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Creating Technical Instructions

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Remarkably, many webinars fail before they even get started due to difficult or hard to follow instructions for accessing the session. Remove all obstacles from the user path and make it clear how they can contact you if they have any questions.

Webinars are unique from face-to-face classrooms in that you don’t typically have the responsibility of giving your students directions on how to get to the actual classroom. Given the fact that technical knowledge amongst your average group of participants in a webinar can vary drastically, good presenters take the time to formulate and dispense detailed instructions on how to access the online classroom.

As you create these instructions, you’ll want to do the following:

  • Walk through the process of logging into the system for your webinar, jotting down the step-by-step tasks
  • Take special note of any steps that seem as if they might be stumbling blocks and make sure to explain to users exactly what they need to do
  • Edit the instructions so that they are brief and to the point, making sure to anticipate common user errors
  • Walk through your written instructions one more time to make sure that you have included all necessary information

Keep in mind that well-written technical instructions provided well in advance can offer participants who are new to the webinar a level of comfortability with the technology. That way, there is ample time for the participants to troubleshoot any technical or connection issues, and reach out to you for help in ensuring that they will be able to login on the day of the presentation. Make sure to express that you are available for any and all questions and comments on the process of accessing the webinar.

The process of creating technical instructions for logging onto the webinar can also help you to illuminate any design flaws or issues that you might be able to correct beforehand. Susan Weinschenk shares in her book “100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People,” that “people always make mistakes; there is no fail safe product. Think about what the likely mistakes will be. Figure out as much as you can about the kind of mistakes people are going to make when they use what you’ve designed. And then change your design before it goes out so that those mistakes won’t be made.” [1] This is a helpful tip not only in creating technical instructions, but in setting up your meeting space, which we will do in the next module.

Common Technical Questions
As you begin to draft your technical instructions, make sure that you’ve taken the time to address these common questions:

  • Where do I go on the day of the webinar?
  • Do I need to login? Is there a username or password?
  • Do I need a microphone or a video camera?
  • Do I need any special software or plugins to attend the session?
  • Do I need to know anything about the system beforehand?
  • Can I test my computer and equipment out before the session?
  • Can I contact someone with questions before the session?
Technical Instruction Worksheet
UP NEXT: CREATING AND TESTING THE MEETING SPACE
The secret to a flawless presentation is thorough preparation and testing.  In the next module, we will cover the process of setting the stage for success by putting together the presentation materials online ahead of time.

References and Further Reading    (↑ returns to text)

  1. Weinschenk, S. (2011). 100 things every designer needs to know about people. Berkeley: New Riders.↑