What is a webinar and does it hurt?

It's easy to feel like the train is constantly leaving the technology station without you. In a world where convergence, interoperability and new media have moved from buzz words to the general lexicon, staying on top of the latest technologies is a real challenge - even for a person working in the industry - and, like me, writing about technology.

I'm constantly scanning the net for the latest podcasts, current technology news delivered via RSS and reading blogs. It can easily feel all-consuming. Enter the webinar.

I don't know about you, but my learning style changes based on content, urgency and my present state of mind. When I'm feeling like I just can scan another blog or navigate another labyrinthine news site - I start looking for ways to learn that "push" the information to me in nice, focused chunks. I've discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that I like to learn via webinars. A webinar is a web-based seminar. You log into a web site, dial a toll-free number for an accompanying audio track delivered via conference call, and kick back and learn.

The best webinars won't let my attention stray either. New tools allow hosts to "see" your activity (they can monitor whether you've got the webinar app in front or whether you've strayed off) and they constantly ask questions (polls) to keep people attentive.

I've attended webinars on topics as mundane as "Windows Vista Security" to as exciting as "Apple's iPhone - The Next Toaster". I like the fact that I can hear experts in the field speaking and that I can read at the same time - and I can do it all while in my comfy jeans and t-shirt - no suit and tie.

From consumer to producer

Ever the glutton for stress-based learning, I signed on with my friends at ISTE to present, then host, a new webinar series aimed at sharing new and emerging technologies with educators. The series, entitled "Technology in Practice" offered me an opportunity to get behind-the-scenes with the webinar tools, and experience what it was like to present.

Now I've got a bunch of webinars under my belt. I've learned much. My old "For Dummies author" kicks and and I'd like to offer my TOP TEN TIPS for conducting an effective and exciting webinar of your own.

Top 10 Webinar Tips

Plan
Like creating a lesson plan for your class, having a plan for what you’ll cover in your webinar is essential. Take the time to break the time down into blocks of content and make an outline about what you’ll cover and approximately how much time you’ll spend on each issue. You probably don’t need a script (you don’t want to sound like you’re reading), but a detailed outline can help you be more comfortable and ensure you reach your content objectives.

Speak slowly
People speak more quickly when they’re nervous, or feel like they’re under time pressure. Speaking too quickly is the most frequent mistake made when delivering webinar content. So, speak at your regular rate (unless you’re an auctioneer) and take a breath now and then. Practice a bit on an audio recorder so you can hear how fast you’re speaking and slow down!

Relax
You know what you’re talking about. Your audience is eager to hear your nuggets of wisdom. There’s every reason for you to be comfortable speaking to the “online class”. It’s just like teaching – only the smiling faces are hundreds of miles away.

Create a reasonable, concise and relevant presentation
The presentation both serves as an organizer for your topic and a way to share graphical and textual information with your audience. The presentation should be long on content and short on words, visually interesting (read: use illustrations where they are appropriate) and flow well. You should use a template to ensure your slides follow similar look and feel. You should also plan no more than 1 slide for every 2 minutes of presentation time. This'll help you keep focused. If you're a "rapid speaker", you might be able to squeeze that time a bit.

Mix it up (flow)
Nobody wants to hear anyone drone on for an hour on any topic. With webinars, the attention span is very short since you’re not physically in the room with the attendees. That means you should mix-up your delivery – interacting with the host, and offering “interspersed organizational hints”, like “That’s the story on finding podcasts, now I’ll talk a bit about creating your own podcasts”.

Poll
Webinar systems allow you to create an interactive online poll. This helps you find out more about your audience, and, more importantly, keep them engaged. Prepare you poll questions in advance (the system requires it) and use them judiciously. Create a few questions that can be used to break the flow, and a few to be used to check audience attention or knowledge of your topic. Stay away from poll questions that don’t relate to your topic. Stay way from poll questions that are sarcastic or provocative. You’ll be glad you did.

Practice
It’s strange to sit at your phone and talk to a bunch of strangers. It’s a good idea to practice by creating an outline and working with your host to try out some of your ideas via phone – just like you’ll be doing when you conduct the webinar. A telephone headset helps a HUGE amount – as it cuts background noise and leaves your hands free to type (you can chat with the host while you’re talking- behind the scenes, via the Webinar engine’s chat feature).

Know how to mange the interface
With some webinars, you’ll have the luxury of a knowledgeable host and support staff who will control the technical issues – including muting or unmuting participants, managing the poll questions, keep you on track if you go on too long, or help you fill silence if you need help. If you're on your own, though, you'll need to learn how to do these things (less complicated than they sound). If you CAN corral a friend or colleague to host, though, things will feel like they flow more smoothly.

Know your audience
As with any instructional method, you should know your audience. With most educational technology webinars, your audience tends to be highly aware of technology in general, but not necessary the specifics of the technologies you’re addressing. Structure your Powerpoint presentation in a way that speaks at the educational level of your audience and doesn’t assume, as with your classroom, that all learners are at the same educational level about your topic.

Be enthusiastic
Don’t be afraid to “turn up the dial” on enthusiasm when you are presenting. Think “revival” and not “school announcements over the PA system”. The more animated you are in your speech, the better attention you’ll get and the better reaction your audience will have to your presentation.

Off to plan the next webinar!

Cheers,
Bard