Webinars

A webinar, short for web-based seminar, is a presentation, lecture, workshop, or training delivered over the internet to a remote audience. Webinars are typically conducted in real time, though many platforms also offer on-demand recordings. They combine audio and video streaming with interactive elements such as live chat, Q&A, polls, and screen sharing to enable two-way communication between the presenter and participants.

Webinars rely on video conferencing technology and server infrastructure. Attendees join via a link and may access registration pages, invitations, and reminder emails. Key features include screen sharing, slide presentations, attendee moderation, muting controls, and the option to record sessions for later viewing.

Common use cases include education and training, product demonstrations, lead generation, industry conferences, and internal communications within organizations. They enable global participation and reduce travel time and costs, but require adequate bandwidth and compatible devices.

Planning and best practices: set clear objectives, design an engaging agenda, and prepare slides and demos. Manage access with registrations, passcodes, or waiting rooms to protect privacy. Encourage interaction through polls, Q&A, and moderated chats. After the session, provide transcripts or recordings and measure metrics such as attendance, engagement, and completion rates.

Accessibility and security considerations: provide captions or transcripts, ensure that content is accessible with assistive technologies, and follow data protection and privacy regulations. Trends include greater use of on-demand webinars, hybrid events, and AI-assisted analytics and automation.