Q: We would benefit from consultation about webinars as we would like to start using those but have no experience in doing so. We have access to Elluminate and possibly some other webinar vendors. Can we receive consultation on: Webinar types/considerations (e.g. is Elluminate best compared to others?) IIT support needed for webinar Best tips/practices when planning an educational webinar How to assist presenters who give the webinar (especially if they are first time webinar presenters) Improving learner engagement with webinars Marketing webinars Etc.
A: Here’s some preliminary information on your question about webinars.
Then we can talk by phone. Then we have two different online courses that would explain it all in detail. We have our Certified Virtual Meeting Planner (CVP), which is 10 weeks online. And we are offering a one month course on webinars in October.
Here’s a start.
Don’t use Elluminate for webinars. Use GoToMeeting or WebEx. We use GoToMeeting. Very easy, functional. Someone with IT expertise should be trained on problem solving with GoToMeeting or your system, but for most webinars a non-technical presenter or administrator can run the meeting without problems, especially after the first few tries. Your other questions are more in depth, we refer you to the courses, or if you can be a little more specific, we can answer them via email or a phone call.
We would first want to know your audience, for example, and subject matter, on advising you on the length of your webinars. They run from 15 minutes to 2 hours. The average is 45 minutes to 1 hour.