Six Alternatives to a Webinar

Webinars are powerful tools for promoting your business and delivering educational material. They provide a combination of visuals, voice and audience interaction in a very flexible way, which makes them ideal for a number of message management situations. However, there are some situations where other delivery methods are more suitable and more effective.

Recorded Presentation

If you're not intending to engage your audience actively in your presentation, record it and publish it using Slideshare, AuthorStream or other similar tools. This means people can watch it whenever they wish (and whenever they stumble across it) and at their own pace.
Of course, even a recorded presentation should be engaging (for example, with strong visuals, good stories, an interesting voice), but you might not plan to actively engage your audience (for example, with Q&A time, live demos, and calling on volunteers). These are the presentations that might be better as recordings.

Slide Show

Some topics can be presented with a stand-alone slide show, without any audio (that is, your voice) at all. In this case, again you can use Slideshare or AuthorStream rather than conducting a webinar.
Of course, a webinar allows you to say more and actively engage your audience, but sometimes the simple slide show is better. People read much faster than you can talk, so if you don't need to talk much, your audience can get through the information much faster.

Video Conference

A webinar generally involves a presentation, where the audience sees the presenter's slides and hears the presenter's voice, but doesn't see each other, and sometimes doesn't even see the presenter. However, there might be times when you do want the audience members to see each other, in which case a video conference will be more effective.
A simple rule of thumb is to use video-conferencing for "meetings" and webinars for "presentations".

Teleseminar

Going to the other extreme, sometimes you don't need to see anything at all, in which case a teleseminar is more appropriate than a webinar. The participants call in and listen, but don't see any slides or other visuals.
Of course, you can use webinar technology for this as well, by simply not showing any slides! However, some teleseminar technology provides additional features specifically for teleseminars, such as free-call telephone numbers, phone keypad options for participants, and automatic recording and download as an MP3 file.

E-Book or Special Report

Some people prefer reading to watching (because reading is usually much faster than watching), and some topics lend themselves to reading rather than watching (for example, some topics with detailed instructions or step-by-step processes). In these cases, consider whether it's better to write out the material rather than delivering a webinar.
However, this isn't always the case with detailed instructions, and sometimes a webinar is more appropriate. For example, if you're demonstrating how to do something on a Web site, it can be easier to show it on a webinar than to describe it in writing.

Face-to-Face Presentation

Finally, for some presentations, there really is no substitute for gathering people together in a room. This is particularly the case where the group dynamic is important (for example, a humorous or entertaining presentation), audience members need to interact in small groups, or where the physical location is important (for example, a strategic retreat).

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

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Choosing a Webinar Provider

One of the most common questions I get asked about webinars is which platform to use. In fact, some presenters spend too much time evaluating and assessing every webinar platform trying to find the "best", when they would be far better off just choosing one that works and actually running webinars.

There are a bewildering number of tools available for conducting webinars and on-line meetings, and new services crop up every few weeks. This makes it a fiercely competitive space, which is good for us as customers. However, it also means it's difficult to choose the right provider.

Most of them offer a core set of services - such as showing PowerPoint, hosting a chat room, a question box for participants to type questions, and a recording facility. Some also offer additional services - such as multiple choice polls, automatic e-mail reminders before the webinar, seeing the presenter on webcam, audience microphones, and post-event surveys.

If you're getting started, here is my advice: Choose GoToWebinar (the service I've used for many years). It's powerful, reliable, affordable if you're doing a reasonable number of webinars, and has all the features you need for delivering high-quality webinars.

If you're evaluating webinar platforms and providers, here are some things to consider:

Webinars vs on-line meetings: Many of the services are excellent for meetings (group discussions), but don't have specific features to help you run webinars (presentations) - such as good registration pages, automatic e-mail reminders, polls and attendance reports.
Price: Of course, the price of the service is an important consideration, but it's not always easy to compare different services because a number of factors affect the price - number of attendees, number of webinars, and so on.
Advertising: Some of the free services are supported by advertising. That's the price you pay for the free service, but it doesn't look professional if your webinar participants are seeing ads during your presentation.
Limits: Check what limits the service imposes - for example, number of attendees, number of webinars each month, length of a webinar, availability of the webinar line during busy times, and so on. Of course, some limits are to be expected; just be aware of them when evaluating a provider.
Geographical features: Webinars are, by definition, for participants to access remotely, so be sure the platform supports international participants. This can be as simple as allowing participants to register in their own time zone.
Screen sharing: Can you share anything on your screen, or do you have to upload your presentation to the webinar provider (that's less flexible)?
Audience microphones: Can you allow audience members to speak during the webinar, or can you only take written feedback?
Audience engagement: In what other ways can you engage with your audience? Examples are polls, chat rooms, switching to their screen, and so on.
Social media integration: Some webinar providers make it easy for you to link your webinar to social media - for example: creating the webinar as an event on Facebook, using a Twitter back channel during the webinar, or uploading the recording to YouTube. This can be useful if you're running a lot of free promotional webinars and you're active on social media.
Recording: Is it easy to record your webinars and make them available for later playback? If the provider hosts the recordings, do they give you unlimited space?

This isn't a comprehensive list by any means, but it does cover some of the most important factors to consider.

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

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How to Host a Webinar Properly

There's a difference between presenting a webinar and hosting a webinar: a webinar presenter delivers material, and a webinar host provides the best environment for the presenter and audience. In this article, we'll look at what you can do as a host.

Keep in mind that if you're running a webinar yourself, you'll probably be taking on the role of both presenter and host. But it's still useful to separate these roles in your mind, so you can engage your audience at both levels.

1. Preparation

In the weeks, days and hours leading up to the webinar, help your audience prepare for it effectively:

Send reminder e-mails to participants, with the date and time, a link to add it to their calendar, and any technical requirements (such as using a headset and microphone). Some webinar technology sends these reminders automatically, so you just have to check their content and frequency.Send any handouts and other preparation material in advance.If you want participants to send questions in advance, invite them to do so by simply replying to an e-mail message, completing an on-line form, or commenting on a Facebook page (for example).Answer any questions you get from participants (one of the most common is whether a recording will be available).

2. Starting

The start of the webinar can be a crucial time, because it sets the scene for what's coming up next. If you start strongly and confidently, you reassure the audience they'll be getting full value for their time and attention. Here are some techniques:
Log on early and test the technology yourself (and with other presenters and panellists, if necessary).Welcome participants as they join the webinar. The way you do this varies on each audience - for example, with a small intimate group, you might welcome each person individually and mention their name.Start on time!Explain how the webinar "works" - how long it runs, how the audience can participate, whether a recording is available, and so on.

3. During the Webinar

As the host, it's your job to keep the audience engaged and involved, especially during the interactive segments. This is also the presenter's job, of course, but here are some things you can do as the host:

Explain again how participants can ask questions.Tell them whether you'll be announcing their names, and explain how they can remain anonymous if they choose.Choose which questions you'll address, and in what order. Some might be better deferred until later in the webinar, and some might not be relevant at all for this webinar.Have a list of other questions ready (for example, the questions sent in advance) if nobody asks a question at the time.

4. Wrapping Up

Wrap up the webinar elegantly:

Thank the audience and the presenters.If you're providing a recording, remind them again, and explain how you will send them the recording.Make any final announcements (for example, the next webinar in a series).Hang up!

5. Follow Up

Tidy up any loose ends after the webinar:

Do whatever is required to upload the webinar recording, and notify the people who registered for it.If you're sending a follow-up survey to attendees, send it now (some webinar technology does this for you).E-mail the people who registered but didn't attend, reminding them of the webinar and perhaps any special offers that are available to them.

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

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A Webcast Vs a Webinar

Because webinar technology is fairly new, some people use different names to describe it. All of these terms are used to describe some sort of event delivered over the Internet, but they have some differences. Sometimes the names do reflect the differences, but sometimes they are two different ways of describing the same thing. Let's look at what is generally meant by the terms webcast, webinar and web conference.

Here's a quick overview

As an analogy, think of these three things in this way:

A webcast is like going to a movie.A web conference is like going to a meeting.A webinar is like going to a seminar or training course.

These are three very different ways for audience members to participate, and that's what makes them different.

Webcast: A broadcast to a passive audience

A "webcast" is short for "broadcast over the Web". As the name implies, it's about sending out a message, generally to a passive audience. It's like other broadcasts, such as radio or TV, or other passive environments, like going to a cinema or the theater.

When you attend a webcast, don't expect to interact much with the presenter. Some webcasts do involve some audience interaction (generally with questions at the very end of the presentation), but that's a bonus. The main purpose of the presentation is to deliver the message, not to engage the audience actively. In fact, some webcasts aren't even live events; they are simply a playback of a pre-recorded event.

Web conference: An on-line meeting

At the other end of the scale is a "web conference", which is an on-line meeting - similar to a meeting in an office meeting room, except it's done over the Internet. Unlike a webcast, where most people don't actively participate, everybody is expected to participate in a web conference. There might not be any presentations, and everybody has an equal right - and obligation - to participate.

A web conference often includes seeing everybody on video, because that creates a more personal connection. This hasn't always been the case, because live Internet video has been slow, clumsy and expensive. But now, inexpensive tools like Skype and Google Hangouts make video conferencing feasible and affordable.

Some web conferences might include presentations at various times, just as somebody might be expected to make a brief presentation in a meeting room. Many web conferencing tools include features for these presentations - such as sharing your screen, showing slides and working together on documents.

Webinar: An on-line presentation

A "webinar" is short for "seminar over the Web". It falls somewhere between the (passive) webcast and the (highly active) web conference. It's similar to a seminar, training session or other presentation, where the material is delivered by one presenter, but the audience expects to participate as well.

Webinar technology includes features for enhancing this participation, such as chat rooms, a question area, a "virtual whiteboard", and so on. Many webinars do not show the presenter on video (unless it's important to see the presenter in order to get their message), but do show the presenter's slides.

Presenting a webinar well can be a challenge, even for experienced presenters. You have to engage your audience more than in a webcast, but also maintain more control than in a web conference. However, it does give you the opportunity to reach a broader market, and at a much lower cost than gathering people at a seminar venue.

So which is the best option?

That depends on your needs. None of them is inherently better than the others; they just have different purposes and uses:

Use webcasts to deliver your core messages in a live or recorded event.Use web conferencing when meeting and collaborating with teams and groups.Use webinars to deliver educational material or promote in a more engaging way.

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

Original article

What Is the Ideal Number of Slides for a Webinar?

One of their most common questions about webinars is about the number of slides in an "ideal" webinar.

As you might imagine, this is one of those "How long is a piece of string?" questions, where the only logical answer is, "It depends".

That's true, but I can give you two guidelines to help you find the right answer for your webinars.

First, most webinar presenters use too few slides. Keep in mind that in a webinar, your slides are not just visual aids; they are the visuals! Even if the audience can see you on video, they will get most of their visual information from your slides. It's exactly the other way around in a good face-to-face presentation, where you are the main visual, and your slides are just visual aids.

OK, so I'm saying you should add more slides, right? Yes. So... how many more?

Here's the simple rule of thumb: What they see on the screen should match what you're saying.

In other words, you want the audience to get (in essence) the same message, whether they are seeing it on the screen or hearing it through their speakers.

I don't mean this literally! I'm not saying they should be able to get the entire message from either the screen or the speakers. I'm saying they should match.

For example, let's say you're presenting a one-hour webinar, and you follow the classic structure of three main points, with each point having three sub-points. That gives 9 "points" in total; and allowing time for an introduction and conclusion, each of those 9 points takes approximately 5 minutes.

You should not have just one slide for each of those points. Having the same slide on the screen for five minutes is way too long. That's a sure-fire way to lose your audience (Even if you don't lose them completely, they will quickly realise they can be doing other things while listening to your webinar - so you won't have their full attention).

Instead, consider what you're going to say about each of those 9 points, and design slides to match. You might end up with 4-5 slides, or one slide that builds up gradually over the five minutes. In rare cases, you might need 10 slides for that point (if, say, you'll be talking about a lot of examples). In even rarer cases, you might decide that just one slide is the right option for this point (if, say, you're telling a long story).

It's up to you, but remember the rule of thumb: What they see on the screen should match what you're saying.

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

Original article

How to Make the Most of Attending a Webinar

Attending a webinar is different from attending a face-to-face event, like a workshop or seminar. Because it's usually shorter, done from the comfort of your home or office, and there's nobody watching you, it can be tempting to treat it with less respect. But if you do this, you won't get much value from it. Instead, make the most of it by planning clearly and taking action.

Here are some techniques for making the most of every webinar you attend.

Know what you want.

Don't be a webinar junkie, who attends every webinar that's advertised, simply because it's free and convenient. Even if you don't pay any money, you're paying with your time, attention and focus. So before you register, be clear about what you want to learn from the webinar.

As a starting point, ask yourself these three questions:
"What do I want to THINK after this webinar?""What do I want to FEEL after this webinar?""What do I want to DO after this webinar?"

You probably won't answer all three for every webinar, but if you can't answer even one, then it's probably not worth attending!

Set aside the time.

It's easy to turn up late and leave early, but you won't get as much value if you do (and it also shows a lack of respect for your own development, let alone a lack of respect for the presenter). So turn up on time (a few minutes early if possible, to make sure the technology is working) and stay until the end.

Of course, if the webinar turns out to be irrelevant to you, then there's no need to stay until the end! But that should be the exception, not the rule.

Turn off distractions.

If a webinar presenter is boring or irrelevant (and unfortunately too many of them are!), it's hardly surprising that participants turn away from the webinar to check their e-mail, work on other tasks, or even leave the webinar completely. However, don't start by planning to do these things during the webinar. Start the webinar with the intention of giving it your total focus, so turn off your e-mail program, instant message programs, and any other distractions.

Take notes.

Even if you have an excellent memory, take notes of important points during the webinar, so you can use them later. In particular, note the specific things you can do after the webinar. This makes it much more likely that you'll take action, rather than just collecting lots of webinar notes!

This can be even more effective than in many face-to-face sessions, because you're sitting at your computer, so you can enter some notes directly into your calendar, action list or other documents (as long as this doesn't distract you!).

Ask questions.

If you don't understand something during the webinar, ask a question. Most webinar technology allows you to type questions, so you can do this at any time without worrying about interrupting the presenter.

If the webinar has a large audience, your question might not get answered during the webinar. So if it's an important question, ask it as soon as possible. If it still doesn't get answered, e-mail it to the presenter afterwards. Some won't respond (and that's their choice, so don't get upset), but some will. It doesn't hurt to ask!

Do something - anything!

After the webinar, choose one of the action items you noted during the webinar and do it! Even if it's only a small action, it gives you some return on your time, and gives you momentum to take the larger actions as well.

Gihan Perera is the author of "Webinar Smarts", the smart way for professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and business owners to deliver engaging and profitable webinars. If you want to know how to reach the world with mic, screen and mouse, visit http://webinarsmarts.com/ for your copy.

Original article

Webinar Software for Training and Corporate Meetings

Webinar software packages have emerged to become tools that make business communication to be easier and simpler. Owing to the fact that online seminars can now be conducted anywhere and anytime, organisational productivity has improved significantly. Global companies such as Google, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and PricewaterhouseCoopers have their major presence in Australia. In such a scenario, faster and smarter ways to give away presentations become even more important. These needs can be fulfilled by making use of webinar tools. These tools come with software packages that are packed with sophisticated attributes such as registration plans, email templates, toll free conferencing, and online slide presentation.

Owing to the advanced features that such tool posses, a webinar can become an efficient alternative to conventional methods of conducting seminars. A major benefit offered by webinar software is that it works efficiently across various web browsers and operating systems. With the help of these, the exchanging information becomes simpler and faster and can result in increased sales figures and employee productivity. The time taken by conventional seminars can also be reduced, which can be utilised in other operations. Improvement in organizational productivity can thus be achieved in the most effective manner.

Beside the easy and anywhere accessibility, visual stimulation also provides webinars an edge over traditional seminars. This is accomplished by the host in two different ways - using slides and special effects. First of all, by making the use of presentation software like Microsoft Power Point, slides which are to be displayed are animated. Needless to say, animated visuals and slides are easier to understand than their static counterparts. Relevant sounds and music is also added to the slides, thus ensuring ease in understanding. As a second technique, movie editing software such as Adobe's After Effects is used which makes way for further addition of special effects.

Apart from corporate seminars, webinar software is also used to conduct training and education programmes for the employees in an organisation. In doing so, webinar does away with display board, notepads, printed documents, travel time and costs, and other materials that are part of conventional seminars. This is a major cost cutting approach without compromising on the efficiency of the event.

A web seminar can work in two ways - via demanded feed and live feed. Both of these webinar tools have the same targeted application while varying in operational principle. In case of on demand feed, a pre recorded video or presentation is always available. Participants can log in as when they feel the need to look over the content, thus making seminars quite similar to webcasts. However, live feed demands the presence of all participants at the same time. A request is made before the start of such session which ensures the presence of all participants. This can however cause slight delay in the process.

In case of on demand feed, sessions are pre-recorded and so, can be paused and reviewed whenever required, while the same probably will not be possible in case of live feed. The best selection among webinar tools depends on the kind of presentation to be made. For example, if a lot of individuals from different locations need to view presentation at the same time, opting for on demand feed can be more productive and effective.

Yank Dines is an experienced writer having more than 10 years of experience in writing articles on various topics such as webinar services, webinars, and webcast solution etc.

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