Webinar and Virtual Conference Best Practices Rubric

Delivering engaging, interactive Webinars is not an easy task.  People who are new to using virtual meeting spaces often have unrealistic expectations:  they expect delivering a high-quality Webinar to be just like delivering a face-to-face presentation or lecture, and they expect it to be easy.  Nothing could be further from reality.

To help folks I work with try to grasp what it takes to deliver high-quality Webinars, I have created a rubric. Why a rubric?  Why not just a checklist?  Because delivering high-quality Webinars takes practice.  It's not a skill you will develop in a single sitting.  Rubrics help to show the continuum of novice presenter through expert.  Here's what I have so far -- it's not all inclusive -- I still need to add a section for the tools and one for the technology considerations.  See what you think.  The rubric doesn't display very well here.  For a better view and to download a copy, access my professional Web site at https://sites.google.com/site/clarkprofessionalportfolio/projects/virtual-meeting-spaces.

I have also assigned a Creative Commons license to this rubric so others can use it if they want to.  You just need to give attribution to Yvonne Clark and Peg Shuffstall.

Webinar and Virtual Conference Best Practices

Presenter	Level 1 – beginner, little or no experience, expects webinars to be exactly the same as f-2-f presentations	Level 2 – intermediate, some experience, recognizes differences between Webinars and f-2-f presentations, may be able to multitask	Level 3 – advanced, has presented in a number of webinars, knows the tools available for use and how to use them, is able to multitask, interacts with participants
Delivery	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems)	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Was enthusiastic about the topic(s) ●     Summarized the main points ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems)	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Was enthusiastic about the topic(s) ●     Energized the presentation ●     Made smooth transitions between topics ●     Summarized the main points ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems) ●     Used his or her voice to add interest to the presentation by varying the pitch, speed, and volume ●     Coped well with unexpected issues and problems
Engagement	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Was aware of verbal tics (e.g., “you know,” “um,” “OK”) and made a conscious effort to avoid them ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included ●     Discussed poll results as part of the presentation ●     Discussed responses to discussion questions as part of the presentation	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Speech was smooth and confident and void of verbal tics ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included ●     Discussed poll results as part of the presentation ●     Discussed responses to discussion questions as part of the presentation ●     Monitored chat and Q&A and interacted with participants ●     Addressed questions from participants and worked responses into the presentation ●     Responded to participants by name
Content	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Was interesting ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Transitions between topics were smooth ●     Was interesting ●     Was easy to understand ●     Made sense ●     Was complete and correct ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning ●     Pre-work assignment was provided to help participants prepare for the Webinar ●     Pre-work assignment was incorporated into the presentation ●     Post-work assignment was suggested to help participants apply what they learned	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Transitions between topics were smooth ●     Was interesting ●     Was easy to understand ●     Made sense ●     Was complete and correct ●     The amount of content was appropriate for the audience and the time allotted ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning ●     Pre-work assignment was provided to help participants prepare for the Webinar ●     Pre-work assignment was incorporated into the presentation ●     Post-work assignment was suggested to help participants apply what they learned
Props
Visuals	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Text was easy to read	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Graphics were appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Graphics added value ●     Text was easy to read	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Graphics were appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Graphics added value ●     Text was easy to read ●     There was enough variety and interest in the visuals to hold participants’ interest
Multimedia	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value
Activities	●     Were relevant ●     Were easy for participants to complete ●     Helped with comprehension and retention ●     Added value	●     Were relevant ●     Were easy for participants to complete ●     Helped with comprehension and retention ●     Added value ●     Outcomes were incorporated into the presentation ●     Made good use of the tools available in the meeting room ●     Enough time was allotted to complete activities	●   Were relevant ●   Were easy for participants to complete ●   Helped with comprehension and retention ●   Added value ●   Outcomes were incorporated into the presentation ●   Made good use of the tools available in the meeting room ●   Held participants’ attention ●   Were unique and creative ●   Enough time was allotted to complete activities ●   Took into account technology limitations participants might have
Use of Meeting Room Tools	●     Made rudimentary use of meeting room tools ●     Used a variety of tools ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation	●     Used a variety of meeting room tools ●     Use of tools was fluid and didn’t interrupt the flow of the presentation ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation ●     Use of tools aided understanding of content and concepts	●     Used a variety of meeting room tools ●     Used tools creatively ●     Use of tools was fluid and didn’t interrupt the flow of the presentation ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation ●     Use of tools aided understanding of content and concepts

Tips for Writing for Adult Online Learners

When developing e-Learning training materials, you need to carefully plan what you are going to write.  In fact, the writing in an e-Learning course represents your voice, the voice of the instructor.  It is the “star of the show” and must be engaging, well organized, and clear.  Your writing must also address all of the learning objectives so that participants who complete the training are able to achieve the instructional goals of the course.  And, don’t forget about who you are writing for!  Know who your audience is and write specifically to engage their interests and meet their needs.

Here are some important things to remember when writing for adult online learners.

Adult Learners:

·         Adult learners need to be able to immediately connect what they are learning to what they already know.  Training needs to be task-centered and provide authentic situations, illustrations, and problems for participants to solve.  Adult learners also need to be given opportunities to reflect on the content as part of the process of applying it to their current situation.

·         Be aware of what adult learners already know about each topic.  Information that is considered to be common knowledge can be referred to but doesn’t need to be explained in detail in the content.  If you feel that the information is critical to include, a good option would be to include it as a resource page that can be accessed at the discretion of the learner.

Organization:

·         Start by defining exactly what you want participants to learn and to be able to do after completing the training.  Clear goals and learning objectives tell participants why they need to complete the training and what is expected of them.  Clear learning objectives also provide a roadmap for developing the content, activities, and assessment.

·         After you have determined what the goals and learning objectives are, develop a clear, concise outline of the content before you start writing.  

·         When the outline is complete, check the goals and learning objectives again to be sure they match the content. Follow your outline to write the content. 

Content:

·         Introduce the content to your participants.  Draw them in.  Make the participants the center of the learning experience.  Help them understand why this training is important to them.  Let them know how the content is organized and how long it should take them to complete the training. 

·         Keep your writing focused.  Only include information that is directly related to the topic and learning objectives.  Sidebars might seem to add interest to the content, but in an eLearning situation they are very distracting to the learner and cause confusion.  If the information is important enough to include, then it needs to be covered under a learning objective and have a place in the outline.

·         Content needs to be interesting, relevant, and meaningful to the learner.  Use illustrations that your audience can identify with.  When possible, incorporate stories, examples, and scenarios into the content to give the information context.  Use real people in real situations.  Adding drama and emotion helps engage participants and helps them remember the content.

·         Write using a conversational voice, as if you are talking directly to your participants.  Conversational writing is about connecting with your audience.  It sounds natural and genuine, especially when read aloud.  Here are some additional things to remember about writing in a conversational tone:

o    Use contractions like you would normally use when you are talking to someone.

o    Don’t be afraid to ask your participants questions.

o    Use “I” and “you.”

o    Use an active voice with action verbs:  “He passed the salt to her.” Rather than “The salt was passed to her.”

o    Read aloud what you have written and listen to how it sounds.

·         Write using short, concise sentences and paragraphs.  Start every paragraph with a strong topic sentence to help learners understand what the paragraph is about with just one reading.

·         Start each main section with a brief introduction that gives participants a general idea of what the topic is about, why it matters to them, and how it connects with previous topics.  At the end of each main section, summarize the points that participants need to remember.

Topic introduction example:  In the last section we learned about the capabilities of the RNR Tool and how using the tool streamlines program selection for individual offenders.  In this section we will learn more about the RNR model and the framework behind the tool.

Topic summary example:  The RNR Tool is a valuable aid to law enforcement workers.  By matching specific characteristics and information with a database of possible programs, it provides a reliable method for accurately identifying the programs that will be most beneficial to individual offenders.  Next we will look at how the RNR Tool relates to the RNR model framework.

Practice:  Did you notice that this summary example needs some work?  It might be OK for a print document, but is not optimal for an online learning module.  Read it out loud and you will see what I mean.  Rewrite the paragraph so that it has shorter, more concise sentences and is easier to read.

 

Suggested re-write:  The RNR Tool matches specific characteristics and information about offenders to a database of proven solutions.  The report the tool generates identifies specific programs for each individual offender.  The report also predicts how effective the suggested programs will be for each offender.  Next we will look at how the RNR Tool related to the RNR model framework.