Maximizing Your Webinar Experience – Best practices for getting the most out of your webinar
Webinars have all but taken the place of in-person training and conferences, at least for now. Many presenters have learned to level up their skills to provide the best information in the most sophisticated dynamic ways. It’s time for webinar attendees to do the same. Sure, anyone can sign up for a webinar, but you want to get the most out of your experience. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of our Dynamic Works Webinars – or any online training you want to attend.
Make sure this is the right webinar for you. With so many offerings out there, you could quickly fill your schedule with training events. However, finding the right one to meet your training and interest need is essential. Be sure to read the full description to make sure what you’re signing up for is what you expect.
- Topic – Is this something you’re interested in or need for furthering your job or career? Does the title of the webinar match the more extensive description? Are the presenters’ leaders in the field?
- Downloaded materials. Some webinars encourage pre-reads. You don’t want to be the only person in the virtual “room” who doesn’t know what the acronyms stand for.
- Length – Make sure you’ve cleared your calendar for the correct amount of time at the proper time. With people working from homes all over, you need to be sure that the start time is the right time for your time zone?
Be ready technically. Don’t wait until the start time to log in. Give yourself 15 minutes before the start to work out the details. You’ll want to make sure you’ve got the right link and the correct platform to participate. Make sure your speakers and microphone are working and that your video connection is optimized. It’s also a good idea to become familiar with your mute button before you start. While Fido may be a great officemate, his bark may not be welcomed in the webinar.
Focus. If you’ve signed up for this webinar, you don’t want to waste your time attending it and not getting the most out of it. Turn off any distractions on your device – social media, a queue of work requests, and maybe even your e-mail client. While multi-tasking is sometimes appropriate, think about what you’d be doing if this webinar was in person? Would you be snap chatting in a conference room while listening to this same presentation in person? Probably not. Be ready to take the notes you’ll want to keep in a format that is useful to you.
Ask Questions. This is your big chance. You’ve signed up for information from an expert. If there is a way to ask questions through a chat function or verbally, do it! It can be awkward for a presenter not to get feedback from their audience. If the webinar offers an opportunity for questions, take advantage of it. In addition, if the webinar has breakout rooms for collaboration and discussion, be sure to participate. The presenters want to help you.
Give Feedback. Use the chat functions to make sure presenters know if there’s a technology glitch or if something isn’t working correctly. If the webinar wasn’t what you expected it to be, or if it didn’t match the description provided, let the presenter know. No one wants to waste time! Let them know where they can improve. On the other hand, if the presentation was fantastic and you want to complement their approach to the topic at hand, that’s appropriate as well. Everyone grows with feedback.
Act right away! The learning doesn’t end when you log off. Full webinar participation includes acting on what you just learned.
Great online webinars are more abundant than ever. So take advantage of the opportunity to level up your learning while sitting at your desk.
The DWI Webinar Workshop series is designed with the job seeker in mind – 75 LIVE webinars on 50+ topics presented by expert coaches each month, allowing participants to train when and where they want! Explore topics like:
● Resume and cover letter writing
● Job seeking strategies—how and where to find work
● Interviewing skills
● Financial literacy and money management strategies
● Self-care techniques and how they help
Learn More about our unlimited yearly subscription or schedule a demo today!