Webinar Run of Show Template

Why a webinar needs a run of show

A webinar feels simple because it is one session, which is why teams underplan it. The common failures are the same each time: a start that drifts, a presenter who talks too long, a poll nobody opened, a Q&A with five minutes left and a recording that stops too early. A written run of show makes each of these a line with a time next to it.

It also helps when more than one person is involved. The host, the speaker and the person running the technology each need to know the same plan, and a shared document replaces the question in the chat at the worst moment: who is sharing the next slide?

A 60-minute webinar run of show

This table is a model. Adjust the times to the length of your webinar, but keep the structure: a room that opens early, a short welcome, the content in blocks, time for questions and a clear close.

A webinar run of show template to copy

Copy the text below into a shared document. Fill in the times, names and the exact words of any lines that must be said, such as sponsor mentions.

WEBINAR RUN OF SHOW
Title: [Webinar title]   Date: [Date]   Start: [Time, time zone]   Length: [Minutes]
Platform: [Name]   Join link for attendees: [URL]   Backup link: [URL]
Recording: [Yes / No]   Recording owner: [Name]

TEAM
Producer: [Name, phone]   Host: [Name]   Speaker(s): [Names]
Technical support: [Name]   Chat and Q&A: [Name]
Backup speaker or content: [Name or file]

BEFORE
[Time]  Team joins, tests audio, video, slides, recording, polls
[Time]  Doors open, holding slide live
[Time]  Host and speaker confirm mics and cameras

SHOW
[Time]  [Length]  WELCOME    Who: [Host]   Say: [Welcome, topic, how to ask, recording note]
[Time]  [Length]  INTRO      Who: [Host]   Say: [Speaker intro, agenda]
[Time]  [Length]  BLOCK 1    Who: [Speaker]   Slides: [Numbers]   Cue: [Producer advances]
[Time]  [Length]  POLL       Who: [Host]   Question: [Text]   Options: [A / B / C]
[Time]  [Length]  BLOCK 2    Who: [Speaker]   Slides: [Numbers]   Demo: [Yes / No]
[Time]  [Length]  Q&A        Who: [Host and speaker]   Rule: [Questions via chat or Q&A tool; unanswered ones answered by email]
[Time]  [Length]  SUMMARY    Who: [Speaker]   Say: [Three takeaways and one next step]
[Time]  [Length]  CLOSE      Who: [Host]   Say: [Thanks, recording, survey link]

IF SOMETHING FAILS
Speaker cannot be heard: [Host fills with a question from the list; producer calls the speaker]
Slides do not load: [Producer shares the backup file; speaker continues]
Connection drops: [Host reads questions; speaker returns; backup speaker takes over after [minutes]]
Platform down: [Message on email and social with new time or backup link; owner: [Name]]

AFTER
[ ] Recording saved and named
[ ] Thank-you and recording sent within [24 hours]
[ ] Questions not answered live collected and answered
[ ] Debrief held; notes saved

Who does what on the day

A webinar needs fewer people than a conference, but it still needs these jobs. One person can hold two of them, as long as the two do not need attention at the same moment.

• Host

  Welcomes people, introduces the speaker, keeps time, reads the questions and closes. Speaks to the audience, not the slides.

• Speaker

  Delivers the content, stays inside the time and answers the questions the host picks.

• Producer

  Owns the run of show and the clock. Calls changes, runs the polls and decides when something goes to the backup plan.

• Technical support

  Watches audio, video and the recording, and fixes connection problems for speakers and attendees.

• Chat and Q&A manager

  Reads the chat, sorts questions, removes spam and passes the best questions to the host in order.

The tech check

Do the tech check at least a day before and again on the day. It takes less time than the problems it prevents.

1. 1

   Join as every speaker would

   Use the device, headset and network the speaker will use. A new laptop on the day is the most common cause of a technical problem.

2. 2

   Test audio first

   Listen to each microphone. Use a headset or a good external microphone, and turn off notifications.

3. 3

   Test video and lighting

   Face a window or a lamp, with a plain background. Check that the speaker's face is clear on the stream.

4. 4

   Share slides from the producer's machine

   Have the producer advance the slides if you can, or at least have a backup copy ready to share.

5. 5

   Test the polls and Q&A

   Open and close a poll and submit a test question, so that the first live use is not the first use.

6. 6

   Test the recording

   Record a short clip and watch it back to be sure it has sound, video and slides.

7. 7

   Test the attendee view

   Join from a second device as an attendee and check what they see and hear.

Handling questions during a webinar

Questions make a webinar a conversation, and they are where it is most likely to go off plan. Give the process a name and a person.

Eventdex's live Q&A widget is built for session questions: attendees choose the session and submit, they can ask anonymously, moderators decide which questions to publish, sort them by recency, popularity or their own order, and attendees can upvote. Organizers and speakers can export every submitted question afterward. The virtual event platform page also describes live Q&A and audience polls in a webinar session.

• Tell people how to ask

  In the welcome, say where to type and when answers will happen. Attendees will wait if they know a time is set.

• Use one place for questions

  Keep questions out of the general chat, where they are lost. One queue and one person reading it keeps order.

  Live event Q&A widget

• Group similar questions

  The Q&A manager combines duplicates and sends the best to the host, with a note to read anonymous ones without a name.

• Keep a few seed questions

  Have two or three prepared in case the queue is empty, and use them to start the Q&A.

• Answer what you could not reach

  Say at the start that unanswered questions will be answered by email or in a follow-up, and then do it.

The backup plan

Webinars fail in a few predictable ways. Decide the answer to each before you start, and put it in the run of show.

Running a webinar on Eventdex

Eventdex's pages describe webinars as one of the formats on its virtual event platform. What the pages state is below. Anything beyond this, such as a webinar-only product or its own run of show tool, is not described.

• Webinars, workshops and panels

  The virtual meeting app is described as conducting workshops, panel discussions and webinars with breakout room designs and live streaming.

  Virtual event platform

• Speaker stream and chat

  Speakers and panelists stream from the platform and connect with attendees through audio, video, chat and Q&A.

  Virtual event platform

• Recording and replays

  The virtual platform page lists "Record Meetings and Share Screen", and the hybrid page describes uploading recordings so participants and no-shows can rewatch sessions. The pages do not say a webinar is recorded automatically.

  Hybrid event platform