Every webinar host hopes that his event will have no delays or complaints. But practically, almost every speaker and webinar organizer, including you, have seen messages from participants such as: “no sound”, “sound disappeared”, “where is the video”, “I do not see the lecturer”, “when is the webinar”, “lost sound and video”, “lost sound” and the like.

Of course, this is not ideal, especially if the host has not even started the broadcast yet.

A webinar host most likely carefully prepares for an event, collecting material, designing a presentation, and so on. Of course, he wants each participant to come out of the event with a smooth experience. But the internet is not always on board.

So what do you do if the participants complain?

Firstly, don’t panic. Technical problems at a webinar, although unpleasant, are almost inevitable. This is not your fault. For a webinar to be flawless, all presenters and participants must have reliable internet — preferably 10 Mbps or higher (the more, the better is the principle here). You also need the latest version of the browser, a licensed updated Windows or macOS, and a powerful computer, preferably purchased not more than a few years ago.

This is rarely the case; in reality, people watch webinars on the subway, tram, at a bus stop, under a bridge, or while driving, all places where the internet is, by definition, unstable. They may also not have the updated operating system or browser or a computer that is not ancient.

In addition, the human factor is also involved. Participants in your webinars may be far from confident gadgets. Things like the browser, browser string, connection stability and speed, and so on can be difficult for them to understand. Whatever it is that causes the bad audio or video quality, the participant will be dissatisfied.

But with all of the above, even in imperfect conditions, participants with complaints. To do this, you can give them some recommendations.

Make sure the webinar has already started

If the webinar does not have sound and video, then it has likely not started yet. Often, the webinar begins 5 — 10 minutes later than the scheduled time so that all participants have time to join the broadcast.

When a presenter speaks at a webinar, the corresponding window appears in the webinar room.

If there is no window, and the screen says “wait for the presenter to turn on”, then the webinar has not started yet. Wait for the broadcast to start.

Check if the sound is turned on your device

This is especially true for mobile devices, where many people prefer the silent mode.

To check if the audio on the device is turned on, open any video or audio file. If there is no sound, check the system’s volume, connect a headset or speakers.

Home computers may lack not only speakers but even a sound card. This means that it will be impossible for their users to hear the webinar.

How to Make Webinars More Interactive

Unload your internet connection

Webinars require high-speed internet. Most of the technical problems on a webinar arise precisely from its absence. For example, you cannot have a good webinar experience if, in the next room, a husband, brother, grandmother, a cat is watching TV with IPTV, and the son at this time pulls CS: GO from torrents.…

So what can you do to improve the internet? We have written about this in a separate article, but here are the main points.

Pause all downloads from the internet and close all unnecessary browser tabs.

Get as close to the modem as possible so that there are no walls between you and the router.

Connect the internet, not via Wi-Fi but a cord.

Disconnect devices that you are not using at the moment from the internet.

Ask your family not to overload the internet during the webinar, especially if it is very necessary for you.

Change your browser

If the presenter is still not visible or audible, but other participants do not complain about the lack of sound and video in the chat, then a simple solution would be to change the browser.

On computers, we recommend using the Google Chrome browser that’s updated to the latest version. On mobile devices, it is best to use the browsers Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox for Android devices and Safari for iOS.

Unload your computer

If the computer is not very powerful or is loaded with many open programs and tabs in the browser, then this can affect the quality of the webinar. Therefore, disable all programs that you are not currently using. This is especially true for programs that start automatically after turning on the computer: Skype, Viber, Zoom, Torrent, etc. Send instructions before the webinar.

Send an instruction

As a host, you could ease things by helping your attendees figure out how to participate in the webinar. Attach a link to the participant’s instructions in the invitation letter. Then, tell them how to contact you or technical support.

In extreme cases, advise the participant to change the computer and even the place of participation.

What if the participant is too busy / does not want to understand?

It is still worth explaining that a webinar requires certain equipment and good internet, no matter the circumstances. There are no exceptions. If possible, ask that member to contact MyOwnConference support for help.

We can help solve the technical problems of participants on an individual basis. To do this, the participant needs to write to us in the online chat or email support@myownconference.com.