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Creating Winning Web-Based Meetings and Training Events
The benefit of hosting web-based meetings and training programs is to deliver a cost effective solution for collaborating and sharing information with participants across geographical distances. The challenge is to make sure that the meeting is engaging and effective, particularly when there are large numbers of participants. Here are a few strategies for maximizing the impact and benefit of web based meetings and training programs.
Hosting a Web Meeting?
Here are some challenges and tips...
Challenges with web-based meetings can include:
- Keeping the meeting focused.
- Receiving valuable input from all participants.
If you are the meeting organizer, here are some tips for managing these issues and ensuring that your web-based meetings are targeted and effective:
- Send out an agenda ahead of time. Include participants' names, roles, topics to be covered, time allotments and objectives.
- Assign someone to take minutes and document commitments and follow up items.
- Test your meeting ahead of time. Launch your web meeting application and test your phone or headset sound with a colleague.
- Start your meeting 10-15 minutes ahead of time. Greet all participants as they enter.
- Begin immediately at the starting time.
- Keep to your agenda. Invite participants to speak as assigned and solicit feedback.
- Stay to the allotted time frame and schedule follow-up meetings as required.
Better Web-Based Training
Web-based training, while similar to hosting a meeting, has additional challenges. Here are some issues you may encounter and ways to minimize these barriers and achieve results.
Challenges may include:
- Large number of participants. Soliciting "silent" feedback.
- Ensuring training objectives are met.
- Resolving technical issues.
If you are the training facilitator, here are some tips for
making sure that your training objectives are met.
- Create and confirm the training agenda. Include time allocations for topics, etc.
- Prepare. Test. Adjust. Test. Adjust. Repeat. - Don't "wing" the class, even if you have expertise in the subject.
- Provide participants with handouts or training guides ahead of time.
- Test all systems, headsets, remote screens, etc. a few days before the class.
- Have technical support on hand during the training to provide quick resolution to problems.
- Incorporate activities that engage participants such as polls, providing feedback on chat windows, team games, quizzes, learning checks, etc.
- Use a "radio voice" to ensure that you are appealing to the listeners.
- Set housekeeping guidelines from the beginning - mute partipants, using chat versus verbal questions, etc.
- Establish breaks and keep to your agenda.
- Continually seek and validate learning.
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for the following upcoming conferences:
Tacoma, WA
September 7-8, 2017
Held in partnership with the Writing Studies Department at the University of Washington, the conference will focus on careers & management, content & design, and tools & technologies.
The LavaCon Conference: 2017 Content Strategy Conference: Spanning Silos, Building Bridges
Portland, OR
November 5-8, 2017
A gathering place for content strategists, content engineers, documentation managers, and other content professionals.
Las Vegas, NV
March 20-22, 2018
Content Strategy event for marketing and communications professionals. Learn how to scale content, leverage the technology, repurpose and reuse content, and deliver to the right person at the right time regardless of the device.
San Diego, CA
May 6-9, 2018
Obtain knowledge, strategies, and solutions for retaining top talent and designing, implementing and measuring learning programs. Over 10,000 attendees, 400 speakers and 300 sessions.
Orlando, FL
May 20-23, 2018
Provides technical communications professionals with insight into future trends of the profession through education sessions and networking. The conference attracts 600 attendees and 40 exhibitors.
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