Video Conferencing and Online Training Tips and Best Practices

We have all seen it - online conferencing or webinar nightmares. Either poor preparation, technical glitches, you name it, have prevented what should be a great experience in a meeting or training session. A webinar or meeting is only as good as the production process that goes on behind the scenes.

So now - We want to hear from you - We are gathering information for our blog and to assist with our white paper. Please reply with any stories, tips, best practices, or just to rant about online meetings or training sessions. We will use your comment, but not your personal information unless you want us to, for the support of our technical paper.

Thanks in advance!

Bill Cooey

www.e3datasolutions.com

Comments

[John Starling]

Hi Bill,

I am a principal of a mid-sized management and sales consulting company, located in Baltimore, MD. My diverse team of consultants are spread across the continental U.S., which initially presented a challenge for both internal communication and client presentations.

One of our primary solutions has been web conferencing, as now we can prepare, discuss and then present clients presentations without adding the expenses and time of traveling to a central location. The ability to deliver these client presentations has substantially increased our sales conversion, as we can effectively discuss strategies and solutions throughout our day from our offices. Like training, the ability to work from a central ‘command center’ has decreased expenses and increased efficiency for our entire team.

One of the challenges that we have faced is client preparation for the web conferences. While we utilize this technology every day, we find when working with our clients, that many people have never been exposed to this type of platform. So, to facilitate the process, we send clients detailed instructions prior to the meeting covering how to log in, trouble shooting issues and a timeline.

In addition to the initial set of instructions, we ensure that we provide the training or sales deck to the client or prospective client prior to the call so that they can follow along. Setting expectations allows the entire process for us to go smoothly. And, as a result, we rarely experience challenges with the technology.

What tips can anyone offer for increasing our client presentation effectiveness when utilizing web conferencing technology?

John

[Julie Welch]

Bill,

I think that web conferencing and video conferencing represent the future in communication for most businesses. I can honestly say though, that this belief is a huge departure from my classical training with a Fortune 50 company.

For the first 9 years of my career, I was in the same office space as my sales and management teams. So, holding regular team meetings and staff trainings was a piece of cake. The only technology that our firm leveraged was conference calling.

Now, as I manage an international online firm, I couldn’t live without both of these conferencing technologies. My sales team is not only spread across time zones, but language barriers are present.

So, training would not be feasible without web conferencing.
My company uses web conferencing for a variety of purposes including training, interviewing new recruits and sales presentations with prospective clients.

As a result, I can manage my entire operation from a laptop anywhere in the world, without skipping a beat!

Does anyone else utilize technology for a similar purpose? If so, what suggestions do you have for improving delivery and perceived/actual results?

[Jane]

Bill,

I recently sat through a 2-day webinar with a group of new hires for an energy sales company in Dallas. We used a great program to provide the audio and visuals, which allowed the presenter to walk through the extensive 6 hours of material at his own pace.

There were a few issues that I noticed as a participant and observer to the session that we plan to address on future webinars:
- Providing proper instruction for log in ahead of time, including noting any software download time as required. This would have reduced the initial wait time and issues discussed initially.
- Providing a brief explanation of webinars for those participants who were new to the platform, covering phone and online etiquette to make the entire process smoother for everyone involved.
- Offering a print out- pdf or other format for the presentation for either people to follow along with, to take notes upon or to use as future reference.

Overall, this format allowed 100s of people to observe an impactful training session. In the future, with these small changes, we are confident that our overall results will improve.

[Bill]

I agree with Angela that the audio is key. The video adds a sense of realism, but if you can't hear the sound well you can take in what the presenter is trying to convey.

The main problems with audio, however, are truly location / production related and not a conferencing technology issue. Things like background noise, low volume levels, bad microphones, etc. will all play a part in the end users ultimate experience.

thx
Bill

[Bill]

Hi Brian

Web Conferencing is one of those technologies that may suit some uses more than others. The tools that are out there help people overcome distance and travel limitations. It does take a lot of work to make it successful. Hope you dont give up on it for long.

thanks
Bill

[Peter]

Web conferencing is appropriate for certain situations and companies, however I do agree that I still prefer the traditional meeting setting.

What I have found with web conferencing is usually that it’s not the boss or individual conducting the meeting that has technical problems. Usually it’s some employee or other individual in God knows where who can’t get connected to the conference or computer keeps disconnecting.

While I understand these types of things happen, couldn’t I also make an excuse that my computer “keeps disconnecting” and get out of the meeting?

I believe that the traditional meeting still holds employees accountable which is necessary in a successful company.

There are some webinars I’ve participated in that have gone very well. Everyone logs on fine, we’re all there, the presenter gives a great speech, and then it’s over. I guess I have mixed feelings over the technology but I’ll admit I still prefer the old way of doing business.

[Angela G.]

Hey Bill I can definitely relate to what you are talking about. In terms of production value, my biggest aggravation is due to audio problems. They always say that the audio is the most underrated part of a movie and I can see why. It you can’t hear what the speaker is saying very well, does it really matter what you see on the screen?

I’ve listened in on a couple of webinars from the States while I was based in Hong Kong. That’s really cool that you can tune into a speech that is taking place on the other side of the world. However, it really defeats the purpose if, as Bill put it, the production value is low.

Again my irritations are centered on the lack of clear audio or an audio that constantly fades in and out. Has anyone else had this problem? Does it have to do with my connection or the quality of the microphone?

I see a bright future with web conferencing but they need to work out some of the kinks.

[Glenn]

I think Mr. Simpson is blowing it a little out of proportion.

Web conferencing is appropriate for certain situations and companies, however I do agree that I still prefer the traditional meeting setting.

What I have found with web conferencing is usually that it’s not the boss or individual conducting the meeting that has technical problems. Usually it’s some employee or other individual in God knows where who can’t get connected to the conference or computer keeps disconnecting.

While I understand these types of things happen, couldn’t I also make an excuse that my computer “keeps disconnecting” and get out of the meeting?

I believe that the traditional meeting still holds employees accountable which is necessary in a successful company.

There are some webinars I’ve participated in that have gone very well. Everyone logs on fine, we’re all there, the presenter gives a great speech, and then it’s over. I guess I have mixed feelings over the technology but I’ll admit I still prefer the old way of doing business.

[Brian Simpson]

I would have to disagree with the comment above me. While I see what Chuck is
getting at, it comes down to one question – does it or does it not work?

Web conferencing is one of those snazzy new technologies that everyone gets
all excited and happy about only to find out it doesn’t really pan out.

I’ve ran into nothing but headaches with our web seminars. I recently was
asked to conduct a speech for an outside company and I turned it down solely
on the fact that they insisted on having me do the speech over the web.

I’ve had enough with the so called benefits and guarantees of web conferencing.
I’ve yet to really find out what’s positive about them besides the constant
glitches, disconnections, and other technical issues.

Maybe I’m just brain dead but that’s my opinion on the whole matter.

[Chuck]

My company has used web conferencing for eight months now and I couldn’t be
more pleased with the results. I will however admit that it was not always
that smooth of a road.

Our first month or month-and-a-half was filled with some technical
difficulties that made us even begin to question our decision of transforming
into the digital era.

But I’m very happy now with the results because I’m able to conduct meetings
on a weekly basis that wasn’t possible before, because I couldn’t get my
entire sales team in one place at the same time.

I have found that especially in sales, web conferencing is becoming more and
more necessary. On any given week half of my sales team is scattered all over
the country which makes a meeting from our home headquarters impossible.

However, with web conferencing it’s became as easy as 1-2-3.

My best advice for those struggling or new to web conferencing is to give it
time. Like any new technology there is going to be a transitional phase where
you go from how you use to do things to how you do things now.

Some extra devotion to the subject and patience is definitely necessary.

[Aaron Rozzell]

Bill,

I know where you are coming from with the technical problems and poor preparation.
I really like the idea of web conferencing. I think it's a great way to bypass
the traditional meeting and innovate. However you need to do it the intelligent
way. Unfortunately I think a lot of companies or employers hear about web
conferencing and automatically sign up and implement without considering the
linguistics.

Web conferencing is ideal in the appropriate setting. However I feel a lot of
employers just want to toss web conferencing into the pit and say, “There go
after it.”

Who enjoys going to meeting? I do not see a lot of hands raised. Who enjoys a
meeting that is constantly interrupted, delayed, and filled with issues? Now I
really don't see any hands.

That is what web conferencing is at it's worst. “A huge pile of mess,” as I
like to say.

But then again it can be an amazing feature.

What if I was to say who would enjoy going to a meeting in their PJ's with a
cup of coffee and from the comfort of their home? I'm sure that number would
rise (even if it's slightly).

Companies can reach clients and employers through web conferencing but they
have to go about it the right way. Unfortunately the preparation is rarely
there to pull it off.

What does everyone else think?

[Sandy]

I remember the last time I attended an online meeting the moderator seemed ill prepared. Many of the 20 or so people attending did not have any experience being on a conference call, much less a web meeting. There were dogs barking in the back ground. One person seemed to be having a conversation with someone else in the back ground.

Perhaps sharing some ground rules at the beginning, or at least the moderator should intervene when noise problems arise is a good practice. You would think people would conduct themselves as if they are attending in person, but maybe human nature doesn't work that way!