1. Run the AnyMeeting system test.
This is a quick test to verify that your system meets the minimum requirements needed to host a webinar.
   www.anymeeting.com/systemtest 

2. Use a wired internet connection when hosting a webinar.
Wireless (WiFi) internet connections often experience dropped connections and interference. A wired connection is much more stable, which will give your attendees a much better experience. For more information, read the “Another Cautionary Tale” blog post written by a webinar industry expert.

3. Test your upload speed and connection quality.
An upload speed of at least 350 Kbps* is recommended for best performance. Poor connection quality can cause packet loss resulting in screen sharing performance issues. To ensure that your webinar attendees are able to view your screen smoothly and without significant lag time, it’s important to have a fast, high-grade connection to the internet.

   Test your upload speed: www.speedtest.net
   Test your connection quality: www.pingtest.net

* 1,000 Kbps (kilobits per second) equals 1 Mbps (megabit per second)

4. Close all programs on your computer that you will not be using during your webinar presentation.
Applications such as Outlook can cause distractions with pop-up indicators and can slow down your computer.

5. Open the files you will be presenting to your audience before you start the webinar.
For example, if you are going to be using a PowerPoint slideshow and an Excel file during your presentation, make sure those files are open prior to starting the webinar. It will help you provide a seamless presentation.

6. Launch the webinar and dial into the conference call 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
It’s also recommended to start screen sharing and to display a PowerPoint slide with a message such as, “The webinar will begin in a few moments”. This will provide your attendees the assurance that they are successfully connected to your webinar.

7. Use the mute function to eliminate background noise from the audience during your presentation.
There are two conference call PIN codes, one for the host/presenter and one for guests/attendees. Dialing into the conference call using the host PIN (“Your PIN Code”) will give you additional options, such as the ability to mute all attendees. During times when audience interaction is encouraged, a quick un-mute command is available.

View a list of all conference call commands.

8. Move at a methodical pace when presenting and periodically review the audience feedback indicators.
It is natural to have the urge to speak quickly when presenting to a large group. Remember, there can be a short lag from what you see on your screen to what attendees see on theirs. The lag time can range from just a fraction of a second to a few seconds, depending on your internet upload speed, connection quality and where your audience members are located geographically.

Attendees have the option of using the feedback indicator located in the attendee window on the left side of the screen. The webinar presenter can view everyone’s status in this window. This provides a good indication of how well attendees are following along.

The icon will change in the attendee window based on the feedback option chosen.
I’m fine
I have a question
<img src="http://support.anymeeting.com/images/3/38/Icon_slow_down.gif" alt="< Slow down
>” width=”20″ height=”19″ /> Speed up
Yes / I agree
No / I disagree 

9. Click the End Session button at the completion of the webinar.
Using this button rather than closing the browser window will properly end the webinar session. This will make sure that attendees have a smooth transition out of the webinar meeting room. It will also provide you with more accurate statistics about the webinar duration and attendance, which is available in your account dashboard.

10. Send a follow-up email to your attendees within two days.
This is a great opportunity to engage your audience after the webinar to build lasting relationships. You may want to send handouts with notes from the webinar, promote future webinars as well as information about yourself and organization.

AnyMeeting makes it easy for you to follow up with your attendees. In your “My Webinars” account dashboard, click the “Past Webinars” tab. This will display all of your previous webinars along with a “Send Follow Up Email” button for each webinar.

  This list of webinar best practices is also available on the AnyMeeting Support Wiki.