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Engage participants with a poll during your web conference

If you’re looking for feedback and information, a poll is a great way to find out what your web conference participants are thinking.

A quick poll lets your web conference chairperson easily turn presentations into engaging, informative sessions.

By answering a simple question or two, you make your web conference participants feel like they’re an active part of the discussion.

And just imagine the information you could learn: your participants’ demographics, knowledge level of the topic and opinions.

Learning more about your participants can help your further develop your presentation, as you figure out what they know, what they want to learn and whether some topics need more discussion.

screenshot of web conference poll

The OnConference Presents! poll function lets you choose a poll type:

✓ Yes or no response
✓ Multiple choice
✓ Ranking
✓ Opinion

You can gather general comments in a simple text box and the feature will capture the results for real-time reporting and individual followup.

Running a poll

Here are some tips for successful web conference polling:

Prepare your question in advance

You should know at what point in your discussion you want feedback from your audience. Have your poll ready to go at the right time to stimulate participation and interaction.

Keep it simple

Ensure your question is straightforward and doesn’t confuse your audience. Don’t ask more than one question at a time and keep the available responses equally as simple and applicable.

Be inclusive

You run the risk of alienating members of the audience if they don’t have a response. Always make sure a multiple choice question has an ‘other’ or ‘not applicable’ option. You could even generate further discussion by asking the ‘other’ respondents to expand on their thoughts.

Use it sparingly

You don’t want to hammer your web conference participants with questions. They came to you looking to learn something. While you can learn something about them, you want to ensure you provide them with the value they came for. Keep the number of polls per web conference to a minimum, making sure they broaden the topic for you and your audience while staying on point.

Discuss the results

A poll shouldn’t be used as a random moment to make sure your web conference audience is awake and paying attention. It should be relevant to the presentation and enrich the discussion. Use your real-time results to further the discussion and develop talking points on the fly.

Your turn

Have you used polls in your web conference or webinar? Did you gain useful information from them and do you plan on using more polls in future presentations?

Tips & Resources Tagged |By amacisaac on Comments

Find office space outside your home

Telecommuting can be a lonely pursuit.

You may only have an occasional ping from a colleague for the slightest bit of social interaction during your work day.

Maybe the boss will check in on your progress and ask how you’re doing.

Or Mom will call.

We may sometimes need to re-engage with other humans, even if it’s just surrounding ourselves with the noises of activity.

A change of space can give your brain a kickstart and stimulate bursts of creativity. If you’re like me, noise and hubbub can help you focus, forcing you to drown out the white noise and concentrate on the task at hand.

But where do you go when you work from home?

It might be a good idea to head into the office, if it’s nearby, and spend some time bouncing ideas and strategies off your teammates face-to-face.

Where else can I go?

The top tip is look for places that offer Wi-Fi connectivity. But you knew that already.

The Coffee Shop

The cling and clang of the local java stop gets you surrounded by activity, the kind that can spark an idea. It also opens you up to the opportunity for human interaction, but make sure you aren’t interrupting anyone else’s workday.

Coffee machine

The Food Court

The food court follows the same philosophy as the coffee shop, but you may find more space and less pressure to close up shop during the busy times.

The Public Library

This is a great place to spend a day if you’re looking for a change of environment but not the activity you’ll find in other public spaces. It’s quiet and you get the bonus of being surrounded by information and resources. Plus, if you want to take a break, you can always find a good novel to escape in.

Cowork Locations

Cowork spaces that allow you to rent desks, cubicles and meeting space can foster collaboration and communication, bringing likeminded people together in one area. They’re great for entrepreneurs and freelancers to set up a base for a weekly, monthly or annual fee.

DeskMag’s third Global Coworking Survey showed 71 per cent of participants reported a boost in creativity since joining a coworking space, while 62 per cent said their standard of work improved.

Just remember

Coffee shops and public spaces can be a great place for meetings and getting to know clients or teammates but, unless you’re renting private space in a cowork location, others can tune into and overhear your conversation.

You should also be space aware and be willing to give up your chair and table when the rush hours start. Don’t become a barnacle on the bottom of the boat!

The best place

No matter what, my home office can’t be beat. It’s the best place for privacy on conference calls and webinars, and the dog stays happy.

If a change of space is needed, there’s always the patio.

Just like today.

Laptop on patio table

Tips & Resources Tagged |By amacisaac on Comments
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