Choosing Between Teleconferences and Webinars

Use a teleconference when you want:

  • The audience to listen to you only and not interact with you.
  • To allow audience interaction, and there is a very small group of people (say 10), and they all use landlines, and they know how to keep a quite surroundings. Otherwise there is way too much noise during such interactions. And if the group is large, just forget it.

Use a webinar when you want:

  • The audience participation and you have a large group of people (say more than 10).
  • To show images during your presentation. You may show a process visual, or a photo or even use drawing technology to draw one on the fly just as one does in workshops on the flip chart.
  • To conduct quick polls during your webinar to gauge the audience.
  • To video stream yourself (real time) so people can actually watch you just as they may watch you on Skype.

Use a live video streaming when you want:

  • To simulate a live workshop with live global attendees.

Finally, and when it comes to webinars, you could try and facilitate yourself but I would encourage you to have someone else facilitate for you. This way you can focus on your content and delivery and let your facilitator handle the behind the scenes work.

© Chad Barr 2012. All rights reserved

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