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Sep 09, 2010

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Sep 23, 2010 07:30 am
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Sep 27, 2010 - Sep 29, 2010
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Features

Published August 2008

What Stinks About Webinars?

  

  Allison Rossett, Antonia Chan and Colleen Cunningham

Unlike classes, online or face-to-face, webinars cost nothing, demand nothing and are easily exited. That is why so many are willing to venture beyond the familiar to take a look at ideas, products and services. That makes them popular with students and teachers, practitioners and executives, buyers and suppliers.

What is sad is that only a few webinars earned kudos from Cunningham and Chan.

The purpose here is to encourage greatness in webinars by identifying some of the unsuccessful approaches witnessed by Cunningham and Chan. We deploy the power of negative examples to reveal sins that occur before, during and after webinars.

Before the Webinar
Chan recalled a session that seemed to lack even a moment of planning. She put it this way: “The only visual provided was the cover of a book that led to nothing. A webcam, randomly active, showed somebody — not the presenter — who was completely distracted.” Cunningham complained about that session, too, describing it as a “total train wreck,” mostly because it lacked audience focus and clear-cut organization. It seemed to be about the presenter, not the participants. That is a fatal error.

After dozens of webinars, Cunningham knows exactly what she values: a well-planned webinar that has “a start, middle and an end. The start tells you what to expect from the presenter and what the presenter expects of you, along with how the hour will be used, including what the takeaway will be.” Chan is eager for PowerPoint slides that display key ideas and organize and crystallize messages, all especially important for her because English is her third language.

Some developers of webinars know this. They market programs that show insight into what their audience wants — which is essential. But providing a program congruent with their promises is just as important. Alas, the webinar addicts report that providers do not consistently follow through. Chan told of signing up to learn about a set of research findings. What she got instead was lengthy information about the researchers and only an abbreviated, vague description of research results delivered at the end of the session.

Just yesterday, Chan e-mailed about a webinar breakdown. She eagerly attended a webinar offered by a well-known author in our field. The problem was not the presenter. Perhaps it was the technology, or the preparation to use it, or gremlins.

Nobody wants to practice, me included. I grumble when organizations, prior to webinars that I deliver, press me for time to orient myself on their presentation platform. I am always glad afterward that I piloted or revisited the system. Who can remember the interface and functionalities for each system? It is wise to make certain the technology and presenter are ready.

During the Webinar
The webinar addicts had some grisly tales to tell:

• There was an overly scripted session in which the leader droned on for an hour with not one example or case. When Chan and Cunningham complimented webinarians, it was most often for their vivid examples, stories, enthusiasm and personalization.