| The idea of sales training being deliverable in bite | | | | with other pressing work. |
| sized chunks for a dispersed audience who could join | | | | The inclusive interaction that makes learning |
| from anywhere at any time, seems to offer huge | | | | interesting and enjoyable in a classroom, cannot be |
| benefits, however, there are some obstacles to | | | | easily achieved with large numbers using online |
| overcome. | | | | collaboration tools. |
| Teleconference training and webinar use began to | | | | 2. Ask participant about their expectations before the |
| gather momentum about ten years ago. Several | | | | meeting. You might skip this step if you know |
| awful experiences of webinars run by a range of | | | | everyone who will be present, online meetings a re a |
| different large and small organisations encouraged us | | | | regular occurrence for the group, and group |
| to think we could do better. We became pioneers, | | | | members feel free to provide feedback as they think |
| delivering training via a telephone conference call. We | | | | it appropriate including during the meeting. In all other |
| provided a slide deck in advance and allowed | | | | circumstances, I recommend that you ask |
| participants to keep in synch or browse as they | | | | participants about their previous experiences using |
| wished. | | | | the medium and their expectations for the meeting |
| The venture was driven then, as now, by a | | | | that you will be leading. |
| weakening business environment. When the tech | | | | 3. Create a clear and concise agenda that explains |
| market crashed on the back of collapse, closely | | | | how the meeting will be run and what will be |
| followed by the 9/11 incident in 2001, our customers | | | | expected of the participants. Be sure to advise |
| all stopped buying in unison. We urgently needed to | | | | participants what preparation they will be expected |
| find ways to deliver more value for less money. | | | | to have completed and any information that they will |
| Dividing up our classroom material enabled us to offer | | | | be asked to provide. Include a finish time. |
| a range of modules lasting one hour. Limiting the | | | | 4. Test the technology. For one to one sessions |
| number of participants to small groups meant that | | | | where you have communicated this way before, it |
| we could maintain a dialogue that involved everyone. | | | | isn't necessary. Most online collaboration solutions |
| The sessions received good feedback and generated | | | | work reliably once all parties have previously |
| some much needed income. | | | | connected. If some haven't, it is wise to conduct a |
| Business recovered and we went back to delivering | | | | test or have participants run any test software |
| classroom based programmes and face to face | | | | offered by the solution vendor. |
| coaching. Customers and participants preferred the | | | | If you intend to present to a group of people who |
| classroom format and so did we. It is much easier to | | | | gather in a single room and participate using a |
| read an audience and manage the ebb and flow of | | | | projector and an omni-directional microphone, a live |
| energy in a classroom setting. | | | | test is a very wise precaution. Will your voice carry? |
| In the summer of 2009, in the depths of the world | | | | Is the connection fast enough? Will you be able to |
| wide recession, we once again found ourselves | | | | hear the participants? The quality of omni-directional |
| searching for new ways to deliver more for less and | | | | microphones and the acoustic qualities of rooms vary |
| revived our interest in remote coaching and training. | | | | enormously. |
| The technology supporting online meetings had | | | | 5. Rehearse how you will share any documents. |
| advanced significantly, presenting many new options. | | | | Personally, I find that sharing my desktop is the most |
| We spent a couple of months evaluating the choices | | | | workable solution. This way I am using a familiar |
| including Webex, GoToMeeting, Skype, and several | | | | environment and I can add short cuts to the desk |
| of the less well known solutions. The experience | | | | top for everything I might want to use. If I need to |
| gained using the free trials led us to define our | | | | provide files for download, I have the option of |
| selection criteria as reliability, ease of use, VOIP, and | | | | allowing participants access to a secure download |
| video. | | | | page on our web site or using the facilities built into |
| Having re learned the lessons of our early teleclass | | | | the collaboration tool. |
| experiences and tested various ideas, we began | | | | Since I can create polls and questionnaires on our |
| offering a new way for sales teams and individuals to | | | | web site, I can take full control of these mechanisms |
| invest in training and coaching at a considerably lower | | | | of prompting interaction and gathering feedback. |
| cost. Now customers can take part in learning | | | | Alternatively, many collaboration tools include apps |
| programmes when it suits them. There are no travel | | | | that allow similar interaction. Practise what you plan to |
| requirements and learning can be paced to meet | | | | do. |
| individual and group needs. Combining remote | | | | Practice delivery so that you can control interactions |
| coaching and online sales training provides | | | | while maintaining your dialogue or presentation flow. |
| unprecedented flexibility that facilitates adoption of | | | | 6. Have a colleague control the presentation |
| the ideal learning maxim - little and often. | | | | environment. If you are planning a complex |
| If the quality of the chosen web conferencing | | | | presentation with appropriate interaction, consider |
| solution is good and participants aren't mired in | | | | sharing out the tasks so that the presenters can |
| technology problems, it doesn't matter much which | | | | concentrate on presenting. |
| solution is used. It's the human input that determines | | | | 7. Plan for an audience wide interaction every four |
| whether an online session is worthwhile or not. | | | | minutes. Anything less frequent risks participants |
| One of the great benefits of online meetings is that | | | | tuning out. When you are part of a captive audience |
| they rarely waste much time. After a couple of | | | | in a live presentation, the presenter can risk much |
| minutes of dullness, participants just get on with | | | | longer intervals of one way communication because |
| other work. The online meeting can easily be | | | | he or she can gauge attention and the audience can't |
| relegated, turned down, turned off, or left alone in | | | | easily leave. In online sessions, the attendees don't |
| the corner of the screen. | | | | need to leave. They can just turn the sound down |
| If you are responsible for leading an online meeting, | | | | and get on with other work. You will be none the |
| using the following tips will help you avoid setbacks, | | | | wiser. |
| keep participants engaged, provide value, give | | | | 8. Protect enough time at the end of the meeting to |
| attendees a positive experience of using the online | | | | present a summary. This should include |
| medium, and save huge cauldrons full of time and | | | | acknowledgement and thanks for all contributions. |
| money. | | | | 9. Always send a follow up that reiterates the |
| 1. Limit the numbers to ten. This might seem to | | | | summary and provides any supplementary material or |
| exclude some of the uses of online communication | | | | links to where it can be downloaded. If you have |
| such as company wide presentations, large scale | | | | recorded the session, include directions for obtaining |
| webinars, and training classes for large numbers. It | | | | or accessing the recording. |
| does and it should. | | | | This might seem like a lot of work for what should |
| Free webinars are exchanged for the participants | | | | be a more efficient method of communication. The |
| contact details and expression of interest in the topic. | | | | phrase, "If I had more time, I would have been |
| This is then presented to a sales team as a lead for | | | | briefer" has a ring of truth. Many great thinkers have |
| whatever product can deliver relevant solutions. | | | | expressed this thought including T. S. Elliot, Mark |
| Participants are attracted by the offer of free | | | | Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Franklin and |
| education on the topic and in some cases they are | | | | Blaise Pascal. As demands on our time escalate, |
| not disappointed, however the purpose is to collect | | | | brevity will become a virtue. |
| leads. Real learning is an accidental by product. Since it | | | | If online meetings are to prove effective, presenters |
| is free, there are no complaints if delivery is | | | | will need to call on greater levels of discipline, |
| uninspiring. People just tune out. The sponsor still has | | | | forethought, planning, and preparation than they |
| its sales leads. | | | | would have done for face to face meetings. |
| If you are planning a one to many one way | | | | Otherwise, this new domains potency may long |
| presentation, create a broadcast/podcast recording | | | | remain diluted by its reputation. |
| and invest appropriate forethought, planning and | | | | It seems inevitable that more and more meetings will |
| preparation to produce it properly. The resulting | | | | be conducted this way in the future. For those |
| production needs to be at least as interesting as a | | | | prepared to embrace the change, the benefits are |
| good business audio book. Anything less and people | | | | available now. |
| won't be listening. People will tune out and get on | | | | |