Webinars & Webmeetings

Managing time in meetings

30 Apr 2021 | Wayne Turmel

One of the main concerns when running a webinar or virtual meeting is managing time effectively so we don't lose sight of what the meeting is actually supposed to accomplish.

Presenting online is still presenting

22 Feb 2021 | Wayne Turmel

Presenting online is more like a traditional presentation than most people think. But too often, those delivering material online do so in just about the least effective manner possible.

Data, information and webmeetings

11 Aug 2020 | Wayne Turmel

Turning raw data into meaningful information is a key part of a manager's job. And smart managers know that webinars or videoconferencing tools can help translate one into the other.

Shut up first, talk later

17 Jun 2020 | Wayne Turmel

Sometimes it it can seem almost impossible to get people to contribute or share information effectively in a video conference. Here’s how you can change that.

Open questions, open communication

20 May 2020 | Wayne Turmel

Working remotely, we miss the non-verbal signals we see when working face-to-face. That's why asking open questions is one of the most critical skills the manager of a remote team can possess.

Five ways to derail your remote meeting

06 May 2020 | Wayne Turmel

One reason video conferences and webmeetings often feel like a bit of a train wreck is because they tend to get off to a bad start. Here are the main things that derail virtual meetings and how you can avoid them.

Getting virtual meetings to start on time

25 Nov 2019 | Wayne Turmel

Why do webmeetings always seem to start late? While there’s no silver bullet that will solve the problem, there are some simple things you can do to help your odds of starting (and finishing) on time.

Getting feedback from a virtual audience

10 Sep 2019 | Wayne Turmel

Speaking to large groups on-line can be deeply disconcerting. Why? Because even in a lecture-type presentation, you get all kinds of feedback. But doing it virtually feels like you’re talking into a void.

Earning attention on webinars

12 Jul 2018 | Wayne Turmel

I’m always being asked how to get people to pay attention during webinars. My answer is to ask a simple question: what are you doing to earn their attention?

Ask your team a 3,000 year-old question

22 Jun 2018 | Wayne Turmel

If you're mindful as to your meeting's purpose and desired outcome, you will accomplish far more than if you approach it as an empty ritual.

North America's accent problem

04 Oct 2016 | Wayne Turmel

As a Canadian who spends a lot of time on international conference calls and webinars, it's impossible not to notice that almost everyone can deal with foreign accents except (North) Americans.

Don't hate Skype for Business until you try it

02 Dec 2015 | Wayne Turmel

I really don’t care much about platforms or whether tool X is better than tool Y. What I do care about is the mental health of project managers and leaders. That’s why it’s time to have a conversation about Skype for Business.

Cutting your team some Slack (or Yammer), or whatever

06 Oct 2015 | Wayne Turmel

Collaboration tools like Slack, Yammer or Lync claim to make team communication more efficient. But how do they differ from good old Instant Messaging, webcam, or webmeeting platforms? And how can you get the best out of them in the real world?

Focusing despite technology

01 Apr 2015 | Wayne Turmel

In a remote team, technology is the way you communicate. So it should be a conduit to better information flow, not a bottleneck that constricts it. And that means limiting the distractions technology can create.

Hybrid meetings and the eye of the beholder

24 Mar 2015 | Wayne Turmel

Have you ever been in the sort of meeting where most of the attendees are in a conference room, but a few are on a speaker phone? They rarely work well. But the problem isn't about sound or audio, it’s the lack of eye contact. And the solution is to understand that and compensate for it.

Do webcams matter?

10 Mar 2015 | Wayne Turmel

Sometimes people have very good reasons for not using their tools. But often the reasons aren’t very good at all. Take the humble webcam. Most of us now have access to webmeeting tools that can use a webcam. So if you're not using one, perhaps you should ask yourself why not.

Babies, bathwater and meetings

23 Feb 2015 | Wayne Turmel

Good meetings add value. Bad ones destroy it (and the souls of attendees). But simply doing away with them entirely in favor of email exchanges or discussion sites won't work either - it's is a classic case of 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater'

How well do you know your webmeeting platform?

11 Dec 2014 | Wayne Turmel

Well over three-quarters of people who use webmeeting tools use only 20% of their features. So do you know what you really have at your disposal? Are you making the most of your tools? How do you know?

Five seconds to better virtual meetings

11 Nov 2014 | Wayne Turmel

Here’s an incredibly simple technique that will radically improve the effectiveness of any online presentation, meetings or training session. All you need to do is count to five slowly.

Virtual meetings are very, very real

10 Sep 2014 | Wayne Turmel

If virtual meetings aren't real meetings, what are they? What purpose do they serve? So if we think about webmeetings and conferences as meetings first, and technology-enabled communication second, it could make a huge difference in the outcome.