How to confirm webinar speakers and panelists on WhatsApp
Send each speaker one short WhatsApp message that gives their slot time with the time zone, the time to join for the tech check, their topic and any AV needs, and asks for a one-word confirmation. Send a clear change message the moment anything moves, and a short reminder the day before with the link and the arrive-by time.
By Junaid Siddiqui, founder of Avently · Updated 14 October 2026
What to confirm with every speaker
Speakers and organisers both name slow communication as a sore point. In one survey of 340 organisers and 378 speakers, 16% of speakers and 14% of planners cited a lack of timely communication (PCMA). A single confirmation that holds every detail saves most of the back-and-forth.
- Slot time and time zone.“7:15 pm Eastern”, not “7:15”. If the speaker is elsewhere, add their local time.
- Arrive-by or tech-check time. One time for the whole panel, set early enough to test audio, video and screen sharing.
- Topic and length.The session title as it will appear, and how long they have: “12 minutes, then questions”.
- Where. The speaker link for a webinar, which is often different from the attendee link, or the room for an in-person panel.
- AV needs. Slides, screen sharing, a video clip, a lapel mic, a clicker. Ask now, not on the night.
- Who to contact on the day. A name and a number that will be answered in the hour before the start.
The confirmation message
Keep it short enough to read on a phone between patients, and end with a question they can answer in one word.
Webinar speaker
Hi Dr Mensah, thank you for joining our residency interview webinar on Thursday 12 November. Your talk, “What program directors look for”, is at 7:15 pm Eastern, 12 minutes plus questions. Please join the speaker link by 6:45 pm Eastern for a sound and screen-share check. Will you be sharing slides? Could you reply “confirmed” so we can finalise the program?
In-person panelist
Hi Dr Chen, looking forward to the careers panel on Saturday 14 November at the community hall. The panel starts at 6:15 pm; please arrive by 5:45 pm to meet the moderator and test the mics. No slides needed. Can you confirm this works for you?
The change message
When a time moves, send a new message rather than an edit buried in an old thread. Lead with the change, give the new arrive-by time too, and ask them to confirm again. An unconfirmed change is not a change.
Hi Dr Mensah, a change to the webinar on Thursday 12 November: your talk now starts at 7:30 pm Eastern (was 7:15), so please join by 7 pm for the check. Everything else stays the same. Does the new time still work for you?
When a panelist needs another time
It happens on every panel: a clinic runs late, a flight moves, a call clashes. Handle it in the same order each time.
- Ask for their windows, not a yes or no.“What times on the 12th would work?” gets you options to work with.
- Check with the moderator before offering anything, so you only offer a slot you can keep.
- Offer one specific slot with its arrive-by time, and ask them to confirm it.
- Tell anyone else who moves.A swap changes two speakers’ slots. Both get a change message.
- Update the record the same day. The committee should be able to see who is confirmed for which slot without asking you.
If several volunteers are recruiting for the same panel, agree who owns each speaker first; see how to stop two volunteers contacting the same speaker.
The day-before message
A short message the day before catches the speaker who confirmed three weeks ago and has since lost the link. Repeat only what they need on the day.
Hi Dr Mensah, looking forward to tomorrow. Your talk is at 7:15 pm Eastern, and the speaker link is below. Please join by 6:45 pm for the check. If anything comes up, call or message Leila on this number. See you then 👋
For reminder wording for guests rather than speakers, see RSVP reminder messages.
Time-zone pitfalls
- A time without a zone.“7 pm” means different things to a panel spread across Canada. Write the zone every time.
- The date as well as the hour. 7 pm Eastern on Thursday 12 November is midnight in London, already Friday 13 November. Give a speaker in London their own date and time.
- The week the clocks change. The UK puts its clocks back on 25 October 2026 (GOV.UK), and the US on 1 November (NIST). For the week in between, noon in New York is 4 pm in London, not the usual 5 pm.
- Not every place changes.Some regions keep the same time all year. Check the speaker’s own city rather than assuming.
- Calendar invites that shift.If you send a calendar invite too, check that it shows the same time as your message in the speaker’s zone.
Keep one record the committee can see
Speaker decisions are rarely one person’s: nearly seven in ten planners say two to five people at their organisation are involved in choosing speakers (PCMA). Everyone involved should be able to see where each speaker stands without scrolling back through your chats.
One row per speaker is enough: name, slot time, arrive-by time, status (asked, confirmed, needs another time, declined), AV needs, and the date of the last message. Update it when a reply arrives, not at the end of the week. For a layout that works, see how to track RSVPs in a Google Sheet.
How this works in Avently
Avently’s panel events send the confirmation and the change message for you, and keep each panelist’s slot in your guest list.
- Step 01
Choose a panel event when you create it
The guest list has four columns: the panelist’s name, phone number, slot time and arrive-by time.
- Step 02
Each panelist gets their slot with two buttons
Avently sends every panelist a WhatsApp message with their slot time and arrive-by time, and two buttons: “Yes, confirmed” and “Need another time”. A panelist who needs another time replies with the time they would prefer, and Avently saves it.
- Step 03
Move a slot from the event page
Your event dashboard lists every panelist with a Move slot button. You pick the new time, Avently messages the panelist the new time to confirm, and updates the slot time in your guest list.
- Step 04
US panelists get it too
Panel messages reach US numbers as well as Canadian ones. Panel events have no reminders, so send the day-before message yourself.
Common questions
How do I confirm a speaker for a webinar?
Send one short message with the date, their slot time and time zone, the time to join for the tech check, their topic, and what they need to bring, then ask for a one-word reply. Record the confirmation next to their name, and send a new message if anything changes.
What should a speaker confirmation message include?
The event name and date, their slot time with the time zone written out, an arrive-by or tech-check time, the topic or session title, the join link or venue, any AV needs such as slides or screen sharing, and who to contact on the day. End with a direct question they can answer in one word.
How early should speakers join a webinar?
Early enough to test audio, video and screen sharing, and to meet the moderator before attendees arrive. Thirty minutes is a sensible default. Pick one arrive-by time per panel and put it in every message, so no speaker has to work it out.
How do I handle time zones with international speakers?
Write every time with its zone, and add the speaker’s own local time when it differs: “7 pm Eastern (midnight in London)”. Check dates as well as hours, because an evening session in North America falls on the next day in Europe, and check the week when clocks change, since not every country changes on the same day.
What if a panelist needs a different time slot?
Ask for the times that work for them, check the options with the moderator, then send one message with the new slot and the new arrive-by time and ask them to confirm it. Tell any other panelist whose slot moves as a result, and update your record the same day.
Can I confirm US speakers on WhatsApp?
With Avently’s panel events, yes. The slot confirmation is a different kind of WhatsApp message from an invitation, and it reaches US numbers. Avently’s event invitations are a different category and do not reach US numbers.
Avently sends each panelist their slot and arrive-by time on WhatsApp, collects “Yes, confirmed” or “Need another time”, and messages them when you move a slot.
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