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One of the
purposes of this site is to provide people who have not participated
in
a wired seminar some explanation. We recognize that an orientation
may be needed — to the software,
expectations, activities, and our role in the development process.
So this page is the starting point for a brief walk-through of the
concept
and how you might
use it.
What is
a wired seminar?
Let's review the differences between a traditional, live
seminar and the wired seminar:
- A
wired seminar is organized around a series of competencies.
To develop solid competency in a task like, say, preparing a budget
for a project, one must get engaged in experiences and tasks as an
active participant. Seminar participants will get active practice
under the supervision of an experienced coach.
- Activities
might involve relevant research, critical analysis of a flowchart
or a proposed budget, preparation of a press release, or close examination
of a case study.
- Participants
work on projects and assignments on their own schedule, often
as part of a team with another participant or two. It is not a
self-study course; participants are expected to communicate continuously
with each other, and a coach/moderator is monitoring the discussions
and activities, providing a steady stream of comments, suggestions
and reinforcement.
- Most
assignments ask participants to research an issue, discuss the tradeoffs
of two
alternatives, or prepare a report of the kind that might, for
example, normally make up part of a marketing plan. These
assignments mirror as closely as possible the tasks a practitioner
working in the field would have to do as part of his\her job.
- To provide
structure, the wired seminar uses outlines, checklists and worksheets;
now and then a slide show, or even a taped "mini-lecture,"
or a telephone conference, as well as a detailed written explanation
of expectations.
- The activities
are designed to help participants to do, not simply to know
about.
- Participants
have ready access (by phone or e-mail) to a coach/moderator and
receive coaching in just about any aspect of the project.
How
do we do that?
Now let's consider how that wired seminar works when the instructor (that
is, the coach/moderator) may never get together face-to-face with any
of the participants.
1 You'll
distribute outlines and worksheets (and an occasional
article or even a mini-lecture) via an attachment to e-mail, or participants
will download them from a dedicated website (a
private workspace,
somewhat like a Yahoo group, but without advertising
and with more capabilities),
regardless of where they are.
2 Assignments
will be distributed the same way, but you're likely to
have a telephone conference call shortly after participants have a chance
to read about the task that will occupy them for a week
or more, often with a partner.
3 You
expect participants and their partner(s) will communicate
often by e-mail, phone, and instant messaging about the task, and that
they'll exchange
portions of the work-in-process with each other, and
with the coach. The
interpersonal skills of the coach/moderator are essential here.
4 Participants
will post a copy of their completed assignment (which
might be the
draft of a couple of press releases, a media list, a spreadsheet,
an organization chart, or a marketing plan) on your dedicated
website for
other
members of the seminar to see, and react to. The coach/moderator
will
offer comments and suggestions, too, in public and in private.
Sound
like too much technology?
The technology is actually one of the least revolutionary aspects of
the wired seminar, and participants soon don't even have to think about
it.
But we recognize there are many people who are still a little uncertain
about e-mail and occasionally have trouble attaching a file to an e-mail
message, and quake at the idea of downloading and installing some software.
So one of our tasks is to prepare materials and instructions that walk
participants those processes. Here's
how that works:
- We'll
enable you to download and install (automatically--you literally
won't have to do a thing) current versions of the software we'll
be using, which includes a browser, Instant Messenger, Real
Player (audio & video), Acrobat Reader, and WinZip (to compress
and
extract files), and other utilities.
- Participants
unfamiliar with any of those applications will be given step-by-step
directions, to walk them through the uses and features,
and provide sufficient instruction and practice
in using it. We've done it lots of times before and
everyone says it's really easy.
- This
is not a self-study course — participants will be working with a partner
and under the
direction of a coach/moderator, so checking in with the dedicated
website for the seminar
is essential — as
is communicating frequently with other participants
in the
seminar, but especially with a partner on an assignment. We'll help
you get even novice e-mailers proficient in a hurry.
When
should you consider a
wired seminar?
We thought you'd never ask! There are several conditions and constraints
that suggest this approach might be a viable alternative when:
- Your
audience is geographically dispersed
- It's
difficult to schedule a convenient time for everyone to meet
- Traditional
presentation-type seminars have not increased competencies
- You
want to reach new markets
- Trainees
acquire competencies only over an extended period of time
- You
think developing competencies by an online apprenticeship is
neat
- You'd
like to see a community of practice emerge from the training
- You
really, really have to develop competencies in a few key people
- You
need something to help you stand out from the crowd
When is a wired seminar inappropriate?
There
are many circumstances when it just doesn't make sense, economically
or practically, to turn your seminar into a wired one:
- There's
less than, say, 12-15 hours of "classroom" time
involved
- You
need scalability (hundreds of trainees) and you need it fast
- Your
task is to inform, not to develop competencies
- You
like Learning Objects and your training has to be SCORM-compliant
- You
can do everything you want to in a day-and-a-half of lecturing
- You have
no interest in evolving learning cohorts into communities of practice
- The
corporate culture insists on live, face-to-face meetings—no
techie stuff
How
we work with clients
Our
goal is usually to put clients into additional markets and to transform what
are (if the truth be known) marginally-effective stand-up presentational
style seminars into far more effective learning experiences. Frankly, our
learning model could do as much for those who don't want to move
online as for developers who see web-based training as a means of broadening
their
reach.
We have a well-worked out process that let's you retain control while we
coach you through a major rehaul of your instructional approach.
1 We
review
the audiences you presently serve, focusing on their expectations,
seminar objectives (especially the desired competencies), and your
instructional materials (assignments, checklists, PowerPoint slides,
other handouts).
2
We work through the financial
model with you. What is the expected revenue from a class of 15-20,
what are the one-time (fixed) development costs, the variable costs,
gross margins, etc. Because the wired seminar, properly done, has
limited scalability, we need to be very careful at this stage to
make sure it will be a paying proposition.
3 We
outline
your role and ours. We do much more than work with you on the technology
and software involved — we'll help you transform seminar
objectives, assignments and handouts, and
assist you in
converting your
presentations into discovery activities — apprenticeship-type
experiences — and
other forms of participation. We'll coach your facilitators and subject
matter experts on how to encourage participation, provide
feedback and build the community. (Communities also provide loyal
clients for future growth.)
4 We
monitor
your progress and hold your hand as you conduct your first wired
seminar. We haven't succeeded until you have. We'll advise you and
coach your staff as the seminar proceeds and provide a detailed analysis
and suggestions at the conclusion.
5 We
package and productize your new wired seminar. From selecting
the most cost-effective collaboration software to setting up a dedicated
website and a wiki (if you don't know the term, take a look
at the Glossary), there are a myriad of tasks to turn that first
event
into an on-going business. We can help.
We'd like
to talk to you about your seminar, even if you're in the very earliest
stages of thinking about it. We can only work with a couple of
clients at a time, and usually have to commit our resources long in advance.
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