Conferencing Blog - Company Information - Conference Plus.com

Great advice for novice webinar presenters

2011-08-31T19:00:16Z

As the sponsor of the Ask the Expert webinar program and a provider of services used by webinar presenters, ConferencePlus finds that topics relating to best practices for producing and delivering successful webinar programs continue to be well-attended events. That's understandable because webinars are still a relatively new media format, whether used in marketing or training, two of the most frequent applications.]]> Ken Molay, president of Webinar Success, blogger, and frequent contributor to our Ask the Expert program, took advantage of a real-life occurrence while presenting the live August webinar on the topic of Optimizing Local vs. Remote Presentations to highlight an example of why it is important it is to have back-up plans or "failsafe" procedures in place when delivering live webinars. Ken shared with the audience that, prior to the start of the webinar, he had lost internet access and was required to rely on his backup plan, which was to have the moderator of the event (me) push the slides for the entire event while he referred to his own copy of the presentation, which he had readily available.

Being an experienced webinar presenter, Ken wasn't deterred in the slightest during our pre-conference walk-through as he explained how he would coordinate with me to indicate when to push the slides as non-intrusively as possible. How Ken was able to "queue" me to push the next slide during his presentation is a good lesson for webinar presenters, and well worth a listen, as is his advice on the importance of planning and adapting when delivering remote presentations. For additional insights, go to Ken's blog article where he also discusses this in more detail.

Roger Rosenquist is the Director of Marketing for ConferencePlus.

August 24th "Ask the Expert Webinar" with Ken Molay

2011-08-17T20:28:46Z

It is no secret that the business scene is becoming increasingly tough and today cost cutting is one of the things you absolutely have to do. In other words, utmost efficiency has become a matter of survival for businesses. ]]> As it turns out, one of the things that occupy a lot of business time is meetings. We are talking about the whole range of them: from intra-departmental meetings to inter-departmental businesses, and onto external meetings with customers and partners. A closer examination of the business meeting process shows that the meetings very frequently revolve around information shared in the form of presentations. In fact, a common format is usually a question one of a person making their presentation, others taking notes out of it, asking questions and then another participants giving his or her presentation... until the meeting is over.

Not surprisingly, because of the opportunities for amazing cost savings, many such meetings today involve attendees and presenters who participate remotely, through the use of web conferencing, in "hybrid" meetings that include both local and remote participants and presentations.

A basic rule of successful presentation is to tailor your message to your audience, and that is especially important when you are presenting remotely. It is equally important for those who are presenting locally in a hybrid meeting to gauge their presentation to remote attendees.

The opportunities for cost savings that come through remote presentation software are simply amazing. ConferencePlus and Ken Molay , President & Founder of Webinar Success, will address this topic of "Local vs. Remote Presentations", in the upcoming "Ask the Expert" webinar on August 24th, where Ken will share his thoughts on how to optimize a presentation based on the environment in which it's delivered.

Roger Rosenquist is the Director of Marketing for ConferencePlus.

Are you bitten by "e-opinions"?

2011-05-13T15:51:26Z

If you are reading this, then you are using the social media.We all know how this great "information super hub" has changed the way we make purchasing decisions, buy products and services, communicate with colleagues and family, and even the way we work.]]> We're always listening to what others have to say about their experiences with certain products and services. And then we rely on our trusted network of peers and their 'e-opinions' (or "e-pinions, if I may say so!).

For example, Jenny loves the functionality of her vacuum cleaner and finds the service to be a stellar. Where she is likely to go to share her excitement and tell her friends? Facebook, Twitter, Digg, the list is endless.

On the flip side, if the vacuum is more hype and less quality then she's even more likely to tell her friends using her virtual megaphone to the world through social media sites. The conversation isn't just limited to just her small circle anymore, rather she uses the Social Media as her soapbox, which can make or break a brand. Sounds familiar? Yes we all do that more or less!

From a work perspective, 69% of B2B decision makers use social media for business purposes.

Not only are we less confined to the office desks, an increasing number of us are making decisions based on e-opinions that are available on the internet from strangers while ignoring the recommendation of the person in the next cubicle.

But, how much can we trust what we read online? When it comes to this question, I will always be curious!

Devi Ghosh is the Marketing Manager for ConferencePlus.

Webinar Feedback - Are they listening?

2011-05-04T15:25:20Z

Keep 'em interested. Keep 'em involved!

Engagement has slowly become an over-rated word in the social media world. Yet engagement is a "gotta-have" component of an effective webinar. If the audience is interested and participatory, then be happy that your message has been delivered successfully!]]> Unfortunately, webinar presenters can't see the yawns and shuffles while delivering their presentations and trying to keep the audience engaged. However, adding polls and surveys to a webinar is an ideal way to ensure the message is hitting the target.

Hope these tips will come in handy:

Keep it simple - Simple true/false, yes/no or multiple choice webinar questions will give you easy-to-interpret results and your audience a simple way to participate in the presentation.
Poll throughout the presentation - Asking questions on a regular basis help keeping the attendees plugged into the presentation. Poll questions also give presenters the real-time information on the audience involvement.
Conduct a post-event survey - All of us want to know if the presenter spoke too fast or too slow or if the content wasn't detailed enough for the audience. Use the post-event survey to get a big picture of its success or failure and to develop content for the next event.

Engaging the audience through polls is a key part of a webinar that generates leads, educates attendees, or delivers the kind of result you're looking for!

Are you ready to ask the right question?

2011-04-27T21:28:22Z

Our recent Ask the Expert webinar, "Selling to your customers who don't have time to see you" prompted me to write this blog. During that live event, presented by Chris Lytle, it was interesting to see how Chris kept the audience engaged by asking right questions at the right time. ]]> Whether you are trying to engage a group of trainees or generate potential leads, these webinar tips may help you on your next webinar:

Use questions as a lead-in to a new topic. This is an ideal way for presenters and facilitators to gauge the level of detail you'll need to go into during that section.
Use direct and relevant questions that foster thinking and encourage a response. For instance, if you've just demonstrated something, ask how attendees might use that function in their day-to-day tasks.
It's important to let the audience know how you'll deal with questions. Will you answer questions submitted via chat during the session? Will you address them all at the end? It is good to decide before the webinar how the questions will be handled and then let attendees know what to expect. Many webinars will have a dedicated assistant managing the chat queue during the event and either feeding the most engaging questions and comments to the presenter throughout the presentation or addressing them at the end of the presentation. Either way can work, with a good assistant!

Webinar best practices aren't just about starting on time or making sure the slides are readable. It's equally important to ask the right questions to make an event successful and keeping the audience involved.

We are bringing our Managed Bridge Solutions at the Interop 2011 Expo in Las Vegas!

2011-04-19T14:00:45Z

Many large enterprises have attempted to deliver conferencing services throughout their organization by investing in on-premise audio or video conference bridging equipment. In most cases this decision is made to eliminate transport costs incurred with using hosted services delivered by a service provider. Too often, however, those companies find that transport cost savings quickly vanish due to the cost of equipment maintenance contracts, hardware and software upgrades, and the costs related to user on-boarding. Add in the need to care for user support, security requirements and address disaster recovery issues, and the case for the purchase of on-premise bridging equipment becomes questionable.

ConferencePlus has developed a unique solution that provides such enterprises with the cost savings and security benefits of an on-premise conferencing solution, combined with the management umbrella of a Conferencing Service Provider. Your employees and conference call participants benefit from 24x7 support, full integration with leading web conferencing tools like Cisco WebEx and Microsoft LiveMeeting and even single-sign-on (SSO) integration with existing systems. All for one low fixed monthly fee with no separate maintenance contracts, and no capital expenditures.

With over 21 years of expertise in this area, ConferencePlus can help you determine if a Managed Bridge solution is a fit for your enterprise.

Stop by to see us at booth #1480 at the Interop Expo, May 10-12, 2011 in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas to see if you should be considering a Managed Bridge Solution.

We look forward to seeing you at the Interop 2011 Expo!

]]>

Hoping to see you at the Channel Partners Conference!

2011-03-07T22:33:00Z

Spring is almost here and so is the Channel Partners 2011 Conference in Las Vegas! Our ConferencePlus Channel Partners team is off to the sunny city of Las Vegas to meet you. If you are, or want to be a ConferencePlus Channel Partner be sure to see us at the Conference and Expo.]]> We want to tell you about the complete range of private label branding services that ConferencePlus offers to wholesale resellers and why partnering with ConferencePlus is the best choice for providing superior conferencing services to your clients.

For more information on our Channel Partners Program, contact our Sr. Channel Manager, Tom Kolettis, at tkolettis@conferenceplus.com.

Have a great trip!

Have you tried the power of webcasting yet?

2011-02-23T19:52:01Z

There was a time when webcasting was underutilized and was just limited to corporate training sessions or annual general conferences. Today, savvy businesses are finding creative ways to leverage the power of an engaging and inspiring webcast to build brand visibility and efficiently reach a large audience. ]]> But how? Here are some pointers:

Case Studies

Case studies continue to remain a key element in driving brand awareness and building customer confidence.While written case studies have a place in the marketing materials, from websites to brochures, there's also a place for delivering case studies via pre-recorded webcasts delivered on-demand. Incorporating a testimonial from a happy customer or dynamic charts that detail the success can be extremely effective.

Content

"Content is King" is no longer just a buzz word of the season. In this era of user generated content one of the keys to building the strong relationship that nurtures dedicated consumers is to offer dynamic content and communication that provides value. For many companies, that means adding pages of articles and blog entries.Using on-demand webcasts is an ideal way to add engaging and useful content that interests the potential and current clients.

Events

The flexibility of webcasting makes it the perfect channel for both live and on-demand events.Some brands use webcasting to draw in their consumers. Other companies have incorporated webcasting into their service offerings.Some webcasting platforms have integrated with social media networks to schedule ongoing updates during the events.

When it's time to put the power of webcasting to work, contact the experts like ConferencePlus to help transform your brand-building ideas into action.

Primer on running a stress free online meeting

2011-02-17T04:49:31Z

We all could probably fill volumes with the business know-how that we didn't learn in school, from how to deal with different personalities to say when you realize you've left project meeting notes sitting on the kitchen counter. How to run a stress-free, results-producing teleconference would probably make that list. Here's a primer on running an online meeting that focuses on getting the results that will make you smile:

We all know the pain of being trapped in a long, long, long meeting. A simple way to make a longer conference call more pleasant--and more productive--is to schedule breaks that allow everyone to stretch their legs, refill the coffee cup, and use the restroom.
Common courtesy dictates that if you're running a face-to-face meeting you should not check email, take another phone call, or text your friends. The same common courtesy applies for teleconferencing. The meeting will run more efficiently (and probably take less time!) if you focus on the task at hand.
Maybe you need to break up an argument the kids are having in your home office or perhaps you need to talk to an in-room colleague. Whatever the reasons are you need to "mute" the conversation. Make sure the headset or phone has a mute indicator button so you know exactly when you're in broadcast mode..
Consider an operator-assisted online meeting, especially if you're in charge of a high-profile event or a conference call with a large number of attendees. A professional operator can handle the logistics, so you can focus on accomplishing your goals.

With some planning you can become a Master of the Conference Call. Okay, maybe you won't be able to list that particular achievement on your resume, but it will at least make your teleconferences more efficient and more productive.

]]>

Webcast...Webinar...Web Meeting - Which is Which?

2011-02-08T17:22:57Z

When I first entered the conferencing business, I found myself wondering - what's the difference between a webinar and a webcast? So it's not surprising that many people who are not familiar with conferencing platforms are confused by the different "web event" terminologies used in conferencing services sales and marketing communications. My article today focuses on clarifying those terminologies.

What is a Web Meeting or an Online Meeting?

A web meeting or an online meeting is an easy, on-demand way to add a visual component to your conference calls and simply requires the internet. Features include desktop sharing, chat, file presentation and more.

What is a Webinar?

A webinar allows presenters to "push" out content to their viewers via slides. Visual components are available through the Internet and audio is heard over the phone. A study by Business.com found that a whopping 67% of business leaders who rely on social media for business information seek out relevant podcasts or webinar.

What is a Webcast?

A webcast is typically used for formal presentations or those that will reach a large audience. Streaming media technology is used to distribute the content from one source to viewers. The Internet is used to broadcast live or pre-recorded audio and/or video and users do not have to download a plug-in. Presenters are able to engage the audience and gather a real-time feedback.

Web conferencing is often used as a general term in reference to any or all of the above. Hope this helps!

]]>

Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse and Snowzilla or Online Meetings?

2011-02-03T19:24:16Z

Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse and Snowzilla are some of the words that the media has been using to define the Chicago snow storm that we experienced on Feb 2, 2011.

I watched the sky turning rusty red from my window.The wind gusts were upwards of 50 MPH with zero visibility. When I tried opening my front door the next day, I couldn't - because there was a 6 foot snow drift in front of my door! Half of my little abode was buried under the snow.

]]> Thankfully, I work for a conferencing services company! Fortunately for those of us who are lucky enough to be able to work from home, conferencing still allows us to conduct business as usual. I was able to open up my calendar invite and join my web conferencing with a click of a button. Business as usual, well except for the 19 inches of snow that I was looking at out my window.

Let's hope there won't be another snow storm like this soon and whenever it happens again please save yourself some stress and be ready to conduct online meetings.

Tips on Conferencing Etiquette

2011-01-26T21:17:02Z

As more and more people begin using conferencing as part of the standard way to conduct business - the question is posed, what are the do's and do not's of conducting a conference call?

Yes,I do mean conference call etiquette. Like table manners, there are some manners required while conducting a conference call. We seem to have business etiquette for introductions, making presentations but for those who are venturing into webinars and demos via web conferencing or video conferencing - how can we ensure a professional conference call experience?

]]> Like any presentation,the key is to practice and prepare ahead of time. If you are using a new audio or web conferencing service for the first time - make sure to get familiar with the tool first. If you are conducting a demo or sharing any file make sure that you have all your documents or presentation materials ready.

Here are some tips:

Plan ahead for an efficient and effective online meeting. In the conference invitation, inform participants of the purpose, agenda and time limit for your meeting.
Forward the Audience Invitation to each individual invited to attend. This will provide them all the information they need to quickly and easily enter you're your audio and web conferences.
Dial in to your conference at least 5 minutes before the start of your meeting to prepare yourself and to prevent your guests from waiting for you on hold.
Start the conference with a greeting and a roll call to confirm attendance and inform all participants of who is on the conference call.
Advise participants who are not actively speaking to mute their phones in order to eliminate background noise.
Last but not the least, always turn your head away from the headphone if you are coughing or sneezing.

Improve Your Voice, Improve Your Sales

2011-01-20T15:04:16Z

I've got to be honest; it all started when I came across this article "Improve Your Voice, Improve Your Sales". I frequently get some interesting comments when someone hears me over the phone without first meeting me. It starts something like "Umm... you sounded very mature when I first heard your voice" or "Oh well you sound very serious" or I have heard something like this also "When I first heard you, I thought I am talking to someone very senior but you turned out to be much younger".

]]> Since I am smart cookie, I can read between the lines. All the above statements actually tell me "Hey you really sound very old over the phone but I am pleasantly surprised to find that's not true". Over the years, I turned out to be extremely self-conscious of my husky imperfect "old" voice.

Occasionally, my job requires me to be a webinar host to introduce the speakers and moderate the Q&A sessions. Each time, during test recording of my script; I cringe hearing my own voice. Numerous consolations from my boss and colleagues have succumbed in front of my deep rooted self criticism.

This makes me wonder how the webinar speakers can keep their voice upbeat and in many ways so dramatic. The over the top, high pitched, pep talks that entice audience, is still beyond my abilities. The art of voice modulation is probably one of the most important "must-have" that regular webinar speakers need. While addressing an audience using audio conferencing or web conferencing , the ability to project your voice and modulate can actually make or break a webinar lecture.

If you're making a speech to the sales team to explain how to generate leads or as part of a marketing initiative, it will be a lot more effective if the audience is engaged and is listening to you until the end of your webinar. All of us have a natural way of varying the pitch of our voices when we are in a social settings but it gets really tricky to do the same while delivering a business speech, especially to an audience whom you can't see.

This requires proper training and that's probably why expert webinar speakers are in high demand in the today's corporate environment. Speaking is an art and speaking at webinars needs special expertise and training to identify when to slow the pace and enunciate clearly to emphasize a point.

So if you are want to use webinars as your sales and marketing tool to get your message across your audience maybe it is worthwhile to explore the option of getting some formal training before you kick start your new endeavor.

And don't forget to get feedback from people who know the craft.

Planning an Upcoming Webinar?

2011-01-13T19:47:49Z

Whether you are considering adding a webinar program to your marketing mix, or looking for ways to improve and expand your existing webinar program, be sure to check out the Webinar Success site at www.wsuccess.com. You'll find a great deal of helpful recommendations and ideas that cover everything webinar-related, from webinar basics to presenter training and tips about webinar recordings.

]]> Webinar Success founder Ken Molay also shares his expertise on a frequently updated Webinar Blog. Of course, I'm slightly biased towards his recent posting that reviews ConferencePlus' Share Portal content management service. However, you'll find that his blog covers an impressively wide range of webinar-related providers and topics in a way that is both interesting and insightful, which is why I'm a frequent visitor.

What's Your Fear Factor?

2011-01-07T17:05:23Z

I am claustrophobic. I am afraid of being locked in an enclosed area and not being able to breathe. I make sure that I have access to an outlet that allows me to breathe the air coming from outside in case of any eventuality and definitely I ensure not to enter into an elevator alone!

There I said it all! There were endless debates in my mind trying to find out at what level this psychological fear impacts me. For some people, it is the fear of talking in front of others without being able to see their facial expression. A recent survey reveals that more than 39% of office staff are concerned about their appearance on camera and is not comfortable using video conference.

]]> Public speaking is a talent and sometimes it's intimidating. It becomes worse when you are not face to face with your audience, don't know what they are thinking, can't see their facial expressions. In a nutshell you are actually talking to a computer screen and trying to gauge in your mind that you are getting your message across. Needless to mention, like a supercomputer your brain keeps wondering if you are looking right and talking right!

Even in this era of new age technology, video conferencing stands like a giant scary monster to most people. Whereas we all are very comfortable using Skype on a regular basis to chat with our friends and families, the thought of using Video Conferencing for business development or sales presentations or for any other business purposes ,make many of us uncomfortable. But if we really start thinking about the values that audio conferencing, web conferencing and video conferencing create in our daily work productivity, it may be worth the effort to overcome the phobia.

Conferencing is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity for an organization in today's World, where we have clients not limited to a specific geographical boundary. It cuts the cost of traveling, increases the bottom line and not to mention it reduces the carbon footprint.

However conferencing requires practice. It's not important how great we sound over the Audio Conferencing or how our appearances may look over the Video Conferencing, the most important thing is to get comfortable with the medium. Once that happens, perfection, fluidity, passion and the ability to engage the audience will happen in no time.

You need a great conferencing call provider to help you overcome the initial hurdles by providing an easy to use and simple solution which helps you to reach that comfort level.

So next time, before you say "no" to Video Conferencing, take a deep breath and find the right partner to tame the monster.

Chao