Best Practices for Webinar Presenters

🎓 This article is for instructors.

Presenting a webinar is a different experience from presenting to a live, in-person audience. The room is quieter, attendee engagement is harder to gauge, and the technology itself can become a barrier if you're not prepared. The tips below help you deliver a professional, engaging webinar that records attendance smoothly. For the broader event lifecycle, see Prepare for Your Event (Instructors), During Your Event (Instructors), and Follow Up After Your Event (Instructors).

Before scheduling your webinar

Practice with colleagues first. Run a dry run of your webinar with someone before going live. This lets you get comfortable with the technology and anticipate the kinds of problems you or your participants might encounter.
Create your webinar link in advance. Set up a webinar or meeting link in your preferred application (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToWebinar, etc.) before you schedule the event in CEU Events.

When creating your webinar event in CEU Events

When you set up the event in your CEU Events account (Schedule a New Event (Instructors)):

Paste the webinar link you created into the Webinar Link field on the event creation form.
Add attendance instructions to the Notes field. Include something like: "Please enter your full name when joining the webinar for attendance purposes. Thank you!"
Include access codes or dial-in numbers in the Notes field if your webinar requires them.

Setting up your physical space

Find a quiet room. Background noise and interruptions are amplified on a microphone.
Allow room to move. If you like to stand or move around when presenting, make sure you have the physical space — and your camera or microphone can still capture you clearly.

Setting up your technology

Use a headset or dial-in for audio. Don't rely on your computer's built-in microphone — it picks up too much room noise. A wired headset is usually the most reliable choice.
Verify a strong, stable internet connection. A wired connection beats Wi-Fi when possible. Test your speed beforehand.
Use a webcam (with one exception). A webcam significantly improves engagement — attendees can see your expressions and body language. The exception: for large meetings where bandwidth could be unstable, skip the webcam to prioritize audio reliability.
Sign in at least 15 minutes early. Use this window to verify your microphone, camera, screen share, and webinar link are all working. Confirm the right screen will be shared when you go live — not a personal desktop or unrelated tab.

Communicating with attendees beforehand

Send a 30-minute reminder. A reminder sent 30 minutes before the event tends to be highly effective — most attendees ignore reminders sent days in advance but pay attention to one sent right before the event. See Send an Event Reminder (Instructors).

During your presentation

Mute all participants by default. This minimizes background noise and distractions during your delivery.
Use chat for questions. Encourage attendees to use your webinar app's chat feature throughout. Check the chat periodically so questions don't get buried.
Unmute during Q&A. Open up the audio during designated Q&A periods, then re-mute after.
Bring energy, passion, and warmth. Your tone comes through clearly on a webinar — sometimes more so than in person, because attendees focus entirely on your voice. Be deliberately energetic; flatness reads as boredom on a webinar.
Mute all desktop notifications.

Recording attendance and wrapping up

Include the Paperless Attendance Slide at the end of your presentation. Have the unique Event Code displayed clearly. See Use the CEU Events Paperless Attendance Slide and Find the Event Code.
Direct attendees to record their attendance. Have them visit www.ceuevents.com/attendance and enter the Event Code shown on the slide. Pause and give them time to complete this step before you wrap up.
Run your webinar's attendance report and compare it against your CEU Events attendee list. Most webinar platforms (Zoom, Teams, GoToWebinar, etc.) generate a downloadable attendance report right after the session. Use it to verify who participated, then mark them as Attended in CEU Events. See Mark Attendees as Attended.
Send Certificates of Completion Notice. Once attendees are marked Attended, send the Certificate is ready notification so they can retrieve their certificates. See Issue a Certificate of Completion.

💡 Tip: If you need help coordinating your first webinar, reach out to webinars@ceuevents.com.

Troubleshooting

Attendees can't hear you or your audio is choppy. Switch to a wired headset or dial in by phone if available. Check your microphone settings in the webinar app.
Your video is freezing or pixelating. Bandwidth is likely the issue. Turn off your webcam if you have one on — audio bandwidth is more important than video.
Attendees say they didn't see the Event Code or the attendance slide. Display the slide for 2-3 minutes minimum and announce the Event Code clearly. For attendees who missed it, send them the Attendance Recording Guide after the event. See Use the Attendance Recording Guide.
Still having trouble? Contact CEU Events support and we'll help.