How to combine webinars with your e-learning

What is a Webinar?

The word “webinar” is a combination of the words web and seminar and is an online training, meeting, event or meeting. Webinars are often used by trainers and coaches to share valuable knowledge.

Webinars are often free, but sometimes you pay a small fee. If a webinar is offered free of charge, a temporary offer for a product or service is often made at the end of the webinar.

E-learning webinars

Webinars are an ideal tool for integrating into e-learning because:

• E-learning often consists of “passive” content that is in an online learning environment. Students can access this content at any time. In fact, a webinar offers active content and interaction.
• A webinar gives the host the opportunity to actively connect with the webinar participants. This way, you get to know your students better and strengthen the relationship between trainer and student.
• E-learning offers the advantage of lower costs and less (travel) time and this also applies to webinars: people do not have to travel to a specific location and, for example, no location needs to be rented or catering provided.

Giving webinars; how do you do that exactly?

In this blog, we briefly explain the steps to add successful webinars to your e-learning.

Choose a platform

When you use a Learning Management System (LMS), such as Pluvo, for your e-learning, it is important that you choose a webinar tool that you can integrate with your LMS.

Almost all webinar tools can be integrated with Pluvo. Think Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Big Blue Button, Webinargeek, and Google Meet.

It is also useful if the registration system takes over data. For example, if you schedule a webinar via the webinar planning tool, it is important that students find this registration link in the LMS.

Also, make sure you have a good command of the webinar tool you choose before you actually host your webinar: this prevents uncomfortable situations such as disturbances in sound and image.

Choose the topic

What should your webinar actually be about? There is probably so much knowledge and value in your e-learning that it's hard to choose! That's why it's important to give your students a voice in the topic of the webinar.

For example, are there recurring questions? Or is there a worthwhile discussion going on in the e-learning community? Then get in on this!

Also involve your participants in choosing a topic and date for the webinar, so that as many students as possible can attend live and the topic appeals to many participants.

Keep your audience engaged

A boring PowerPoint presentation with a long story is probably not going to keep your participants on the edge of their seats.

Here are a few tips to keep the webinar exciting:

• Introduce yourself and share why you're so excited about this webinar.
• Announce what the webinar is about at the beginning and add something exciting at the end: a bonus, a special tip, a unique promotion, or winning a prize.
• Make sure your webinar is a “story” with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Use as many real examples as possible that your participants recognise.
• At the end, provide a concise but clear summary.

Make the webinar visually appealing

Visual content is also important for keeping your attendees engaged. Easy-to-use (and often free) tools like Google Slides, Microsoft Word, Keynote, and Canva provide excellent (free) options for creating beautiful, visually appealing slides/presentations.

For a personal connection, we recommend that you alternate slides with being in the picture yourself.

Try it out

There's nothing more annoying than an awkward moment during a webinar! Your camera is off, your sound isn't working, the slides get stuck, or something went wrong with planning the date.

To prevent this, it is useful to do a “dress rehearsal”. Go through the entire webinar at least once for yourself (or someone who would like and find it interesting to help you with this).

This way, you can be sure you've thought of everything and you can also test how long your webinar actually lasts, how much variety it offers, and whether or not you're comfortable with the software you're using or whether a little more practice is needed.

Record your webinar

Record your webinar anytime. Then you can upload your webinar to the LMS later for all people who were not present, but also for participants who might want to watch the webinar again.

You can also use (parts of) your webinar as content on your other social media channels.

Want to know more?

At Pluvo, we are very excited about integrating webinars into e-learning. Would you like to have a chat with us about the possibilities? Then contact us via chat!