10 Best Practices For Virtual Classrooms

10 Best Practices for Web Conferences
Moving face-to-face training to delivery via web conference
By Darlene Christopher
Copyright 2009 D. Christopher

Web Conferencing is...
Interactive
Engaging
Convenient
Effective

However some web conferences are…
Boring
Disorganized
Frustrating
Ineffective

Follow these 10 best practices to deliver a
top-notch web conference

1. Content Matters
Don’t dump your slides used in face-to-face training into a web conferencing tool and expect a successful session.
Trim your content, create
pre-work/post work and
optimize remaining content.

2. Dress it Up
Add images to convey key concepts.
Replace text heavy slides with images.
Pay close attention to copyright rules.

3. Keep it Lively
Plan to interact every 3-5 minutes.
Use polls, chat, white boarding, breakout rooms and status icon changes.
The interactivity will take time, which is why you need to trim your content (see #1).

4. Pair Up
It’s difficult to talk, read and type at the same time. These tasks need to be shared.
The facilitator is the subject matter expert who does most of the talking. He or she pairs up with a producer who is the web conferencing expert and does most of the reading and typing.

5. Practice Makes Perfect
Rehearse with a mock audience. Otherwise the first time you deliver your training, you will rehearse with your live audience.
Rehearse a complete delivery to ensure you can cover the material and exercises in the allotted time.

6. Find Your Voice
The facilitator’s voice carries additional importance.
Use clear and precise language.
Avoid slang and monotony.
Record your rehearsal and hear it for yourself.

7. Show Time
Log in at least 30 minutes early, then start and end on time.
Engage the audience early, exposing them to the interactive features (chat, polls, audio, status icon changes, polls).

8. The Sound of Silence
Your audience needs time to processa question or read a poll and determine how they will respond. Typing a response in the chat area requires even more time.
Resistthe urge to jump in and break the silence . Let your participants fill the pause instead.

9. Have a Plan “B”
Log in as a host/presenter on your computer. Have an extra computer logged in as a participant next to you. That way you can see the participant view and you have a back up computer.
Keep screen shots handy in a PowerPoint, if you plan to do application sharing.
Think of other back-up plans
specific to your needs.

10. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
Conduct an online evaluation during the last few minutes of your session.
Debrief with your delivery team immediately after your session concludes.
Incorporate feedback from attendees and the delivery team into your training program for continuous improvement.

About Me
Darlene Christopher is a web conferencing professional. She designs and delivers web conferences for global audiences at the World Bank Group. Follow her web conferencing blog at: http://webconferencingzone.blogspot.com/

http://www.work-innovation.de	104
http://www.toolblog.de	84
http://www.lte-unifi.net	58
http://eps411.com	42
http://virtualearn.blogosfere.it	41
http://www.slideshare.net	9
http://cehosting.blackboard.com	8
http://lte-unifi.net	5
http://www.linkedin.com	4
https://ssl-account.com	4
http://eduspaces.net	1
http://feeds.blogosfere.it	1
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	1

10 Best Practices For Virtual Classrooms

by schlumpin on Aug 25, 2009

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

13 Embeds 362

Statistics

10 Best Practices For Virtual Classrooms Presentation Transcript