This document provides best practices for conducting web meetings. It discusses preparing for a web meeting by testing the technology, sending invitations, and practicing presentations. During the meeting, the host should greet participants, provide instructions, and control features like screen sharing. To increase participation, the document recommends using multiple presenters, asking questions, and leveraging features like polls, chat, and whiteboard. The overall summary focuses on testing technology, preparing materials, facilitating discussions, and using meeting tools to engage participants.

1. Web Meeting
Best Practices
Ray Magnan
Instructional Designer
May 2011
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2. Topics
• Overview
• Preparing for the Web Meeting
• Conducting the Web Meeting
• Increasing Participation
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3. Typical Web Meeting
Host Presenters (Optional) The Host may be the Presenter,
The Host may be the Presenter,
or may share duties with other
or may share duties with other
Presenters.
Presenters.
•• The audio and visual may be provided together through the
The audio and visual may be provided together through the
webmeeting technology.
webmeeting technology.
•• In other cases, the audio may require aaseparate phone
In other cases, the audio may require separate phone
conference call.
conference call.
•• The webmeeting technology provides the ability to share
The webmeeting technology provides the ability to share
individual files, applications, or the presenter’s entire desktop.
individual files, applications, or the presenter’s entire desktop.
Participants
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4. Types of Web Meetings
• Webinars (Web Seminars)
• Small group meetings or training sessions
• Multi-day class
• Large scale presentations
• International presentations or training
• 1 on 1 sessions
– Development session
– Individual training
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5. Advantages
• No travel necessary.
• Saves on travel costs and time.
• People can attend who would not be able to otherwise.
• Meetings can be held which might be impossible
otherwise.
• Can be easier to schedule.
• Can accommodate a wide range of geographic
locations:
– This is a key advantage for international companies.
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6. Disadvantages
• Different from a live classroom.
• Can be challenging to keep people engaged.
• Presenter cannot see audience. Has to rely on verbal
clues.
• Both presenters and attendees have to get used to the
technology.
• Have to make adjustments to how you present and
how you attend.
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7. Preparing for the Web Meeting
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8. Preparing for the Web Meeting
Verify teleconference and webmeeting accounts are active:
– May deactivate after several months of no usage.
– Verify the maximum number of attendees. Make sure to reserve
enough seats for the presenters and last-minute attendees.
Webmeeting:
– Test connectivity. Note that wireless connections may not have
enough bandwidth to successfully host the meeting.
– Practice using the webmeeting format before the session.
Conference call:
– Research capabilities of teleconference system. Example,
commands for:
• Muting all or individuals phones.
• Other controls for minimizing background noise.
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9. Preparing for the Web Meeting (continued)
Invitation:
– Send invitation to attendees.
– Include information about the session, including date/time, login
information, and location of session materials.
– Recommend that attendees at the same location get together and
use a single login and phone line.
You are invited to a webinar... Here is the login information.
You are invited to a webinar... Here is the login information.
Webmeeting
Webmeeting
1. Ten minutes before start, open aa browser and go to http://xxxxx.com
1. Ten minutes before start, open browser and go to http://xxxxx.com
2. Enter Meeting number: XXXX
2. Enter Meeting number: XXXX
3. Enter Access Code: XXXX
3. Enter Access Code: XXXX
4. Enter your email address.
4. Enter your email address.
5. Enter your First and Last name. (Prevents potential confusion about
5. Enter your First and Last name. (Prevents potential confusion about
people with the same first name.)
people with the same first name.)
6. Join as Participant.
6. Join as Participant.
Conference Call
Conference Call
7. Call In Number: XXX-XXX-XXXX
7. Call In Number: XXX-XXX-XXXX
8. Access Code: XXXXXXX
8. Access Code: XXXXXXX
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10. Conducting the Web Meeting
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11. Before the Web Meeting
• Host and Presenter(s) should sign in early to
webmeeting and conference call.
• The Host sets attendee privileges.
– Depending on the technology used, the host may be able to
control access to application sharing or other features such as
chat or raise hands.
– The Host may be able to control the participants ability to
independently scroll through the presentation materials. By
turning this off, you ensure that the participants are all seeing the
same material at the same time.
• The Host controls who will be the Presenter.
• Start the actual session on time, out of consideration for
everyone’s schedules.
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12. Before the Web Meeting (continued)
• Have the presentation files readily available.
– Important: Avoid running files from a network drive.
• May cause performance issues because of network traffic,
especially for large complex files.
• Instead, copy files to your PC and run them from there.
– Hint: Add conference call
information to the title slide of the
presentation you use to start the
webmeeting.
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13. Starting the Web Meeting
Conference call:
– Greet the participants as they join the call.
– Provide instructions about muting calls.
– Attendees should avoid placing the call on hold
since this can cause "hold music" to play in the
background of the conference call.
– Use any other available teleconference commands
to minimize background noise.
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14. Starting the Web Meeting (continued)
Web Meeting
• Remind participants to use their first and last name when they log
into the web meeting.
– Minimizes the potential confusion caused by people with the same first
name. (Less important for small groups where participants know each
other. )
• You may have to provide login or phone information to attendees at
the last minute.
– Have it ready to email to them.
• If attendees are unable to login to the webmeeting, they can still
attend by phone.
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15. Starting the Web Meeting (continued)
Recording:
• Let the participants know if the meeting is being recorded or not.
– Recording a session is useful for topics such as training by a subject
matter expert that is not likely to be repeated.
– For facilitated discussions, the participants will speak more freely if the
session is not recorded.
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16. Increasing Participation
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17. Increasing Participation
Set expectations when the meeting starts.
– Tell attendees what level of participation you are looking for.
– In small groups, it may be possible to have people speak
freely when they have a question.
– For large groups, ask them use available features such as
Raise Hands or Chat if they have a question. This helps the
host control the dialog.
– Suggest that attendees use available chat features or email if
they want to communicate privately with the Host and
Presenter.
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18. Increasing Participation (continued)
• Use multiple presenters.
– Different voices and perspectives adds interest.
• Suggestion: Separate the Host’s and Presenter’s
responsibilities:
– Presenter focuses on presentation. Speaks and advances slides.
– Host monitors Chat and Raise Hands and informs presenter.
• “We have a chat question from Mary.”
• “John raised his hand. I think he has a comment.”
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19. Increasing Participation (continued)
• Stop frequently to ask questions. Wait for responses.
• Direct questions to specific individuals.
• Listen carefully. Ask for more info from speaker and
others.
• Leverage your past experiences with similar audiences.
– What are their concerns and issues?
– You may find it helpful to visualize the audience.
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20. Increasing Participation (continued)
• Meet with some of the participants before the meeting.
– Encourage their participation.
– Let them know about specific topics you would like them to
discuss.
• Break up long sessions into smaller segments.
– It is hard to maintain the group’s focus for long sessions.
– Example: Four day online class.
• Class meets together twice a day for 2 hour sessions. Focus on
difficult topics and review of exercises.
• Students work independently on self-paced materials during breaks.
• Instructor remains available via email and phone.
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21. Raise Hands
• Use Raise Hands feature to track who has questions or
wants to speak.
Participant View Host View
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22. Chat
• Use Chat feature to get comments or
questions from attendees, or to send
info to specific attendees.
from John Smith to Host & Presenter:
Hi. Finishing up a call. Will be right on.
to John Smith (privately):
Hi John. OK.
John Smith
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23. Polls
• Use Polls to get feedback, vote,
and test knowledge.
• You may be able to share the
results immediately with the
participants or save it later for
analysis.
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24. Whiteboard
• Use the Whiteboard for collaborative exercises.
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25. Questions
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