Many of us secretly fear that technology will let us down on vital occasions – when presenting some important news to the company, for example via webcasting. But there are some simple steps that can help ensure that your presentation runs smoothly. Every year, webcasts become more and more prevalent in business communications. They are a valuable tool for engaging internal and external audiences and conveying important company announcements or initiatives.
So, what is a webcast? It’s essentially a broadcast of video, audio or both over the internet and is often used for presentations and company announcements - any time, in fact, that you want to have one-to-many communication with tens or even thousands of attendees without worrying about travel or logistics.
Webcasts for businesses typically fall into two categories: managed and self-service. For a managed webcast, the service provider handles everything from logistics, filming, broadcasting and more. Self-service webcasting, on the other hand, offers individuals or businesses access to enterprise-grade webcasting, publishing, editing and analytics tools so they can host their own webcasts using their existing technology infrastructure.
Until comparatively recently, webcasting has typically been both expensive and complex. Professionally managed webcasts can look like TV productions, with satellite trucks, camera crews and a full production staff. Today, however there is an alternative. High-quality self-service webcasting is now a reality. As technology has evolved, it’s now much easier for people to both host and join webcasts from anywhere and on any device. And, once finished, the webcast can be available immediately for publication for on-demand viewing. Built-in editing tools are available to crop video, audio or PowerPoint slides and additional slides and video clips can be uploaded after your webcast has ended.
The right webcasting technology turns existing video and audio infrastructure into broadcasting equipment quickly and easily. With time at a premium in today’s business world, webcasting has become a strategic way to connect with a range of external and internal stakeholders simultaneously. By following some simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to hosting a first-class webcast:
Promote it in Advance
It may sound simple, but if no one is clear about the topic, date, time and why they should log on and what they need to do to connect, all the passion and effort you put in won’t matter.
Make It Simple to Connect
If entering the webcast is difficult, your meeting may be delayed and potentially start off on the wrong foot. Use a platform that allows easy registration and log-in page that prompts your attendees to join via email or calendar reminder.
Don’t Waste Time
As with any event, virtual or otherwise, often there are late arrivals. It’s important to be courteous both to those who have joined early, as well as those who are on time and start your meeting promptly. Time is money on large webcasts. We always recommend recording your webcasts so that you can easily send it out to participants and invitees afterwards.
