HOW TO GIVE/ATTEND WEBINARS AND MAKE PROFIT? (and II)
I am one of those who think that to ask for something, you first have to give. In the case of webinars and the like, give interesting and truthful information that serves the profile of the attendees and is sufficient. Then it will be the case or not that, to put it into practice or apply it to a specific case, they need the services or mentoring of the person who gave the workshop or webinar. Either they want to expand that training or organize a specific workshop for them or for their company.
I have given countless courses at universities, entities and “in-company” workshops for numerous companies and institutions of all kinds. Any of my students or assistants came up with a new or surprising idea or knew better a technique to use in their work, entrepreneurship or company. I only required their attention (many times he gave us the documentation until the end of the course, so that they would not be distracted) and I only asked that, in return, they always have a notebook (or digital tablet, today) at hand to take notes or write questions on the subject, which they could ask me later. In any case, after the course, workshop or conference, I would always provide them with my contact details and, if it was a company, I would offer a “follow up” service of my courses, in case they had questions about applying their learning to their specific task, even if it was days later. No one was left without an answer to their questions!
Surely the technique used in conferences, workshops and webinars should be improved, it is a pending challenge. North American speakers are a good example of them. I have organized siminaries, conferences and webinars with some famous people and they prepare their talks for months, in fact they live from it. Some of them spend half a year preparing a couple of lectures and the rest of the year are dedicated to giving them! I think that today we should start by making content more visual and dynamic, although this does not mean falling into the temptation of “Show Business”, as some do. Give clear and concise ideas, but say all that is necessary. Later (or during the talk) you can give additional information in an attached document, some links or recommend a book on the subject in question. Its duration should not exceed 20–30 minutes and then have time for questions and answers, in the intervention of the assistants. That is where you can see the quality or not of the speaker, whether or not he knows how to answer questions or if he has only memorized his talk!
Another important issue is creating interaction with the attendees or students by asking questions or using resources to claim their attention. It is also good (if possible) to have the attendees introduce themselves, if you don’t know the attendee’s profile beforehand. Perhaps it was not economically viable (especially today that training has been economically devalued for trainers), but for me “training is sharing my knowledge with those who need it” and today I am proud to have been useful (sometimes even interesting ) for attendees and / or students.
Finally, it is important that a platform gives / offers and contains added value for its users. Some of us are already working (we from B-Ecosytem) in the creation of the new generation of platforms that will be based solely and exclusively on the contribution of value (based on Blockchain + IA) rewarding users, whether they are value contributors or recipients, abandoning the current business models based on advertising and the commercialization of user data. It is the new “Internet of Value” that will not take long to establish itself! While all this comes, let’s try to start by adding value to the platforms that we use for the platform itself so that its users benefit!
What is your opinion?
Miguel Benavent de B.
