How You Should Use This Playbook

The Webinar Playbook is an asset to guide you through the key elements of a webinar. 

This playbook includes key questions to ask during the planning process, best practices and key resources for you to leverage.

Webinar decision tree: Understanding the Purpose of Your Webinar

Use this webinar decision tree to better understand what purpose(s) your webinar is serving and how best to navigate through the process.

What Determines Success? Begin With The End In Mind.

As you determine how a webinar will fit within your strategy, it’s imperative to determine what the end goal is and how this webinar will help you achieve it.

• What are the goals of the webinar?
• What is the objective of the webinar?
• How will it be measured (ROI)?

Webinar Format Questions

• Will there be required slides only or full-slide presentation?
• Is this a one-off webinar or part of a series?
• What is the style of the webinar? 
  • Presentation, round-table, panel, etc.
  • For breakout room requests, note in the intake form. 
• What is the desired level of participation engagement?
  • Should they be able to unmute, turn on camera, etc.?
• How many speakers will there be?
  • Recommended speaker amount is 2 to 4 (may add one additional speaker as a moderator for a panel discussion)
  • If 30-minute webinar, recommend less speakers
• Is this an internal or external presentation?
• Will CPE be offered?
  • If yes, see CPE section
• What is the length of the webinar?
  • 1 hour recommended for most webinars
• Will there be a Q&A session at the end ?
• Will the presentation be recorded? 
  • If yes, note the recording will automatically be sent to registrants & attendees.
  • Will the webinar be pre-recorded? 
    • If yes, follow same webinar process & timeliness. Note this may require more of a time commitment for the team. 
• Armanino speakers only, or is this in collaboration with another organization/firm?
  • If another firm, what are the requirements for the slide deck format?
  • What is the plan to incorporate another firm’s logo/branding?
  • *Recommendation is to use Armanino branded slides and incorporate their logo

Logistics Questions

• Will you utilize a branded Zoom background?
  • If yes, will it be standard options or customized (requested as part of WF project)?
  • If no, confirm presenter backgrounds are not distracting
• What are the run-through needs, ahead of the webinar?
  • Prep calls, practice sessions, who to include in the dry-run, etc.
• What is the follow-up plan?
  • e.g., SDR or nurture, sending slide deck/recording
• How will the webinar be leveraged for additional assets?
  • Video clips, impactful statements, social, etc.
• Timeline expectations
  • Slide deck draft, slide deck final
  • When speakers should log into webinar

Discuss the Following Roles & Responsibilities

When it comes to planning the live webinar, be sure you are on the same page with everyone involved to ensure a smooth live experience.

• Opening the webinar
• Presenting the housekeeping slides
• Chat moderator
• Driving slides
• Launching polling questions
• Facilitating Q&A session
• Concluding webinar
• Co-host
• Recording webinar
• Panel moderator

Selecting Your Speakers

A great speaker can make or break a presentation. Take into account these characteristics when identifying speaker(s).

• Level of expertise on the subject
• Personality: Entertaining, motivating, professional, etc.
• Diversity
• Story-teller
• Speaks at appropriate speed
• Speaks plainly: Does not use fillers,  avoids jargon and acronyms, etc.
• Expressive voice
• Sense of humor

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Process

When CPE is offered with a webinar, learning objectives and polling questions are required.

• Draft learning objectives
  • Minimum of 3
• Send learning objectives and information about the webinar to
  • [email protected]
• Elevate learn will determine the CPE category and any recommended changes
• Creating polling questions
  • Minimum # equal to # of learning objectives
• Enter polling questions into Zoom
• Launch polling questions, one at a time, during scheduled times throughout the webinar
• Results can be reviewed via production team report post webinar 

The full CPE Process is found here: CPE Process

What Do You Want Your Learners To Do?

Learning Objectives 

Action Verbs: What do you want your learners to do?

• Apply concepts: Analyze, Apply, Combine, Construct, Decide, Define, Describe, Detect, Discuss, Explain, Formulate, Identify, Interpret, Plan, Prepare, Predict, Relate, Restate, Solve, Summarize
• Teach Facts: Identify, List, Name, Organize, Indicate
• Work with Structures: Build, Construct, Display, Draw, Identify, Illustrate
• Teach Classifications: Choose, Classify, Collate, Compare, Contrast, Decide, Describe, Detect, Differentiate, Distinguish, Group, Identify, List, Match, Order, Organize, Rearrange, Recognize, Reconstruct, Select, Separate
• Comprehend Processes: Add, Ask, Code, Compare, Compute, Contrast, Convert, Decide, Describe, Design, Discuss, Evaluate, Explain,  Fill in, Identify, List, Organize, Plan, Recite, Revise, Select, Solve, Troubleshoot, Write
• Apply Procedures: Adjust, Alter, Apply, Assemble, Calibrate, Change, Collect, Combine, Construct, Demonstrate, Inspect, Locate, Model, Operate, Organize, Perform, Prepare, Remove, Repair, Select, Separate, Show, Speak, Translate
• Other Verbs for Effective Objectives: Manage, Rule On, Provide, Answer, Gather, Research, Create, Suggest, Practice, Conduct, Initiate, Mediate, Negotiate, Instruct, Revise, Edit, Present, Test, Verify
• Words NOT to be Used in Objectives: Understand, Know, Be Aware of, Become Familiar, Learn or any other terms that are not measurable

1-2-3 Model (with example)

1. Create the root: At the end of the course, learners will be able to:
2. Choose an action verb: Differentiate
3. Clarify conditions: … between standard costing and activity-based costing

How To Identify Your Polling Strategy

• Registration Questions
  • Ask one or two classification questions beyond the normal information for during the registration process:
    • What are you most looking forward to learning about from this webinar? (Then SDR could send them a video clip as a follow-up to the section they are interested in hearing more about, whether or not they attend.)
• What information do we want to gain from the questions to better understand the audience?
• Align with follow-up plan

Sample Polling Questions

Frame the following questions around the topic you are presenting on.

• Direct follow-up questions
  • Opportunity to discuss more, free conversation/advice, etc.
  • What is your current level of interest?
• Identifying questions about the areas in which they need help 
  • What was the most interesting topic from today?
• Ask about their challenges
  • What item addressed today do you find the most challenging/confusing?
• Ask about what they do well
  • What area that we’ve discussed is your firm excelling in?
• Ask about the stage/part of the process they are in selecting a provider or performing the service in question
• Ask about their timeline
  • When are you looking to address this issue?

Webinar Promotion

• Create a promotion plan & make sure it is part of the Workfront project
• Educate SMEs on how to promote the webinar (pre & post)
  • Send social posts to SMEs and encourage them to promote via their networks
  • Add social posts to webinar registration updates, as a friendly reminder to SMEs to continue to promote
  • Encourage promotion through Amplify
• Invite Strategy
  • Eloqua vs. outlook invites
  • Public vs. private event
  • Will this be live on the website post webinar?
  • Social invite promotion plan

Steps In Webinar Process

Workfront processes & tips 

• Step 1: Confirm tasks and timeline are correct 
  • Note: The Workfront project will work backwards from the webinar date
• Step 2: Provide key information during request stage
• Step 3: Add additional information under project details once project is active
• Step 4: Hold a kickoff call with presenters and utilize that time to understand key information and fill-in content brief
• Step 5: Host kickoff call/email with key team members assigned to the project

Steps In Webinar Process

Segmentation tips

• Fill out the segmentation section in the Workfront project
• Prior to segmentation meeting utilize CRM to pull a list to estimate the audience size 
• Ask during your segmentation meeting the audience size to determine if you need to adjust the segmentation

Segmentation options

• Job function
• Job level
• Geography
• Revenue range
• Industry
• Services & software
• Targeting group

Content Brief Questions

A content brief must be completed in Workfront before the project can proceed. Keep in mind these categories as you plan.

• Title
• Time/date
• What is the webinar about?
• What are the learning objectives
  • List at least three
• Who is the target audience?
• Who are the speakers?
  • List all including name, title and company
• CPE credit category
  • Elevate learn will provide

Webinar Template

Below is a webinar template to leverage when creating the slide deck. 

Webinar Template - Final.pptx

Zoom Checklist: Pre-webinar

Whether hosting a dry-run or a live webinar, below are some helpful reminders:

• Treat dry-runs like the live webinar 
• During dry-runs, present in slide show mode to ensure you’re showing the PPT as it will be shown during the live webinar
• Give presenters advance information on the systems and expectations 
• Review the slides in advance for typos, images, builds, etc. All images should be Armanino-approved 
• Connect with the design team to get something from Adobe Stock that fits your needs if you are uncertain about an image
• Make sure to select automatically record in settings, if you plan to record
• Note: GoToWebinar and Teams are additional platform options for webinars

Zoom Checklist: Day Of & During Webinar

• Log in 30 minutes before the webinar starts – make sure the presenter(s) audio is working well and that each presenter can see the Q&A and Chat on the Zoom toolbar. (You might need to make them co-hosts if they cannot.)
• Close all windows other than the webinar software before sharing your screen
• Use a headset to cut down on the potential of audio issues
• Present in a quiet space, preferably not in an open room. (This will help cut down on echoes.)
• Make sure presenters have good lighting (i.e., not sitting in front of a window)
• Test the audio of all presenters before going live by asking them to say a few words 
• When you start the webinar, make sure to record to the cloud

• Use a script / bullet notes to ensure you remember all the key housekeeping items:
  • How to use the webinar console
  • How to maintain audio
  • How to ask questions during the webinar
  • How to respond to polls / reminders during polling
  • Reminders to complete the survey post-webinar

• During webinar confirm participants only have access to chat with hosts and panelists, if that is your preference 
• Add someone as a cohost as a back-up 
• Set view to only see the person speaking, if that is the team’s preference 
• Utilize pre-agreed upon background (Armanino, customized, etc.)
• Reach out to Brian Pham with Zoom troubleshooting questions: [email protected]

Third Party Webinars

• Discuss pre & post list sharing expectations
• Determine if both parties have speakers in the webinar
• Add to Workfront if assets needed for promoting the webinar
• For example: pre-event email
• Create promotion plan/set expectations for the webinar (email, social post, etc.)?
• Define follow-up plan & roles

Third Party Webinars: Firm Descriptions to Leverage

Firm description to leverage:

Armanino is one of the top 20 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the United States. We are a nationwide leader serving privately held companies and private individuals, as well as nonprofit organizations and public entities.

• Armanino at a Glance:
• 2000+ Valued employees
• 132 Industry Leaders
• 21 Offices Nationwide
• 7000+ Clients
• 8000+ Annual Community Hours
• 25+ Performance Awards Yearly

Combined firm description: 

Armanino – Top 20 accounting and consulting firm in the U.S, Armanino delivers a depth of knowledge, a range of services, and a consistent and responsive team. Armanino can also help support your global operations with sophisticated financial capabilities and solutions wherever you’re located with over 7,000 clients served in over 100 countries. 

*Note information is updated regularly in Widen.