Every time I facilitate a live web conference / webinar, I am reminded of how much I rely on the visual cues from the audience. People nodding, taking notes, talking to a neighbor, or even glaring at me with arms crossed across their bodies…those cues give me information that encourages me, informs me, and often redirects me.
I am not a good multitasker. So, my other challenge — one commonly expressed by people working in synchronous technology-mediated spaces — is that I want to deliver a smooth presentation while at the same time attend to the high volume of text-based and audio comments and questions from the audience. There is a ton of interaction (potential and realized) from the audience of around 25 folks (my typical class size). All with great contributions. Yet, I am simply unable to track it all. In fact, there are often points where I completely lose track of where I am in the presentation…something that rearely happens to me in a face-to-face live setting.
But, I love the potential of web conferences and synchronous sessions in general for online education, so am always considering and reconsidering my strategies and perspective. To this end, I consistently try to deal with two issues: (1) my reliance of visual cues from the audience, and (2) attending to audience comments and questions. The second issue is much easier to deal with. I have had great luck with asking a colleague or student to step in and act as moderator during a web conference, for example. The moderator can completely focus on the commenting traffic, and make sure I address questions and respond to comments. Or, if students are using their webcams and microphones, I simply work with them to establish conventions of engagement and turn-taking.
In terms of the first issue, I have come up with two angles that are currently working for me: setting ground rules, and structuring the presentation to support time for frequent interaction.
Setting ground rules
- Demonstrate how participants can engage in side conversations using the “private” feature so that they do not distract the entire audience (or presenter).
- If there is no moderator involved, ask the audience to hold their questions and comments until the designated times throughout the presentation.
- If there is a moderator, explain to the audience that the moderator will track comments and questions, try to categorize them into themes, and present them to you during the designated times throughout the presentation.
- Share a set of icons that the audience can use to let you know whether they are in agreement, disagreement, want more, want less, and so on. (I primarily use Zoom for synchronous sessions, and these icons are built into the system.)
Structuring the presentation
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- If possible, collect potential questions and comments from participants in advance of the webinar. This gives you time to incorporate content that you may not have been planning to address.
- Make sure there is time before the presentation begins for people to check their technology and say hello.
- Share the ground rules. Ask if the group wants to change any of the rules, and adjust as appropriate. (If it is possible to send this information out in advance, great. But, review them at the start of the webinar so they are fresh.)
- If you are interested in collecting some pre-presentation data from folks (to make sure you will address questions, and to get them engaged in the topic), use the polling feature of your webinar tool. (Again, Zoom has a polling feature built in.)
- Set up the presentation so that you are delivering content in 3-5 minute chucks. Between each chunk, open it up for questions. Make sure the time is monitored — say, only 3-5 minutes for questions.
- Leave time at the end for a lot more discussion. I have found that presenters so often fill up the allotted time with their own talking, leaving no time for the audience to participate. And, let’s face it, they often do want to participate more than sit through more presentation.
- Use the polling feature to check for understanding throughout the presentation. This is a quick way to get feedback without waiting for a large group of people to type in their responses. Plus, it is something that can be set up in advance of the web conference.
- If appropriate, provide a way for you and the audience to keep the discussion going after the webinar using an asynchronous communication tool (e.g., threaded discussion). For example, I participate in a weekly synchronous Zoom meetings. To help us stay connected and continue our discussions outside of the synchronous session, I usually set up a Google Folder and Doc for on-going sharing and collaboration.
What strategies do you use during web conferences?