The best webinar programs offer a variety of content and speakers to keep the audience engaged and coming back for more. Co-presenting with a partner or customer is an excellent way to boost your content output without having to produce a full presentation from scratch.

If you’re new to co-presenting (or even just trying to make your process more efficient), there are a few steps to go through in the preparation process, but arguably the most important are the dry runs before the live webinar.

Don’t be fooled. Even the most experienced presenters should do (at least) two dry runs. The first practice (held two weeks out) should help everyone get familiar with:

• Topics to cover. Establish the topics to cover in the webinar, and assign speakers to the specific sections they will be responsible for presenting.
• Introduction. Your moderator will own this section. Include basic information about the platform, such as how to access attachments, ask questions, and find the on-demand session. Tip: Add a poll at the beginning of the session to give people time to tune in and spur early engagement.
• Q&A. Decide if you will answer questions during the session and/or during Q&A at the end. The moderator should draft 3-5 questions per speaker to allow the audience time to form their questions if they are on the shy side. Have presenters approve them beforehand. Seed questions should enhance your session and fit your overall goals.
• Transitions. Avoid awkward fumbles by designating how you’re going to transition between presenters during the presentation. Determine if there are any gaps in the content and make a plan to fill them.
• Platform questions. Answer any remaining questions not covered in the platform training.
• Conclusion. Script a few final notes for the moderator to present at the end of the session. This often includes thank yous and reminders to the audience to download attachments, leave feedback, and share the webinar.

The second dry run should be held 2-3 days before the presentation as a final run through to smooth out any rough edges. If schedules are too busy, the moderator should meet with the two speakers separately.

After completing these two dry runs, there are a few more bases to cover before and after the live day. To learn more, download our guide: Co-Presenting Webinars: Your Ultimate Guide to Partner Presentations.

‍