Posted by Kathleen S on Wed, Dec 09, 2009 @ 09:38 AM
A web conference is a time and money saver. That much can be proven using substantial real-world evidence. But what about leveraging the web conference to best benefit? What will make this powerful tool all it can be? How can the presenter best reach their audience and maintain control?
- A ship without a rudder can never reach its destination. That holds true for a web conference also. Without specific goals, a web conference can get quickly off course. Consider what the most important goals of your presentation are. What does the audience really need to take away from the presentation? What can they put into action as a result of the presentation?
- Create a brief overview of what your presentation is going to cover. This will serve as an introduction to capture your audience’s attention and prepare them for what they will learn. Remember the old rule about presentations; tell your audience what they are going to learn, provide them with the general informative portion of the presentation and then tell them what they just learned.
- Create a bullet-point list of the most salient points in your presentation. You can do this in outline fashion or put together an actual bullet-point list. Either way, summarize the specific points that are at the heart of your presentation.
- Engage your audience in a dialogue. Make certain that the presentation has segments that include audience participation. This maintains interest and requires a heightened state of attention. Include review or quiz questions and ask for comments or discussion when appropriate.
- As part of your introduction and overview, make it clear why all those who are participating in the presentation will benefit from the content.
- In your summary, remind your audience of the most important points of the presentation. Connect those points with a direct benefit to your audience members. As a goal of your summary, help your audience take away information that they will remember and use to their benefit.
- Make a point of allowing time for questions at the end of your presentation. Questions and answers can uncover additional information that may be on the minds of many of the participants in your presentation. The answers can help strengthen your core message.
Visual considerations
If you presentation has a visual component, that visual component should be reviewed carefully before your presentation. There should be uniformity when using slides. There should also be deliberate pacing that should be rehearsed to keep the audio and visual elements synched correctly. If you are using PowerPoint slides for instance, make certain that they are in the correct order and that they maintain a consistent theme.
Best practices
Depending on what form of web conferencing you are employing for your presentation, consider these tips also:
- If you have a webcam pointed at your face, don’t make your audience stare at the top of your head. Look at the webcam as you would another person’s face during a conversation. You will keep your audience engaged if they see your eyes as you are speaking.
- Avoid a bland delivery. Change the cadence of your speech, tone and volume throughout the presentation to keep your audience’s attention and interest.
- Keep your slides easy to read and uncluttered. Include an introduction slide at the beginning of each segment of your presentation to move your audience into that segment smoothly, while maintaining the flow of information.
Following these simple rules can result in more successful, useful and meaningful web conferencing presentations. Your audiences will walk away informed and impressed and you will have achieved your original goals for the presentation.
Posted by Kathleen S on Mon, Dec 07, 2009 @ 09:31 AM
There was a time when national or international companies had two choices for training employees. For those employees who were not in the same location as the training department, a trainer had to travel to that remote location and stay for the period of the training.
The other option was to fly employees into a central location to provide training. Large companies also had to fly trainers into the corporate office frequently to do ‘train-the-trainer’ sessions. The net effect of all these scenarios was the inherent expenses for travel, lodging, meals, local transportation and sundry expenses. Training has always been necessary, but it has also been a stress on corporate budgets.
Training more efficiently
Different modes of conferencing over telephones, computers and video streaming have changed the face of training. Trainers can stay in one location and provide real-time training to employees in distant locales. This has allowed training departments to spend more time designing new training materials and courses, while spending less time traveling. It has reduced the training department budget and put trainers in front of web cams and at computer terminals and taken them out of airplanes and taxies.
The technology that has enabled these new capabilities moved from telephone lines to IP networks, utilizing a whole new set of hardware and software solutions. The training recipient can be sitting at a computer or in a special training room, at a monitor or watching a large projection screen.
The change to distance training
For the training department which has transitioned from traditional training modalities to web or video conferencing, the change has meant understanding the difference between watching a video and participating in a video. Professional trainers need to adopt their current understanding of curriculum design and instruction to this updated mode of instruction delivery in a virtual environment.
Fortunately for training departments and corporate trainers, there are numerous resources online designed by those who have gone before. Suggestions for a smooth delivery and tips on pacing and interaction are commonplace also.
There are also suggestions for dealing with unplanned events and increasing interaction and perceptual arousal. Methods of content delivery are also unique to video and web conferencing and are well detailed through the experiences of veteran video conferencing trainers. Keeping training participants involved in a dialogue, alternating between new content and review and varying the media used during a session can all be effective methods of successful online training.
Tips for web or video training
Some ideas that have already shown promise and effectiveness for experienced web and video conference trainers center on the recognition that the student is not engaged in the same way as they are when present in a training room. When the training is a two-way video conference, the student should be reminded that they can potentially be seen by all participants. All participants should be reminded of the proper etiquette of this manner of training.
Students should also receive instruction in how to operate any equipment that is required by the method of training. The instructor should remember not to speak for more than fifteen minutes without some student interaction. An ongoing monologue will lose the attention of students.
Training will never be the same. Training professionals will now only have a portion of their students in the same room or none of their students present. Adoption to this training methodology will make training more efficient, less expensive and assessable to all.
Posted by Kathleen S on Fri, Dec 04, 2009 @ 08:35 AM
In large national or international companies, an employee may have a number of conversations with a co-worker at a distant location, but never see who they are talking to. That can be the case over many years. When people meet in person or see each other during a conversation, it changes the whole dynamic of the relationship. Video conferencing accomplishes this and much more.
Video conferencing has been around for a long time, but it was the advent of modern webcams and widespread broadband since the late nineties that have been the real catalyst for its common use. Both hardware and software improvements have made video conferencing a practical solution for businesses of all sizes. That availability may even extend to portable devices.
Practical uses and benefits
Video conferencing may even play a key role in helping the environment by making telework more feasible. By creating a virtual work environment, video conferencing can allow co-workers to collaborate on projects in a way not possible before, allowing more employees who live far from their work locations to stay home.
Online courses at universities and colleges have taken a big leap forward because of video conferencing. Students can watch a professor teach a course as if they were there in the classroom. They can watch graphical presentations also as if they were present.
Video conferencing; close to real life
As with other conferencing technologies, video conferencing saves on travel expenses, time absent from the workplace and time spent traveling. It can bring participants together into a virtual meeting that is as close to the real thing as possible.
While high definition has sparked a revolution in the television industry, the same technology has increased the realism of remote participants in a video conference, making the experience as close to having all participants physically in a room as possible. Combined with higher bandwidth capabilities, video conferencing has achieved a more lifelike ability and practicality.
Multiple participants can be projected or displayed on a single screen during a video conference. This allows for instant recognition of the participant who is currently speaking. Improvements in packet loss handling and codec optimization have increased the overall quality of video images, audio and uniformity.
Video Conference Considerations
Considerations for video conferencing include the video call reliability, ease of use and total ROI. Video conferencing has come far enough to be a turnkey solution including second and third generation content delivery tools, networks and services and audio/video integration. Real-time call management services can take control of most of the tasks so that participants can concentrate on their meeting.
Additional considerations for a video conferencing system would be intuitive controls or minimal controls, the ability to remotely diagnose problems on the fly and easy system testing. Cameras should be versatile and easily mounted. Conference phones should reduce noise and distortion and have the capability to capture voices near and far.
Posted by Susan Normandin on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 @ 03:43 PM
How do you bring all of the stakeholders on a project together if they are in different parts of the country? How about, different parts of the world? You could have them jump on a plane and fly to one central location. You could arrange a conference call. Or, you could give them the capability to share ideas through both audio and visual means. That last method is what Web Conferencing is all about. Often, a browser and Internet connection are enough to get started.
A multi-use tool; web conferencing offers many benefits
Web conferencing allows the participants to hear each other, see each other and see graphics or illustrations all at the same time. It is the total collaboration tool and it doesn’t require a dime for airfare.
Companies, who regularly have to provide training to their employees, will find that web conferencing offers many benefits and cost savings. This interactive form of communication includes a number of methods to enhance discussion and collaboration. For graphical illustration, Power Point slides can be used. A virtual whiteboard, Word document or text message can provide visual information also.
The uses of web conferencing are varied. As a company-wide training tool, the trainer can poll participants afterwards to gauge the effectiveness of each session. Participants can also use private messaging to ask the trainer questions during or after the web conference.
While intra-company training is a likely candidate for the medium, collaboration between two separate companies can be enhanced by using web conferencing. Companies working together on the development of a new product can coordinate their efforts and development teams through web conferencing.
Selling through web conferencing
For a company’s sales force, web conferencing offers a panacea of opportunities. Sales presentations can be made to prospective clients globally. The presentation can be illustrated with charts, graphs and testimonials that drive the product or services’ benefits home. Product photographs and specifications can also be employed.
If the company’s prospect isn’t fully ready to buy, the company has not depleted part of their budget to fly salespeople across the country or around the world. A lost or delayed sale is limited to disappointment and not the cost of plane tickets, accommodations and time away from the office.
Companies that sell software or a physical product can use web conferencing to demonstrate usage and provide product training to customers near and far. Product questions can also be addressed by way of video conferencing in order to provide a quick answer when time is crucial.
A complete solution
Web conferencing can combine a view of the presenters’ or participants’ desktop with VoIP or telephone for a complete audio/video exchange. The participants can view each other or the presenter by using webcams and view websites, documents, videos or slides online.
As a technology that is now in its second decade, web conferencing has been tweaked and perfected to provide companies of all sizes with a reliable, cost-effective means to interact for participants in multiple locations or sitting at hundreds of workstations.
Posted by Susan Normandin on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 @ 01:27 PM
The participants in a conference call are gathered around the conference table. The VP’s and managers have left their offices; the tech person has the conference phone ready to go as the clock hits 9am. The number to the distant group is called and then nothing. The VP’s are looking at their watches, the managers are tapping their fingers on the table top and the tech person is sweating. Good conference call equipment is important.
Conference phone features
The primary piece of equipment for a conference call is a conference phone. A good conference phone should have good fidelity, allow participants to speak at a normal level and provide easy controls. Phones using wideband audio technology provide a higher level of voice quality and realism. Noise reduction features can eliminate distracting background noises such as heating or cooling systems. Higher quality microphones can pick up voices from a distance, allowing some participants to be further from the conference phone.
Good conference phones also allow simultaneous two-way conversation without cutting off one party. A good, reliable mute button is very important. A good internal phone book will provide a quick way to connect with the other party without scrambling to find the right number and volume control is a must have. Redial and a choice of several ringtones are nice features also. Extension microphones and a subwoofer are add-on options with some equipment.
Today’s conference call equipment is less intrusive than it was even five years ago. Some conference phones offer a wireless feature and only require a cord for power. Some even offer a complete cordless option, running on batteries. This last alternative may be problematic though, as frequency problems and battery power can play havoc with an important call. Imagine the sales department in the middle of closing a major sale and the connection drops.
More considerations
Some conferencing phones can interconnect to allow for coverage in larger rooms. Several units can be placed strategically to pick up every voice clearly. The wide frequency range of Wideband phones can transmit a clear, accurate voice transmission that is the equivalent of comparing high definition television to standard television. This feature works even with a standard phone line.
The quality of the cords, microphones and software all effect the quality of a conference call. Another consideration is voice-activated microphones so that the person speaking closest to a remote or central microphone can be heard. Some units allow for recording of both sides of a conference call at the touch of a button as an added convenience.
Conference bridge
Another tool for holding a teleconference is a conference bridge. This hardware solution connects participants in a secure, controlled environment. The system can allow for management of the conference call including an automated headcount, custom greetings, voice prompts and administrator control. On the fly conference calls are possible with these systems.
With a variety of conferencing options on the market today, additional equipment may be required. Save money on equipment and save time by using C3 Conferencing for your next conference. With our easy to features, including, call recording - your next conference call will be a snap.
Posted by Kathleen S on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 01:00 PM
You may be tempted to try free conference call services for your nonprofit, but be sure you really know what you are getting into before you make an important call on a free service. As with anything, there are pros and cons to free audio conferencing services.
Is it Really Free?
Clearly, the main advantage to free audio conferencing is that it is free and therefore does not take away from valuable resources. One must consider, however, whether this is actually the case in the end. The poor quality of free services can cost you donors and eventually end up hurting your budget. Some services promise free service that turns out to last five minutes. Then the provider charges an exorbitant rate per minute or locks you into a contract.
Understanding the Basics
Free conference calls are funded by advertisers. The conference provider is being paid to get your eyes on someone’s advertising campaign. Because advertising revenues have fallen so sharply, margins for these companies are razor thin. There is no budget for customer service or support. These are automated services that cannot do anything for you if something goes wrong.
Customer Service
When you pay for audio conferencing, you are paying for a few things. Foremost is the dashboard interface. Developers have been paid to make it intuitive and easy for you to use. Next is the service. Live operators are available 24 hours 7 days a week to help with any problems that may occur. Donations are hard enough to come by without trying to reschedule a meeting because of a problem with conferencing software.
Sound Quality
Free conferencing providers cannot afford to maintain their own private IP networks. This means your call is going over a public IP network, sharing bandwidth with other downloads and uploads. Your voice signal is easily disrupted in a public VoIP environment. A paid service can offer a dedicated and stable line for dependable and clear quality at every meeting. This eliminates the possibility that file transfers will disrupt your phone call. In the end, paying for an affordable audio conferencing solution makes a lot more sense than using a free service.
Posted by Kathleen S on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 09:35 AM
As a professional in a nonprofit organization, you know there are many ways to help your organization save money, but convincing the board that you know a better way can be a challenge. Board members and executive directors have been in the nonprofit sector a long time and they have a certain way of doing things that they prefer. Hopefully, they are not still flying all over the country for meetings. If they are using web conferencing, have they chosen the best provider?
Many companies go with big names they know because it feels safe, even though those companies are charging too much money for too little service. All audio, Web and video conferencing solutions provide essentially the same tools. The trick is finding an affordable service with an intuitive design and excellent customer support.
The big names don’t have the monopoly on conferencing tools. The same services are available in most places, such as whiteboards, conference recording and instant messaging. So why does that service cost so much more from the big names?
Find out how much your organization is spending on a monthly conferencing plan and work out how much time is being spent on that plan. Do the math and you will find that there are other providers available for much less. Chart a graph showing what you spend now versus what you could be spending.
You will also need to point out times when problems arose with that big name plan. Point out how you need to download software to use the plan. These things can be avoided simply by choosing a browser-based provider with 24/7 live customer support.
Take your graph and these arguments with you to the board with a bullet list of benefits, savings and other ways the money could be better spent. Explain that the cheaper conferencing provider has all the same tools, but better support and a lower cost. Offer to hold a test conference so they can try it out and show them the superiority of the new service. It is likely they will at least agree to a 30 day trial. Once they have tried your new system and see how well it fares against the big names your organization will never switch back.
Posted by Kathleen S on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 @ 09:55 AM
There is a movement underway in America. Young people everywhere are forming their own nonprofit organizations to support the causes about which they care. Technology has made it a simple matter to reach out to supporters using social media and the like. These burgeoning philanthropists and existing nonprofits face more challenges than ever when it comes to raising funds and using those funds efficiently.
In the past, most nonprofits were so deeply entrenched in outreach and delivering services, there was little remaining resource for addressing capacity and scalability. However, as budgets began shrinking and need increasing with the down economy, nonprofits have been forced to think like big business. They are finding ways to cut costs and expand services without sacrificing their main missions.
Today, all nonprofits are networked in some way. Most have websites and all have e-mail ad¬dresses. Nonprofit leaders are beginning to embrace technology and seek out tools that will help them raise funds, awareness and membership. They seek tools that support high volume use, are easy to use and affordable. Many nonprofits have found just such a tool in audio and web conferencing.
Essentially, conferencing software is a communication tool. It allows organizations to build community by disseminating rich and detailed information to a wide audience. It lets everyone connect quickly and easily, anytime from anywhere. The variety of features included in audio and web conferencing lets organizations do more with tools like document sharing, call recording, instant messaging, multiple presenter capability, whiteboards and more.
While this is the same technology large for-profit businesses use to make operations more cost effective and efficient, nonprofits have special needs that conferencing technology meets.
Cost Control: Because audio conferencing per-minute pricing plans are exceptionally affordable. Sincere fees are charged per call instead of monthly, it is easy to assign costs from a specific initiative.
New Volunteer Training: Training new volunteers quickly is essential to maintaining continuous services. Through Web conferencing, document sharing and recording sessions, new volunteers are quickly trained. Nonprofits can avoid duplicative training sessions by playing back recorded training sessions to new volunteers.
Universal Access: Because volunteers and stakeholders are geographically dispersed and may use varying technologies, good conferencing software works across all platforms and is simple to use. Browser-based systems with intuitive interfaces make conferencing easy for anyone, no matter where they are or what systems they use.
When nonprofits embrace audio and web conferencing, they are able to gain more support, raise more funds and help more people.
Posted by Kathleen S on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 @ 09:53 AM
Audio or Web conferencing will be most successful for those nonprofit organizations that take the time evaluate certain critical needs the software must fill. The essentials of conferencing include features that address accessibility, costs, ease of use and productivity tools. Here is a rundown of the conferencing features no nonprofit can afford to be without.
Accessibility
Conferencing software must support various operating systems and browsers. Because constituents are technologically diverse, providers must be able to reach them on browser-based systems, including net-books, computers, networked personal data assistants and cellular phones. If the conferencing provider requires a download and install to run, many constituents will be left out, defeating the purpose of acquiring conferencing services in the first place.
Ease of Use
Conferencing solutions with simple, intuitive interfaces make the host’s job easier when setting up a conferencing. Because some meetings must be set up serendipitously, a simple interface is essential. Just a few clicks and the meeting should be up and running within seconds.
Conferencing solutions with live 24/7 support are easier to use and provide greater satisfaction for their customers and participants. Operators help conference participants connect quickly and easily, taking the support burden from your hands. Support systems should provide help within minutes to ensure participants are not left waiting while the conference goes on without them.
Productivity Tools
Conferencing providers include productivity tools to make collaboration easier. Desktop sharing is among the most important productivity tools to have in Web conferencing. Without desktop sharing, it becomes difficult to show audiences the topic you are discussing. No matter what system your audience is on, conferencing should let you show them your desktop, documents you wish to present and even share applications. Other important productivity tools include a whiteboard, instant messaging, and call recording.
Call recording is an essential productivity tool. Being able to record a call or conference is essential to making information more accessible and useable. By recording training sessions and important meetings, anyone who missed the presentation can come back and view it when they have time. This ensures everyone’s needs are met on their own schedules.
These essential tools will ensure you get the most from your conferencing provider. Other important tools include instant messaging transcripts, pay-as-you go pans and toll-free calling. This last item is especially important, letting participants access your audio and Web conferences without incurring charges. This encourages greater participation and enhances the image of any organization.
Posted by Kathleen S on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 @ 09:50 AM
No matter where your nonprofit is headquartered, employees, volunteers, and funders can be anywhere in the country or the world. While email and phone are helpful communication tools, they pale in comparison to the power of audio, Web and video conferencing technology.
Email and telephone only allow partial communications. Time elapses until recipients can read and respond to emails. Many times, decisions made by one party will be dependent upon the decisions made by other parties. Even instant communication by telephone cannot provide communication as efficiently since it often limits the number of parties who can be included in a single conversation. Decisions and goals are accomplished more efficiently when all the stakeholders meet in one place at one time.
That meeting does not have to take place in person. Conferencing, whether by audio, Web or video, accomplishes the same tasks, without depleting your budget from vital funds. Those funds are better used to help those individuals that your organization supports.
Most Web-conferencing services have very similar features and capabilities, but not all services are equal. Choosing the right service for your organization will depend on cost, support and ease of administration.
Cost is a vital consideration in the current climate of tight budgets and dwindling donations. More people need your services, yet you have fewer funds with which to provide those services. For this reason, you must choose an affordable provider. By choosing a plan that charges only for the minutes you use, your organization will save money and be able to track the costs of each initiative more easily.
Customer service and support are also very important when choosing a conferencing provider. Make sure you can talk to a live support person at any time of the day. Good providers will even have a customer service representative call you and ask if you need any help navigating the system or if you have any questions that need answering.
Ease of administration is the third critical issue. Make sure your conferencing provider does not require you to download any software to be up and running. Check out the user dashboard to ensure you and your organization members can navigate it quickly and easily. Look at how the features function and be sure you can access the functions easily when you need them. Once you have checked out these three major factors, you can be confident you are choosing a conferencing provider that will serve your needs.
