What is your Webinar Plan?

In 2009 if you have not attended a webinar, I recommend that you sign up for one today. There are webinars on every topic you can imagine. And it makes interesting cocktail party conversation to say, “While I was on a webinar Monday, I learned…”

Not all webinars are alike. Many are no more than glorified infomercials. Logoff if you find you are on one of those unless the presenter is funny they are giving away expensive imported Belgian chocolates when you complete the call.

Technology allows us to learn at our desk. No traffic jams on the way to the workshop. No crowed airplanes and airports to run through to attend a conference with rubber chicken at every meal. Webinars will be one of the best ways to continue to get on-the-job training this year. You want to keep ahead of the pack at work, don’t you?

If you are as depressed as I can get with news headlines screaming the words: Layoffs, Foreclosures, Sky Rocketing Unemployment Statistics, we think alike.

I am not so naïve as to say I will not participate in this recession. My head does not go in the sand at the mention of the “R” word.

For our business, I made a big decision. We will survive! We will prosper! We will create a revised business model that fits for 2009. We cannot make it with the same old 2008 business plan. Throw that plan away. Online learning will be at the core of our survival plan. How about you?

In the Fall of 2008, I attended a mini workshop for my National Speakers Association Heartland Chapter / and heard a “How To Do A Webinar” presentation from Barbara Rogoff, President of Synthesis, Inc.

Barbara showed me that her company could take a webinar virgin like me from zero knowledge to webinar Diva status. The Diva comment is mine, not Barbara’s. That is just how I feel after starring in my first webinar “Are You Paying Too Much For Your Equipment Leases” with Barbara on Friday the 13th of February. Did you notice the date? I am not superstitious either. I chose Friday the 13th for a reason. I am telling the world, this is not a year for traditional marketing.

This is the year of facing the demons and winning. I also will teach an April Fool’s Day  workshop titled “Five Lease Negotiation Success Tips” in Philadelphia at the Digital Printing Conference and Expo, ONDEMAND.

Once you sign-on with Barbara, she immediately sends you a schedule of responsibilities.  It is in an Excel spreadsheet format. I just love to think in rows and columns. I think of my grocery list in Excel. If all of life’s experiences could be plotted on an Excel spreadsheet, it would make me a happier person.

I emailed Barbara my basic Powerpoint show. Her fabulous graphics designer Kevin Elam branded my first workshop and created an entirely new Powerpoint layout.

All we had to do was email three Synthesis Inc. created invitations for the webinar to our fans and friends and, of course, show up for Barbara’s three rehearsals. Rehearsal?  Hey, I am a professional speaker. I am a member of the National Speakers Association my ego was saying! Doing webinars is Barbara’s business. I gave in. I am a rookie here.

Yes a webinar is very different that a face-to-face workshop. No visual audience cues to tell you that you are great! No head nodding in agreement or for that matter nodding off to sleep if you are having a bad day.

Barbara uses a 1-hour interview format like “talk radio” including:
1.    Three live listener surveys.
2.    Traditional trainer and slides.
3.    Questions from the audience.
4.    And an occasional banter with Barbara that proved to be engaging to our listeners. That’s what their post-webinar surveys told us.

Benefits for an Attendee?
1.    Fast paced information delivery to use immediately.
2.    No lost time due to travel and traffic.
3.    Many employees can attend at one time.
4.    For those who missed the call, the downloadable video is available.
5.    Replay the video as a reminder of core learning tips.

Benefits for the Webinar Educator
1.    Reach many at one time.
2.    The video is a product to sell to those who did not attend the webinar.
3.    It is easy to customize the message for a specific audience or industry.
4.    No travel time.

I was so excited with the process that I signed up with Synthesis for a series of three webinars. The next one is April 16th on the RFP Rules of Engagement. For those who do not know, the RFP is a request for proposal. My husband, Dwain, tries to remind me to spell out every acronym. So from now on I will try to remember his lesson and not crowd my blog with industry jargon.

Now go sign up for a webinar! Or do one yourself.