Smart planning for training through web conferencing

A recent article by Darlene Christopher, written for the American Society of Training and Development* and featured on her blog, discusses the PREP model for delivering training through web conferencing. The approach helps ensure a smoother, more successful delivery through good planning and preparation.

Ms. Christopher defines PREP as Planning, Rehearsal, Execution and Post Mortem. This last step, for the uninitiated, means that you review what you did to determine its effectiveness. The approach helps a company transition from traditional live instructor-led classroom training to training via web conferencing. The cost savings have resulted in a steep increase in the number of companies employing this method.

The essay points out that the folks in your company’s training department, or those tasked with training, need to avoid the temptation to simply convert their training slides to a web conferencing tool. There is a certain amount of preparation, beyond this simple approach, that will increase the effectiveness and success of the web conference training session.

The components of the PREP approach

The author suggests that trainers begin by becoming intimately familiar with their web conferencing platform. She proposes that having a thorough knowledge of the technology will allow the presenter to focus solely on the presentation and not the features of their conferencing platform.

Next, she covers logistics. If the web conference-based training is going out to participants in other time zones, or even other countries, the trainer should be aware of the time of day at each location. In the case of participants who span several countries, she suggests that the trainer consider holidays or days that participants may be away from work.

Logistical considerations extend to how your participants will receive the audio transmission. Will participants require headphones? Ms Christopher suggests that you test the audio equipment and the bandwidth capabilities at each location first.

Content should be kept succinct and engaging and opportunities for interaction should be inserted to keep the audience alert and connected. A script should be prepared for the facilitator and should include a timeline for each slide used during the training exercise. Delegate the primary roles for the training session including the facilitator, the subject matter expert and the producer.

Get it right before the actual session

The next step in the process is to get all key members of the facilitator team together and rehearse. This helps coordinate the roles of each member and provides for a smoother delivery. After rehearsing, the author has several suggestions for the actual execution of the event. She states that the facilitation team wants to log in a half hour early. Be punctual with your start and end times.

Displaying the dial-in number and audio information on the participant’s screen aids them with this key information. Provide instructions to participants about how they can interact during the training session and have an additional computer near you, logged in as a participant, so you can share their experience.

Ms. Christopher urges facilitators to do a post-mortem or a review of how the training session went. This involves feedback from both the participants and the facilitators. Participants can complete an online evaluation at the completion of the training exercise. Feedback from both groups aids in adjusting and tweaking the training to make instant improvements.

*PREP for Web Conferencing Success by Darlene Christopher. http://www.astd.org/lc/2009/1009_christopher.html

Interactive Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a growing alternative for business people looking to save expenses and time. It allows users to communicate interactively via shared desktops, document sharing, instant messaging and voice. These features let you collaborate with others easily rather than working on many back and forth emails and phone calls. It is far more efficient to get everyone together in one room through web conferencing.

Web conferencing is as easy to use as any web site. The intuitive interface means you only need to point and click to invite attendees, interact on a project and save the meeting for later reference. 24/7 customer support ensures your meetings always go smoothly.

Before you invest in a web conference service provider, make sure you will actually get a reasonable return on your investment. The best way to do this is to use a provider that charges per use instead of by the month. This way you have a solid return on your investment and you can even allocate the expense to each project.

Make sure you choose a web conferencing provider that can meet all your needs. Many have more than one popular name-brand platform for you to host your meeting. If you get a service with excellent customer support, you will get a free tutorial or even a live walk through with a customer service agent. This is very important to minimizing the learning curve and ensuring you are up and running as soon as possible.

Conference on the Go with Fly!

Conferencing on the fly means being able to set up a meeting anytime and anywhere when time is of the essence. This is when you want a service like that offers reservation-less conference calling. This service lets you connect with multiple persons spontaneously to accomplish important business more quickly than your competitors.

Flexibility

Reservationless conference calls let you meet with anyone, anywhere, for as long as you need. Many services allow you to call out to a recipient, rather than asking the recipient to call into you. Other services provide you with a toll-free number that others can dial whenever you need to set up a conference. Just send a quick email with the toll free number and access code and you can begin the session.

Small Meetings

Some businesses use reservationless calling for smaller meetings only, because operator assistance is often unavailable on such calls, with fewer features than reserved conferencing. You do not need to be concerned about such restrictions with flyConferencing. Operators and full feature services are always available whether your call is reserved or not.

Reservation-less conferencing means you can still plan a meeting in advance. You simply assign a date and time for participants to call in or to expect your call. Those who call in will need an access code, which you supply, typically by email. Participants are connected digitally and bridged together as they call in.

When to use Reserved Conferencing

Higher profile calls with hundreds of attendees are often better left under a reserved system. Organizing such an endeavor would be trying for the moderator on a reservationless system.  Reserved conferencing is also preferable when distributing a conference code would be difficult or inconvenient for the meeting.

Brought to by FlyConferencing.com, the hassle free, no-contract conference calling service provider.

Organizing Your Conference Calls

Conference calls can become cluttered and confusing when there are more than three or four attendees. To keep things orderly and productive, the moderator needs to take a leadership role and lay down some ground rules. Introductions go a long way in keeping things running smoothly.

The first thing to do when moderating a conference call is to help members keep track of who is in the “conference room”. In person conferences allow meeting members to see each other’s faces. A similar means of identification can be accomplished in a conference call by setting up a “clock” in the beginning of the meeting and assigning locations to new arrivals as they enter the call.

“The Clock” is a well-known device for frequent conference call moderators. It allows the participants to create a visual representation of the other conference call members. Assign each attendee to a different time position on the clock. If you have more than twelve members, use ½-hour times as well. When each person is assigned, introduce yourself and then have the members introduce themselves in clockwise order.

If attendees are late entering the meeting, simply pause the meeting and assign a position to the new attendee so that those already in the meeting can assign a visual location to the new person. Ask the new member to give a short introduction and quickly state his or her purpose in the meeting. In order to minimize the disruption, simply allow to call to continue rather than going through introductions again.

For more information on affordable conference calls visit FlyConferencing.com

How to Set Up a Conference Call

Using a conference call provider to enhance your organisation's effectiveness is quickly becoming the norm for many people today.  The beauty of conference calling is that it can bring together a number of people at one time, and this can facilitate business at a level that, for some businesses, has been previously unheard of.

Imagine being able to turn on your computer and make an instant connection with any number of associates in your field of business.   Then imagine being able to conduct business at high speed, with emails being sent in seconds, and roll-outs of new projects being completed within hours.

Meetings happen quicker and much more effectively with online conferencing.   The company representatives can identify a time for a meeting to take place, and then request that all of the relevant people are there at that time,   and then he can prepare all of the relevant documents and upload them to his system.  

Then when everyone is ready, he can simply upload the documents of all to see at the central web server that the provider as made available.   At this point all of the people involved in the meeting can simply look at the relevant documents and add to the creative thinking that is taking place.    All every easy, and all very quick.

If you are in any way responsible for the procurement of communications systems in your organisation, then take the option of online conferencing seriously.   It could very easily be the solution that can transform the way your business gets things done.  Please visit www.flyconferencing.com for more information.

How to Web Conference

Web conferencing and conference calling is quickly becoming the preferred way to do business when it comes to meetings.   The cost of travelling perhaps hundreds of miles just to close a business deal is now pretty much a thing of the past.  Companies are quickly realising that there is a different way of doing things.   And hooking up with a business associate online is that way.

Your preferred online conferencing provider can easily connect you up with a service that will enable you and your organisation to hold online meetings within hours.   From web conferencing resources, to software that you can input into any virtual meeting, the technology is truly staggering, and is transforming the way business is done.   The impact on international business alone is considerable.   Many companies are now reporting savings in the thousands just because they have chosen to hold meetings online, rather than transporting their executives across country, or across the world.

Imagine being able to call a meeting, and then invite your colleague, who is currently on placement in, say, Africa.   You are based in the USA, and prior to this you would have had to arrange either a scratchy telephone call, or a visit to the plant that he oversees.  

Not anymore.   Hook up with a high speed internet source, and talk to him in real time, with video and audio.

It is no wonder that so many businesses are operating in this way.  Find out what online conferencing can do for you and watch it transform the way you do business.  For more information on web conferencing please visit www.flyconferencing.com .

 

How to Conference Call: Go Green, Save Money and Save Time!

Conference calling and web conferencing have rightly become the standard way of doing business online.   In the field of meetings, having the ability to be able to conduct meetings and conferences online from the comfort of your own office has amazing benefits.

However, perhaps the biggest benefit comes in the shape of a reduction in the danger to the environment.   This is often overlooked, but having the option of not sending an executive by public transport has a definite impact on the environment.

It prevents the massive amount of carbon emissions that result from a single air trip.   It also stops the carbon damage that comes from using a car to travel from one place to the next.   This makes for a greener company.

On top of that, the savings in a financial sense can be considerable too.   Take the aforementioned air trip.   The thousands of dollars that can result from having to send someone executive class can be saved by hooking up the executive on the Internet, and having the person or people he was going to meet with online too.   The meeting takes place, and money is saved in a very big way indeed.

In fact, there really are not any arguments against online meetings.  Technology is getting better, so the meetings themselves are conducted under clearer conditions.   And you are guaranteed to save money if you conduct online meetings, simply due to the nature of the beast.

If you are responsible for the communications technology in your organisation, find out more today.   You could end up saving more than you think.

For more information please visit www.flyconferencing.com .