This is a guest post by Rich Feinstein, CEO extraordinaire at CommPartners, a company that provides webinar, e-learning and virtual conferencing services. I'm going to take this opportunity to let you know that we've joined forces with CommPartners to work on some really exciting projects incorporating social media and community building into educational events. I can't wait to tell you more about it but you'll have to just watch this space! Thank you to Rich for this guest post.
I recently read a post on the Midcourse Corrections Blog authored by Jeff Hurt titled Virtual Event Strategies for 2011. A particular quote caught my attention. In making a case that pure virtual events still have limited value, Jeff stated
"Most webinars stink. I can count the good ones I've experienced on one hand".
Given our business is producing online events, it got me thinking, are the webinars we are producing today similar to the ones we produced years ago? What changes are there? What have we learned? I came to the conclusion that they are similar, with the exception of the tools being more advanced and people have a bit more experience doing them. Many people would agree with Jeff that the format leaves a bit to be desired. So this begs the question, how can we make the webinar a more valuable educational option? How can we bridge the distance more effectively? If we are asking attendees to participate in a real time session, shouldn't they have ample opportunity to engage each other so ideas are generated through peer discussion?
This year holds the promise of dramatic changes in the way webinars are planned and executed. Adaptation of social media is influencing organizations to be more open and transparent. I believe this will be extended to real time, online knowledge sharing opportunities.
In speaking to our Event Production Team this week, they told me 90 % of clients do not open their Q & A or chat areas for attendees so they can view each other's comments. Most remain comfortable with a lecture format and have little interaction. The thought keeps coming into my head: why can't these sessions be more like onsite learning labs where the greatest value in many cases is generated through engaging discussion? So I came up with some thoughts on how to make webinars more rewarding learning experiences:
1. Stimulate interest with a pre webinar blog post asking for opinions and questions leading up to the event. By building community around your content before the session, attendees will have more familiarity with the group and have a greater expectation that this will be a collaborative opportunity and be more likely to participate.
2. Include periods of interaction in your presentation asking attendees to share their thoughts about a particular scenario or experience. Draw those thoughts into your presentation. I will often include a question under the title of a "Chat Slide" to indicate it's time for the attendees to share their opinions. I open up the dialogue to everyone so attendees can see comments and respond. I will often have several chat slides in the presentation. It is important to direct support questions elsewhere so they do not take away from the discussion. I find attendees enjoy responding to each other and sharing idea and experiences.
3. Have a co-host provide commentary and pull in contributions. While you are presenting, he or she can integrate audience comments to make the program more interactive. Having multiple voices often creates energy and takes the pressure off of the presenter. Presenting to an empty room is not a natural way to connect with an audience. Having a co presenter that responds can create a more comfortable session flow.
4. Consider breakout groups similar to onsite learning labs. Have time reserved for attendees to meet in smaller numbers and then reconvene asking for each group to make a presentation. Several webinar platforms now support this feature.
5. Create a multi session program that includes self paced exercises and opportunities for interaction between webinars. Have an enrolment that limits the number of participants to ensure ample opportunity for everyone to feel comfortable and have a sense of community and engagement around course content.
6. Create a community of webinar participants. Provide unique benefits to this group. Have them get to know each other so they look forward to participating in a collegial way. Familiarity supports a willingness to collaborate with colleagues in real time.
If we agree that the learning pendulum is shifting from the podium to the community, the time may be right to try new tactics for your webinars that can create more dynamic knowledge sharing opportunities.
Do you agree? Have you tried any of these tactics? What are you finding works best for engaging webinar attendees?