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610

The Accidental Web Conferencing Manager:

Success Tips from a One-man Shop

Todd Irvin, United Way Worldwide

March 24 – 26, 2010 Orlando, FL

Page Session 610 – The Accidental Organizational Web Conferencing Manager: Success Tips from a One-man Shop – Todd Irvin, United Way Worldwide

The Accidental Web Conferencing Manager

Todd IrvinTraining Manager, United Way Worldwide

[email protected] 25th, 2010



Goals Today

• Help you discover the roles and processes you may need within your organization for managing web conferencing.

• Review UWW’ s process that evolved for managing web conferencing

• Suggest best practices for managing webinars/online meetings at your organization

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My Role

As a corporate IT Trainer:

•User of web conferencing tools to deliver live online training and demonstrations.

o Training users on our standard and customized applications. (Basic office automation software, CRM software, web-based internal applications, etc.)

•Training new Producers how to use web conferencing tools.

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Webinar versus Online Meeting?(What’s the difference?)

Webinar•Larger audiences (100+)

•Registration setup and advertised

•Delivery team (Producer, Content Manager, Moderator and Presenters) established.

•Operator-assisted teleconference number may be used

•Voice over IP usually broadcasted (audio over Internet)

•Typically delivered from webinar room

•Usually recorded and archived

•Archived link usually posted following webinar

Online MeetingoSmall number of participants (<30)

oNo registration typically setup

oDelivered from hosts PC

oHost usually does everything themselves

oDepartment teleconference number typically used for audio

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Typical UWW Webinar

1. Participants login to a lobby, and listen to the audio (music) through their phones or computer speakers and watch marketing slides until the webinar begins.

2. Moderator welcomes the audience and turns the session over to the Presenter(s). Some Presenters are located in the webinar room, some may be off-site.

3. Question/Answer period at the end or answered during session. Formal and informal polls may be used during the session.

4. Webinar ends, and participants are asked to take a Webinar Evaluation.

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Challenges (problems) I Inherited

No one dept in charge of managing webinars

Ad hoc workflow

Not clear who does what, who’s in charge

Logistical information in silo’s (not centralized, in spreadsheets, emails.)

Participant support lacking

Lack of technical knowledge

Time involved producing

Volume of Webinarsincreasing

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Lack of standards

Participants calling anyone they can for help

Presenters not prepared

Content not formatted properly

Scheduling conflicts

Grapevine comments

Producers expected to dotoo much!

Producers overextended, turnover

Emergencies becoming the norm



My Preliminary Goals as part-time“Webinar Process Director”

Know what’s going on

Define who should be doing what

Be able to step in at last minute

Support participants(before, during and after)

Spread the work around

Provide central access to information

Reporting

Be able to easily answer “How do I do a webinar?”

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Step 1: Established a Webinar Process Team

1. Established a Webinar Process Team(Team of 1 is not a team, it’s an Island ☺)

a) Meets bi-weekly.

b) Webinar roles defined (thanks Karen Hyder!) and initial process created.

c) Support documents created, updated, centralized.

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Step 2: Webinar Request Process developed

a) “How to do a Webinar” document written for managers (Handout 1)

b) Webinar Request Form created (Handout 2)

a) Web-based. All webinar requests BEGIN and END here.

b) Contains all logistical information for the webinar. (It’s a working document!)

c) Webinar Delivery Team assigned within each Form, i.e. who is the Producer, Content Owner, etc.

d) Supports automated workflow and notification features.i.e. Emails Telecommunications Advisor if the data or time changes.

e) Supports Real-time reporting via Dashboard, Views, or Reports(so we know what is going on right now, tomorrow, 3-months ago, next year…)

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Automated Workflow and Notification Rule Examples



Example – Sample Upcoming Webinars View



Step 3: Web Conferencing training offered and Certified Webinar Producer Program created

a) Monthly general and webinar producer training offered.

b) Certified Webinar Producer Program Initiated(combines training and a mentor is assigned)

c) Web Conferencing User Group established(meets monthly, both Producers and basic online meeting users)

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Step 4: Created Web-Based Participant Evaluation System

a) Same evaluation taken by all webinar/online meeting participants(Handout 3)

b) Web-based (results available immediately following webinars)

c) Take in 2 minutes: 5 Simple questions, plus 2 open-ended questions for gathering specific info.

d) Let’s me know how participants felt the webinar went, i.e. if they could hear well, liked the presenters, etc.

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Summary of Solutions

1. Established a Webinar Process Team

2. Webinar Request Process (form) developed

3. Certified Webinar Producer Program and web conferencing training offered regularly

4. Support documents centralized

5. Participant evaluation system created

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Know what’s going on

Define who should be doing what

Provide central access to information

Be able to step in at last minute

Spread the work around

Support participants(before, during and after)

Reporting



Wrap-Up Recommendations

I encourage you to…

1) Create a formal process for managing Webinars and Online Meetings

2) Track Logistical information in one easily accessible place

3) Automate notifications if possible

4) Develop a standard centralized evaluation for participants

5) Schedule training and keep training!

6) Create a Producers User’s Group (and reward them!)

7) Create and maintain support documents in one central location

8) Review your process regularly

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Success?

212 Webinars delivered during 2009

32 new webinar Producers

Online meeting usage increased by 62%

Support calls (to me) down 80%

Selected by Adobe as a Customer Success Story for 2009!

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Hardware/Software ToolkitSoftware:

Adobe Connect Pro (web conferencing software)

Meeting Room Manager (meeting room scheduling)

www.Salesforce.com (CRM software, custom Webinar Request Form)

Audacity (sound editing software, freeware)

Snagit (screen capture software, also great for quick photo conversions)

Hardware:

JK audio THAT-2 Telephone Handset Audio Tap – For capturing audio off a telephone and broadcasting it over VoIP.

Acoustic Magic Voice Tracker USB Microphone – for broadcasting VoIPin small conference rooms.

Osprey 230 Video Capture Card – For capturing live video for webcasting.

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Other Topics – Audio Considerations

On-site, off-site, or both types of Presenters?

Information or collaboration?

Need to record?

What’s your audience capabilities? (Phones, high-speed internet connections, International?)

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Other Topics – Video in Web Conferencing Considerations

What’s your audience capabilities? (High-speed internet connections, International?)

Equipment Presenters will need: Webcams, microphone and speakers or headset w/microphone.

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How to do a Webinar and Roles Involved (High-Level Summary) The following steps are involved in presenting a successful webinar. The second page of this document is a summary of the different roles involved. Note that a person may actually be playing the part of several roles. The third page lists differences between a Webinar and an Online Meeting. Phase Step Role (Who)

1. Check Meeting Room Manager (http://mrm.unitedway.org) for Webinar Room availability for proposed date/time.

Project Manager

2. Submit Webinar Request Form in Salesforce.com. (See G:\Templates\Webinars\Scheduling\Submitting a Webinar Request Form)

Project Manager or Producer

3. Establish delivery team consisting of Producer, Content Manager, Moderator and Presenter(s).

Project Manager Webinar Process Director

4. Create and setup Adobe Connect Meeting Room Producer/Asst Producer

5. Setup Adobe Connect Event (if using registration) Producer/Asst Producer

6. Market Webinar details to participants. Project Manager

7. Provide Participant Registration Support Producer/Asst. Producer Webinar Support Team

8. Create and provide content to Producer Content Manager Presenters Project Manager

9. Upload content and edit room layout. Producer/Asst Producer

10. Prepare Off-Site Presenter(s) if necessary Producer/Asst Producer Project Manager

11. Rehearsal Delivery Team

Pre-

Web

inar

Pha

se

12. Finalize Webinar flow and content Project Manager Producer/Asst Producer

13. Deliver Webinar Delivery Team

Del

iver

y Ph

ase

14. Participant Support During Webinar Producer/Asst Producer Webinar Support Team

15. Review Evaluations and Q/A from Webinar Project Manager, Producer

16. Post Webinar Wrap-up (obtain archive link, update Salesforce Webinar Request Form with archive summary and archive URL)

Producer

Post

-Web

inar

Ph

ase

17. Market Archive Information Project Manager

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The following table summarizes the different roles involved in a typical webinar. Remember someone may be doing the part of multiple roles.

Role Responsibilities Project Manager • In charge of the project. They are the main point

of contact. Oversee the details of the project.

Content Owner • Creates and answers questions about content.

Moderator

• Facilitates Webinar (optional). Usually introduces the Presenters. Acts basically as the emcee.

Presenter (s)

• Presents the content during the webinar.

Producer • Manages Webinar Software • Creates Online Meeting Room • Sets up Event (Registration Options) • Upload/modify content and layouts • Manages delivery during Webinar • Provide participant support prior to Webinar

Asst. Producer

• Provide participant support prior/during Webinar • Assists the Producer

Webinar Support Team (Todd Irvin x471, Marcia Struniak x237, Patrick Gallen x530)

• Prior to webinar provides guidance to Producer/Asst Producer for participant support (registration, logging in, account setup issues).

• During webinar provides direct support to participants.

IT Help Desk (x369) • Network Administration (Hardware/Software/Telephony support)

Room/Teleconference Scheduler (Marcia Struniak, x237)

• Schedules location and teleconference numbers

Learning Opportunities Advisor (Marcia Struniak, x237)

• Setup/Update Learning information on UWO. • Update Archive page on UWO.

Training Manager (Todd Irvin, x471)

• Provide presentation skills, coaching, and technical skills.

Webinar Process Director (Todd Irvin, x471)

• Oversees webinar process. Provides leadership and guidance.

Shaded areas represent roles permanently established.

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Difference between Webinars and Online Meetings Adobe Connect Pro is the software used to deliver Webinars and Online Meetings. Listed below are some of the differences between a Webinar and an Online Meeting.

Adobe Connect Pro Characteristics

Webinar • Large number of participants expected • Registration may be setup and link marketed for

participants to register. Registration is typically marketed on United Way Online.

• Delivery team (Producer, Content Manager, Moderator and Presenters) established.

• May involve off-site Presenters. • Operator-assisted teleconference number used • Voice over IP usually broadcasted (audio over Internet) • Typically delivered from webinar room • Usually recorded and archived • Archived link usually posted on United Way Online

Online Meeting Small number of participants

No registration typically setup Delivered from hosts PC Host usually does everything themselves Department teleconference number typically used for audio

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