How to Moderate a Webinar

If you have landed on this page, chances are that you will be soon moderating a webinar or have been working as a webinar moderator and are looking to improve your knowledge. No need to look further,  you have come to the right place to know more about how to moderate a webinar! First, let’s go over what it means to be a webinar moderator, what your role will be, and why webinars should have moderators. Then, we’ll give you all the tips you need to learn about how to moderate a webinar. 

What is a webinar moderator?

A webinar moderator is a person who ensures that the virtual event is running smoothly, whether it is a live or automated webinar, and takes care of any issues that might arise before, during, and after the webinar. 

What is the role of a webinar moderator?

One of the major tasks that a webinar moderator is responsible for is to manage the chats and to answer any questions participants may have or to forward the questions to the webinar guest speakers or host. Besides moderating content, a webinar moderator is also responsible for making sure that participants have all the instructions needed to join the webinar, to welcome them when the event starts, and to introduce the speakers and host of the webinar. Overall, a good webinar moderator’s role is to support guest speakers and hosts during the presentation.

What makes moderators essential to webinars?

During webinars, hosts and guest speakers need to focus on their presentation to avoid making any mistakes, while  addressing participants in a way that will keep them interested and engaged– which is no easy task! So why make it more complicated by forcing the hosts and speakers to manage answering questions in the chat and moderating the content, on top of everything they are already doing? 

Webinars need moderators to support hosts and speakers before and after the event by moderating content, managing the chat, and answering questions from attendees. Without moderators, the host or the speakers would have to pause in the middle of their presentations to take the time to read the chat and questions, which let’s be honest, seems unrealistic to do without losing the audience's interest.

8 tips for being a good webinar moderator 

1. Prepare yourself 

As the famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, once said: “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” As a webinar moderator, you want to arrive prepared for the event. A day before the virtual event starts, reach out to participants via email as a final reminder and to send them instructions.

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2. Log in on time

In fact, we recommend webinar moderators be prepared and logged in about a half hour before the webinar begins. You are never safe from any technical issue and the last thing you want is to be late because your computer is not working properly. Remember, as the moderator, any questions or concerns come to your attention first, so be on time.

3. Write a welcome message

We recommend having one webinar moderator for every 50 participants and at the start of the virtual event, at least one of them should send a welcome message to the audience to welcome them and thank them for their participation. Doing so is a good way to engage the audience and encourage participation, which can also be done by starting the webinar with one or more polls.

4. Prepare a list of answers

Make a list with short and concise answers to questions you expect to receive from the audience during the webinar. Preparing them in advance will help you save time and allow you to focus on other tasks.

5. Make your answers personal

When answering questions, always include the name of the participant in your answer, for example, “Dear Jeff” and when ending the conversation, tell the participant goodbye and sign your name. With 42% of customers feeling frustrated by impersonalized content in general, personalized answers will make the attendees comfortable and make them feel like they are being listened to.

Read and Learn: How to Add Energy, Impact, and Results at Every Stage of Your Webinar

6. Forward questions to the speaker if there is time and space to answer them

As a webinar moderator, there are many questions you will be able to answer, but a good way to make the webinar more interactive and engaging for the audience is by asking the host to answer a few of them. It’s estimated that 4 out of 5 professionals have shifted their focus away from the presenter during the last presentation they attended, so keeping an audience engaged is critical. Consider leaving room at the end of the webinar to give space for a Q&A.

7. Be honest if you don’t know the answer

You might know the answer to some questions right away, but it is possible that some of them might require you more time to reply to, either because the question is complex or because you do not have the answer to it– yet! Don’t panic and just be honest with the participant. Let them know that you will get back to them as soon as possible with an answer to their question.

8. Prepare some questions

The last tip to follow if you want to learn how to moderate a webinar is to do research on the topic of the presentation to have enough knowledge to answer any questions the audience may have about it. It is always helpful to ask the presenter of the event to share their script with you so you can be even more prepared. Engage with the audience and make the event more interactive by asking questions to participants to boost participation. According to 70% of marketers, presenting interactive content is key for engaging your audience. 

You are now ready to moderate a webinar like a pro! 

Moderating a webinar can be challenging, but with proper preparation and skills, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Remember to define clear objectives, engage with your audience, and manage technical issues to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. The next thing you need to do is find the best platform to host your webinar. If you're looking for a reliable webinar platform, Hubilo offers a comprehensive solution to manage your webinars and engage with your attendees. Hubilo allows you to make your webinar as customizable as possible - create custom landing pages and generate automated emails, all in one place. From pre-event planning to post-event analysis, Hubilo provides a comprehensive solution to manage webinars and engage with attendees. Your attendees will be blown away with how much thought and effort went into your webinar that they’ll want to attend more events - especially with you as a moderator! Request a demo now and know in detail about their features and solutions!