Webinars- when and why

Allow me to take a minute to talk about webinars.

One big webinar company has been sending out emails on a weekly basis lately promoting “E-learning – fast and free.”

Read the fine print, and what they’re really promoting is using the webinar technology – gathering a group of participants around their own computers, while a presenter in another location talks – as a way to train.

I think it’s a great way to train – we use it ourselves for new client implementation training. It’s fast, it’s convenient, and – yes – it’s cheap.

But is it e-learning? Is it an improvement on the traditional classroom approach to training, let alone asynchronous, professionally developed e-learning courses?

Yes, it saves time and money gathering a far-flung team together.

Yes, I can sit at my computer and watch a PowerPoint as well as I can fly to Milwaukee for the same PowerPoint presentation.

But here’s what I do when I’ve registered for a webinar and am participating from the comfort of my desk: I check my email; I write notes to myself about tasks I need to get done; I scan through the stack of stuff on my desk.

What I can’t do is make eye contact with the speaker. I can’t nod, encourage, laugh; interact.

I can’t easily raise my hand; ask questions or clarify points.

In short, I can’t get very engaged in the whole process.

Sometimes, that’s OK, especially if I’m following instructions for navigating a website or creating a new product of some kind. I’m engaged enough just watching and trying to keep up.

At other times, though, it’s a missed opportunity – to engage, connect and grow.

I’ve venture to say that webinar training works best with the most intrinsically engaged employees – and worst with those least intrinsically engaged – usually, our hourly frontline folks.

So it you’re looking for a quick, cheap, easy way to say, “Oh yeah, we provide e-learning for our staff,” think hard before you head the webinar way. You may very well be systematizing a training approach that disconnects rather than connects; that disengages rather than engages.