Conducting Effective Webinars

Webinars are seminars conducted using the Internet. To attend, participants just need an Internet connection. To present, facilitators use web-conferencing software, such as Live Meeting, Go To Meeting or WebEx and their presentation, for example PowerPoint slides, to provide information and instruction.

Presenting in a Virtual Environment

There is no visual contact with the audience, which can be a challenge for an isolated presenter. To create a viral impact using webinars, first conduct a live event and use the tips provided by Toastmasters.org to engage people in the audience. Learn what generates a reaction from this exercise. Then, practice, practice, practice. A broadcast television-quality performance requires you to script out what you want to say and rehearse. Using a tool such as Brainshark, you can record your voice with your presentation and practice your delivery. Avoid reading your script because this makes it boring for your audience. Don’t worry. You can develop the skills to deliver a good speech. For example, learn how to present effectively by watching a webinar such as Ten Tips Every Webinar Presenter Needs To Know. And, you can learn how to teach online courses by taking free training, for example, the Teaching Online course prepares you to deliver training over the Internet. With this type of skill and knowledge, you’ll be able to:

• Know when to pause.
• Emphasize the right words.
• Identify lists for your listener by inflection in your voice.
• Speak slowly and smoothly.
• Use gestures, even when you aren’t seen, because it allows you to replicate a classroom environment.
• Stand up at your desk to help yourself project more effectively.
• Use descriptive words.

Interacting with Your Audience

Ask questions, use polls and surveys and ensure that your audience knows how to interact with the web conferencing software. This checks that your participants are really following along and understand the learning objectives, material covered, examples given and actions they need to take to practice what they’ve learned.

Facilitating Online Learning

• To deliver online training, you need to create course materials that address participants’ needs. You also need to supplement online lectures with other connections. For example, use social media technology to create a wiki, blog or forum.These mechanisms allow the participants to work together on online study sessions.
• Use platforms such as Moodle, Blackboard, Edmodo, Canvas and Ning to connect with your participants and allow them to connect with each other. According to the Human Resources department at Princeton University, 70% of learning comes from our experiences in life and on the job. 20% comes from mentoring and coaching received from managers, mentors and coaches. Only 10% is derived from formal training, such as workshops, seminars and courses.
• Encourage sharing. For example, encourage participants to create personal learning environments, using tools such as Mahara to store and manage content in an electronic portfolio. Advise learners to use tools such as Google Docs to collaborate on documents.
• Record demonstrations using free online tools such as CamStudio.

Effective webinar presenter training involves ensuring that the instructor can use the technology effectively, speak clearly and handle infrastructure problems in a timely manner. Often, successful presentations require the participation of more than one instructor to make sure that technical difficulties experienced by one or more participants do not impact the experience for the majority of the learners.

Resource: Rudestam, Kjell Erik, and Judith Read. Handbook of online learning: innovations in higher education and corporate training. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. Print.