Effective Engagement in a Virtual Webinar

The Virtual Webinars somehow seem to have a 'deja-vu' effect on me. Way back in 2005, as an Industry Analyst I had researched and presented what was to be my 1st 'online briefing' on a research report I had published on omega-3 market and its potential to a set of elite audience which included CXOs, Sales Leaders and Professionals from the FMCG end-user and ingredients world. [through live audio recording] The platform used then was 'just' Webex (say this, as it was before CISCO acquired it) https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2006/11/07/Price-not-enough-to-stymy-omega-3-growth-in-Asia

Fast-forward to 2020, been using a flurry of online tools ranging from Zoom, Zoho, Google Meets, Gotomeeting and Cisco-Webex, indeed! What has changed now though is the live video possibility. It is quite understandable the technology has made it possible to 'see' each other - facilitator / participant in a visual mode, as against the mere audio possibility in yesteryears. I would imagine the concentration and focus of the past would have been exponentially HIGHER compared to what prevails in today's age, especially with the new age fancy gadgets, what with fully loaded apps (need we say Whatsapps and Wechats of the world), which has resulted in a diminished concentration and focus. [I can say this with conviction 'cos FOMO was making inroads much after the advent of social media on smart phone) Which means like in cricket where the bowlers always are at a disadvantage, speakers and facilitators have the constant challenge and effort of ensuring their participants are 'with them' all through the session. This I say, requires massive effort. Some simple steps I have learnt, experimented, deployed are below:-

- Ask Questions to participants [unmute and ask them to answer]

- Ask Questions to participants [ask them to type in chat box]

- Pause: I found this to be quite effective

- Story: Break the monotony and explain a concept with a story or a real life relateable example

- Videos and photos: Noticed this can make a great impact, and can be a great refresher when you have had lots of text content sofar

- Change of tone and take feedback

- 2-5 minute break [can be effective when a session stretches beyond or is of longer duration or topic covered is quite technical]

- Online Quiz [tried Quizizz, works great]

- Take an online poll [not tried, will want to use in future, mentimeter maybe]

I am still adding more ideas from our experts in the PSAI community, and would love to add in more to my repository. Please feel to please suggest more creative ways you have used to get more engagement quotient during your virtual webinar (what worked and what dint work too) Thanks a lot! Cheers, Vignesh Raja