Comments on: So are webinars effective? http://onlignment.com/2009/06/so-are-webinars-effective/ The art of online communication Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:46:12 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dave Ferguson http://onlignment.com/2009/06/so-are-webinars-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Dave Ferguson Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:48:01 +0000 http://onlignment.com/?p=177#comment-12 <p>I'm not surprised that half the organizations offering webinars rarely if ever measure their effectiveness. If you considered the face-to-face training that fails to measure, or measures only with smile sheets in the last hour of the session, I think you'd find similar numbers.</p> <p>As for as the cost comparison goes, often it's an apples-to-cucumbers situation, like direct salary while in the webinar versus travel and living to attend instructor-led training.</p> <p>I suspect that many webinars are essentially streamed lectures, with maybe a dash of polling thrown in for interactivity: Todd from Engineering explains the new division structure; Lucille from Benefits teaches you about the stock-option plan.</p> <p>To measure effectiveness, you have to think about what effectiveness means. If it means more than "nice webinar, great graphics," you have to think about meaningful outcomes. Or admit to yourself that "talked to staff about the new division" is all the accomplishment you care about.</p> I’m not surprised that half the organizations offering webinars rarely if ever measure their effectiveness. If you considered the face-to-face training that fails to measure, or measures only with smile sheets in the last hour of the session, I think you’d find similar numbers.

As for as the cost comparison goes, often it’s an apples-to-cucumbers situation, like direct salary while in the webinar versus travel and living to attend instructor-led training.

I suspect that many webinars are essentially streamed lectures, with maybe a dash of polling thrown in for interactivity: Todd from Engineering explains the new division structure; Lucille from Benefits teaches you about the stock-option plan.

To measure effectiveness, you have to think about what effectiveness means. If it means more than “nice webinar, great graphics,” you have to think about meaningful outcomes. Or admit to yourself that “talked to staff about the new division” is all the accomplishment you care about.

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