A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Webinar

Health Informatics Webinar Series A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Webinar

The University of the Philippines Manila-Health Informatics Webinar Series is organized by

graduate students from University of the Philippines-College of Medicine Master of Science in
Health Informatics Program. It is part of their academic requirement for Seminars in Health
Informatics course on their second semester.

A faculty supervises the students in selecting topics and inviting speakers for the sessions.

The objectives of this activity are listed below:

1) To provide venue for alternative learning for MSHI graduate students 2) To allow MSHI
students hands-on learning experience in planning, organizing and evaluating seminars with
focus on health informatics trends, issues and developments around the world. 3) To foster
networking with other health informatics students, professionals and experts around the world.

Chapter 1: Drawing Board Topic Selection

Health informatics topics are very diverse. It may range from technology-focused such as,
artificial intelligence technologies and new gadgets and devices in healthcare; information-
focused such as electronic health records, disease registries, data mining, data and information
exchange; policy-focused such as interoperability, standards, and security and such.

There are no right or wrong in selecting topics. Students may research on current events, trends
and developments in health informatics industry to find the most interesting, relevant and timely
topics. Quick surveys among health informatics professionals and other students may also give
useful insights.

Students should talk among themselves to decide which topics to have. They may also have the
webinar focus on a specific theme. Speakers may also suggest topics which they are more
comfortable with.

Time and Space Organizers can then plan to set a specific date, time and place to host the
webinar. Date and time should be the most important concern. Choose a date that will allow
adequate preparation for the organizers, speakers and participants. Avoid having it on or close to
popular holidays (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year, etc) or busy dates
(such as finals week at the end of semester). Have at least a week apart if you are planning to
host a series of webinars.
Include pre-session preparations in the schedules. Allow at least 15 minutes of orientation before
every session begins. Allow enough time for transition of speakers and breaks for organizers and
participants. Unlike computers organizers and participants need to eat and take bladder breaks
every once in a while.

Since webinars are not bound by geographic limitations, space should not be a big issue.
However, choose a location where you plan to host the event with fast and reliable Internet
access, power back-up in case of blackouts and back-up or support computers in case of
technical problems. Redundancies may prove to be helpful if anything goes wrong.

Speaker Selection Once the topics have been finalized, organizers can then look for speakers
who can share their expert views and opinions on the topics. Speakers must have enough
knowledge and/or experience on the topics to be presented. The students may opt to list down
two or more speakers for every topic just in case one is not available for the webinar. Schedule
speaker based on their time zone. Remember business/work hours, daytime and night-time
differences, and other culturally significant times (for prayer in Muslim countries).

Organize and Collaborate Organizing an event requires constant communication with other
organizers. Make sure that proper channels of communication are in place. Also assign point-
persons that can make important decisions on certain things—this is usually the faculty in-
charge. An online collaboration tool such as project management sites, wikis and e-mail groups.
Zoho, phpProject, Google Docs and other sites are available for free. Make sure to check these
site regularly for updates.

Chapter 2: Preparations

Invitations

1) Send invitations as early as possible. 2) You may use standard templates for inviting speaker,
participants and observers for the webinars. 3) Develop a feedback mechanism to make sure your
invitations are sent and read by the right people. E-mail confirmation and pre-registration
protocols must be in place. 4) Get as much contact information as possible such as mobile
number/s, business contact number/s, email, Skype/YM/GTalk IDs and such. Changes in the
invitation must also be sent and confirmed. 5) Speakers must be confirmed as early as possible to
allow adequate time for substitute speakers to prepare. Set protocols on alternate speaker and/or
topics in case a resource person backs out. 6) Include a consent form for recording and/or
downloading of presentation. Remember that the speaker may choose NOT to allow recording
and/or downloading of presentation due to copyright and other issues.

Technology and Technical Support

If anything can go wrong, chances are, it will go wrong.

1) Select your technology of choice for delivering the webinar. Combination of Skype and
Google Docs is by far the easiest to implement and requires minimum resources. Other options
include DimDim, Slideshare, MindMeister, Vyew, Zoho, Yuugma, Awcast, Vidiac, Stikam and
such. Skype plug-ins such as Mikogo also prove to be reliable and easy to use. 2) Make sure you
whatever technology you want to use before inviting speakers and participants to register before
the event. Include instructions to join the webinar in your invitation/ confirmation letters. 3)
Technical support must be in stand-by all the time. Have at least two technical personnel that
have experience in using you r preferred technologies. 4) Always have back-up computers,
cables, cameras, speakers and microphones in case malfunctions take place. Have at least one
secondary computer that is connected to the Internet which you can switch to within minutes if
your primary machine fails. 5) A parallel channel of communication should always be on
standby to provide feedback in case of problems.

Simulate

1) Set a day for live simulation. 2) Use exactly all the equipment that you intend to use on the
webinar. 3) Run-through protocols, and follow schedules that you intend to have for the real
thing. 4) You may also want to try contingency plans such as replacing webcams, computers and
switching network connections.

Follow-up

1) Make sure the speakers are reminded regularly. 2) Follow-up the speakers for their contact
information, slide presentations, software demo download (if necessary) at least one week before
the webinar. 3) Send reminder emails to participants, observers and other attendees as well.

Chapter 3: Coordinating Success 1-Hour Countdown

You are now one more step closer to a successful webinar. After planning and careful
preparation, it all boils down to the webinar date.

1) Start by arriving on the hosting location at least an hour early to prepare all equipment needed.
2) Do another live test for technologies that you will use—Internet connection, firewall
permissions, hardware compatibility and functioning, software integrity and website availability.
3) Review protocols and contingency plans.

Welcome Participants

1) Start allowing participants to join the webinar. 2) Do informal welcome and allow testing of
chat rooms and video and/or audio streaming. 3) Orient participants on house rules.

Prep Speaker

1) Contact first speaker at least 15 minutes before the session starts. 2) Use a parallel channel for
system test and orient speaker on house rules. 3) Allow the speaker to join the webinar 5 minutes
prior start of session and upload or have the speaker’s slide presentation available for viewing. 4)
Inform participants that the session will begin in 5 minutes.
Zero Hour

1) Remind everyone on the house rules. 2) Introduce the speaker to start the session. 3) Follow
protocols on conserving bandwidth (muting Skype audio, disabling background programs,
closing unnecessary browser windows). 4) Document the presentation properly by recording the
session (if the speaker allows). It is advised that you use a separate machine to do the recording
to preserve computer resources. Take note of key point and prepare questions for the speaker. 5)
Allow 15 minutes for the speaker to present the lecture. Remind the speaker on the time limits.
Prompt speaker 5 minutes and 2 minutes before the 15-minute presentation time is over. 6)
Allow 25-30 minutes for interaction between the speakers and participants. Moderate discussion
and prompt for last question 5 minutes before the Q and A ends. 7) Formally close the session by
summarizing the presentation and thanking the speaker and participants. 8) Allow participants to
chat while waiting for the next session to start. 9) Thank the speaker on the parallel channel and
send formal ‘Thank you’ email, post webinar evaluation/ feedback form and e-certificate of
appreciation.

Close Webinar

1) At the end of the last session, thank the participants for attending. 2) Send evaluation/
feedback forms 3) Remind participants of next session 4) Send e-certificate of attendance
together with a ‘Thank you’ email and reminder for next session

Post Mortem

1) Gather organizers for evaluation 2) Identify issues that took place throughout the webinar 3)
Identify areas-for-improvement 4) Document webinar evaluation for future reference 5) Send e-
certificates of completion to participants and ‘thank you’ email 6) Treat yourselves for a pizza
after a job well done!

REFERENCES:

University of the Philippines-College of Medicine

Master of Science in Health Informatics