Running a useful workshop or webinar

This guide is for anyone at a small charity planning a training, information session or webinar: teaching volunteers, explaining a service to the community, or sharing your skills with other charities through the Exchange. You don't need a production team. After reading, you will be able to plan a focused session, make it accessible, handle recording and consent properly, and follow up so people actually use what they learned.

Start with one clear goal

Before you book a date or make a slide, finish this sentence:

"By the end of this session, people will be able to ______."

Hypothetical examples:

• "...use our new volunteer scheduling app to sign up for shifts."
• "...know which of our services they qualify for and how to apply."
• "...write a first draft of a simple grant budget."

If you have three goals, you probably have three sessions. A short session that does one thing well is better than a long one that tries to do everything.

Who is it for?

Think about your audience:

• What do they already know? What words might be new to them?
• What devices will they use? Many people join online sessions from a phone.
• What time of day suits them? Working parents, shift workers and older adults may have very different needs.
• Do they need another language, captions, or other access support?

Ask a couple of people from your audience before you plan. It takes ten minutes and prevents a lot of wasted effort.

Online, in person, or both?

• Online sessions are easier to attend and cheaper to run. Engagement can be harder.
• In person sessions build relationships and suit hands-on skills. Travel, childcare and building access can be barriers.
• Hybrid (both at once) sounds ideal but is the hardest to do well. If you are new to this, pick one.

A simple agenda

For a 60-minute online session:

Keep talking segments short, around 10 to 15 minutes, then do something different: a question, a poll, a short activity. People's attention wanders, especially online.

Make it accessible from the start

Accessibility means everyone can take part, including people with disabilities. The W3C, which develops web accessibility standards, publishes a free guide to making presentations accessible. Key points:

Captions

Captions are a text version of what is said and other important sounds, shown in time with the audio. The W3C notes that captions provide content to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and are also used by people who process written information better than audio.

• Turn on your video platform's captions, and check how accurate they are before the session.
• For important or larger events, consider a human captioner, who is usually more accurate than automatic captions.
• Speak clearly, one person at a time, and say names before speaking in discussions.

Slides and materials

• Use large text, few words per slide, and strong contrast between text and background. The international accessibility guidelines ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text.
• Describe what's on your slides out loud. The W3C suggests describing important visual information, so people who can't see the slides don't miss it.
• Share slides or handouts in advance or right after, in an accessible format with real headings and alt text (short written descriptions) for images.
• Don't rely on color alone to show meaning.

Ask, then provide

In the registration form, ask: "Is there anything we can do to help you take part fully?" Then follow up. Common requests include sign language interpretation, materials in advance, or a different language.

Recording and consent

Recording a session lets people who missed it catch up. But it also captures people's faces, voices, names and sometimes personal stories.

Good practice:

• Say it in the invitation: "This session will be recorded and shared with registered participants."
• Say it again at the start, before you press record.
• Offer options: people can turn off their camera, change their display name, or ask questions by private message.
• Pause recording for personal discussions or breakout rooms.
• Don't share recordings where people have shared personal stories, unless everyone involved agrees.
• Decide where it will live and for how long, and who can see it.
• Edit out anything sensitive before sharing.

If people under 18 will attend, you need a parent or guardian's consent to record them, and you should think hard about whether to record at all.

Running the session

• Arrive early. Log in 15 minutes ahead to test sound, screen sharing and captions.
• Have a co-host. One person presents, the other watches the chat, admits people, helps with tech problems, and handles disruptions.
• Set expectations: how to ask questions, whether cameras are optional, when the breaks are.
• Protect the room. Use registration links and waiting rooms for online sessions, and know how to remove a disruptive participant.
• Check in often: "What questions do you have so far?" (not "Any questions?", which usually gets silence).

After the session

• Send a thank-you email within a day with slides, resources, and the recording if you made one.
• Include a short feedback form: three to five questions, including "What will you do differently after this session?"
• Answer any questions you couldn't get to.
• Note what to change next time.

Your workshop checklist

• Write one clear goal for the session
• Ask two people from your audience what they need
• Choose online or in person, and pick a suitable time
• Build a simple agenda with short chunks and interaction
• Make slides readable, with high contrast and alt text
• Turn on and test captions
• Ask about access needs when people register
• Tell people about recording in the invitation and at the start
• Line up a co-host
• Send a follow-up with resources and a short feedback form

A good session respects people's time and leaves them able to do something new. Keep it focused, make it welcoming for everyone, and follow up.

If you want to practice your session with an audience, or share your skills with other charities, ask a member charity for help through the Exchange.