Interactive Web Conferencing Advice

Written by Steven Bryan

An online meeting in which the participants simply sit back and listen can be an effective business tool, but interactive Web conferencing can, under the right circumstances, accomplish so much more.

Various applications
Interactive Web conferencing allows participants to share information, identify problems and work out solutions, even if they are separated by great distances. You, as the host or moderator, also can ask questions of the group and tally the responses for everyone to see.

The applications of this type of conference are limited only by your imagination:

• Webinars: When hosting an online seminar, answering questions posed by the participants makes the meeting much more valuable for everyone.
• Breakout groups: Sometimes, topics come up that require further discussion. Employees can gather in virtual "breakout rooms" after a Web meeting to keep the discussion going and possibly find an answer to a critical issue.
• Press conference: Instead of requiring reporters to physically come to your office, you can set up a virtual press conference which allows them to participate via the Internet. Each journalist can signal when they want to ask a question, eliminating a lot of the chaos that occurs at traditional press conferences.
• Virtual classrooms: The interaction between teacher and student is vital, even for someone who is pursuing an online degree. Interactive Web conferencing allows you to set up a virtual classroom setting where students can ask questions and receive additional one-on-one instruction.
• Stockholder meetings: When it isn't practical or possible for someone to attend a shareholder's meeting in another state, allowing them to connect interactively increases communication and goodwill between your company and the stockholders.

Web conferencing features
In addition to standard features such as submitting questions and sharing presentation slides, certain conferencing features can help make an interactive event more effective:

• Private messages: The high-tech equivalent of whispering to a co-worker, letting the group send private messages to each other can make the meeting much more effective. Two participants can have a quiet sidebar without disturbing everyone else.
• Virtual whiteboards: One of the simplest but most effective meeting tools, a virtual whiteboard is a great place for the group to share information and illustrate solutions.
• Shared desktops: Give another participant the freedom to use software or a document on your computer. Use this feature carefully!

Drawbacks of interactive Web conferencing
Adding collaborative voice-based elements to a virtual meeting means that every participant needs to have a microphone or headset and possibly a Web camera for face-to-face discussions. By adding interactive elements, it's also possible to lose control of the meeting or run past your allotted online meeting time. Back-and-forth communication during interactive Web conferencing also means you'll need to host your conference on a system that can handle this kind of traffic.

Despite these drawbacks, collaboration during an online meeting makes it more cost effective in the long run. Ready to find a conferencing service provider for your next interactive event? Connect to multiple qualified web conferencing providers – free.