Great webinars: create interactive learning that is captivating, informative, and fun (paperback) Create Interactive Learning That Is Captivating, Informative, and Fun

Great Webinars

"Great Webinars provides a profoundly practical and easy-to-follow template for creating and facilitating stimulating webinars that engage learners as active participants, while creating the kind of energetic "buzz" that is the hallmark of successful learning experiences. The book is sure to benefit both seasoned instructors and subject matter experts who are new to teaching. I sure wish this book had existed when I began conducting webinars back in the mid 1990s."*Carol Willett, former chief learning officer, US Government Accountability Office

"Not only has Cindy Clay put the adult learning principles into practice, she has created an approach to the design, development and delivery of a virtual workshop that is potentially more engaging than being face-to-face. Great Webinars captures all the essentials to creating a great on-line learning experience. . . . Thanks to the lessons learned in this book, we can now move full speed ahead with our e-learning strategy and I can now feel confident we will be teaching versus simply reaching our customers."*Karen Pacent, director, Learning and Leadership Development, United States Tennis Association

"Great Webinars is written in a smart, authentic, practical, sassy, and easy-to-follow way. It reminds us to bring our participants" experience front and center if we want them to be enthralled, and the learning environment to be enriched. Cynthia Clay lets her own students tell us what is wrong with the current use of webinars and then proceeds to teach us how to build "em better. It"s like having her sit beside you saying, "Don"t worry . . . I"ll get you there." And she does."*Beverly Kaye, founder/CEO, Career Systems International, coauthor, Love "Em or Lose "Em and Getting Good People to Stay

Foreword

Introduction

1.Virtual Facilitation Gone Wrong

Putting up with poor preparation and content

Looking for interaction and collaboration

Getting instructional materials and class size wrong

Encountering trouble with technology

Offering hope

2. Getting It Right

Presenting a web workshop example

Capturing attention

Keeping the class size small

Smiling for the camera

Using interactive tools effectively

3. Know Your Audience/Know Your Objectives

Learning your ABCs

Identifying objectives

Writing objectives using STAR

Finding the right words

Connecting objectives to exercises

Attending to learning styles

Wrapping up

Knowing your audience

Getting personal before the workshop

Getting to know your organization

A few best practices

4. Interaction And Collaboration

Defining interaction and collaboration

Why the distinction matters

Using interactivity tools during participant introduction

Using chat, poll, and raise hand for participant introductions

Letting it flow with chat

Polling for knowledge or interest

Having fun with collaborative learning

Performing whiteboard wizardry

Sharing desktop applications

Showing tool usage and benefits

5. Powerful Powerpoint Pointers

Improving slide design

Slide content and delivery

Differentiating between presentations in the physical and virtual classrooms

6. Repurposing From Traditional To Virtual

Revisiting adult learning principles

Presenting some common repurposing errors

Breaking the ice

Conducting peer-to-peer discussions

Employing role-playing or practicing

Modeling behavior

Employing self-assessments

Charting ideas on a flipchart

Asking questions and checking the pulse

Presenting a video

Presenting with PowerPoint slides

Checking for understanding

Coaching learners

7. Learning Transfer

Converging to the context that matters

Putting the learner at the center

Convergence and the facilitator

Homework, indeed

Applying learning quickly

The new blend

Changing the profile of learners and facilitators

8. Technology Trauma

Making it look easy

Managing risk

Anticipating things that can go wrong

Preventing things from going wrong

Handling things that do go wrong

The breakout room blues

9. Getting It All Together

Presenting an existing workshop for the first time

Taking your time

Employing a host

Running solo

Scripting your presentation

Using a video camera

Web platforms are not created equally

Creating the training event

Parting words

Glossary

Appendixes

Appendix A: Virtual Facilitator Self-Assessment

Appendix B: Interactivity tools

Appendix C: Repurposing samples

Appendix D: Using interactivity tools for repurposing

Appendix E: NetSpeed Fast Tracks

Appendix F: Assessing a virtual training program

Appendix G: Delivering webinars to large numbers of participants

Appendix H: Creating a risk management plan

Appendix I: Logistics checklist

Appendix J: Design an interactive, collaborative learning experience

Appendix K: Resources for...

Cynthia Clay is the founder and president of NetSpeed Learning Solutions. Her company provides learning and training programs that blend the best of instructor-led training with web-based performance support and measurement tools.