look at our customer stories. There, you can read why and how other people have hosted their webinars.

Would you like to explore what webinars can do for you or your organization?

Then don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to help and like to think with you!

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