Online Events – Online Education & Training Webinar Rules

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Webinar rules and etiquette is not particularly different from the rules of conduct for any meeting or presentation, but they do have a slight twist to accommodate the online media. There's nothing more annoying than attending an online presentation or meeting and not being able to get anything out of it because the presenter or fellow attendees are unprepared or unfamiliar with how to behave in a formal, online environment – A good webinar etiquette, like good online rules in general, keeps doors open to better communication, greater mutual respect, and greater efficiency. We have listed the most important rules of Webinar etiquette.

Mute yourself upon entry

The participants will be “muted” for voice-hearing during the presentations but will be able to provide questions via the “chat” mechanism on the online meeting software.

Do not close your session or log out during the seminar

you may leave any time in between but your re-login may not be connected as it may interrupt the system. You can log out after the event finishes. You may not ask personal questions or non-subject-related questions during the event.

Show up on time.

You may not disrupt the presentation by logging in late, but you may miss important information. " - Arriving on time prevents you from wasting additional time contacting the presenter after the fact to find out what you missed,”.

Turn off your webcam during the presentation

Nothing is more likely to elicit giggles than to have the presenter turn off their PowerPoint presentation and the software defaults to someone watching, unaware that his or her webcam running. Even if you are in listening mode, check that your webcam is off or cover the lens with post-it notes.

Wait your turn

Wait for your turn in a live setting, so you can see who has a question? or when a presenter is ready for an interruption?. In the webinar, especially when not everyone is on the webcam, you may need to rely on cues such as hand-raising icons or questions posted in chats.

Ask questions concisely

Webinars are focused; be sure your questions are, too. Avoid wasting time in lengthy introductions, and don't self-promote or spend a lot of time sharing your opinion before asking a question. If you have comments, ask yourself if they will help others before commenting. 

Public participants’ questions will be addressed during the “public comment periods” per schedule or get answered via email. The participants will be able to create a discussion and ask questions during a “discussion period” as mentioned in the schedule.

Don't use the chat room as your personal water cooler

Just like you would not stand in the back of the room gossiping with someone while a presenter was lecturing, refrain from using the chat room just to socialize.

Some of the side chats at our last conference became distractions," said while "Some comments are useful – a resource that pertained to the conversation, for example – but other times, people jumped in at every opportunity to make comments more appropriate to a conversation, not a presentation,".