In 2014, you were way ahead of the competition if you attended an online class. During the pandemic (2020-21) virtually every American attended at least one online event. Zoom is here to stay and so is online business training. Online webinars for professionals are plentiful. However, you have a business to run, so which webinars are worth your time? Which webinar content will make a positive difference on your business development? Here are suggestions on how to evaluate your business learning needs as well as the quality of the host, speaker, topic, and content.
Checklist Before Registering
- Are you a captive audience for a sale to sign up for services/products?
- How do you know the speaker is an expert in his/her field?
- Does the topic and subject line correspond with the content?
- Does the webinar time work for you?
- Will you receive the presenter slides for later review?
- Is your tech environment ready 10 minutes prior to the start?
Answer these questions and you will know whether this hour+ is worth spending BEFORE you register. Most of the learning opportunities out there are free. Is “free” training less valuable than a webinar that charges a fee? It depends. Online learning is a 2-way street; you get what you put into it. Here is what you can do to get the most out of each webinar.
Time is Money – Be Strategic
- Be clear why you are interested in the topic and fine-tune your selection process.
- Make a list of topics you want/need to know more about.
- Have your questions ready (different from raising your hand with a question), and be ready to type into the chat box)
- Be in a quiet location that prevents interruptions.
- Do not check emails or phone; you may miss the most valuable content.
- Get the presenter’s contact info so you can ask questions of them after the webinar.
- While listening, make a list of the things you will implement into your business.
- Decide who else in your business could benefit from attending and help them register.
- Follow-up by rereading the material.
- Revisit your list of what to implement into your day-to-day and refine it.
Our Approach to Webinars
Our webinar catalog is extensive (and overwhelming) so ask your advisor for guidance. Create a doable schedule, attend, and build a library of learning that helps you grow. We carefully choose our outside presenters for legal, tax and insurance presentations. We apply high standards to our staff when presenting a topic to you. Moreover, to improve our webinar product, we will continue to ask our webinar participants (you) for input. Your recent feedback inspired us to create a mix of recorded on-demand and live webinars. Thank you!
We like to interact with our clients, so we will continue to offer live up-to-date webinars on various topics. In addition, we have added basic business topics via on-demand. Watch them when and where you wish. As a registered client of our center, you have your own account with us. There, you can see which webinars you have attended and access the materials for download to your computer to have and to hold as long as you need them. Sign-in top right corner with your login credentials then click on My Events (see example below). Or watch this 5 min video how to access your account.