Professional webinar systems

Webinars or webinars are presentations, lessons, seminars or trainings organized using webcast technology. These are "digital meetings", used when we are unable to organize a traditional, "analog" meeting (eg, resulting from the considerable distance of participants or in the current situation of a new, unknown flu pathogen). Webinars are a way to contact clients or students . They are perfect for conducting trainings and internet presentations. Webinars are interactive - that is, they provide the ability to send and receive information in real time.

Basic capabilities of webinar platforms

• multilateral conference;
• the ability to load and view presentations and videos;
• text chat;
• virtual table;
• polls and voting;
• sharing your computer screen;
• broadcast recording and the ability to watch multiple times.

Advanteges

Webinars are convenient! For both leaders and participants - thanks to the possibility of this form of "meeting" anywhere and at any time. This version of online events is becoming more and more popular. Webinars help to conduct conferences and meetings in a more convenient and effective way. Why? Because, it doesn't matter if you are on a business trip or on vacation. You don't have to worry about organizational issues such as renting a room, coffee breaks or access - all you need is a computer and access to the Internet. Below I would like to present a few professional and popular platforms for organizing this type of event.

Skype For Business - A tool directed mainly to companies, thanks to the "room" option, up to 250 people at a time. The platform is also run in Polish. We have the option of using a virtual laser pointer in the presentation of the popular PowerPoint to highlight the terms we want to specify. To use the device you must have an active Microsoft Office 365 suite.

Zoom - Has a free plan, up to 100 participants and the possibility of a 40-minute recording. We have the opportunity to increase the number of (paid) participants. It is an English-language platform, integrated with Google, Outloock. We can divide our participants into any subgroup, while conducting live broadcast on Facebook or Youtube. The system automatically saves the transcription, which you can download later.

GoToWebinar, GoToTraining - The most known webinar programs. Expanded in its functions, however, is not available in the Polish language. Has chat and screen sharing functions for individual participants. The whole meeting can be recorded for many speakers. Very useful is the function of creating and sending surveys and the ability to write presentations without additional programs designed for this. Thanks to the ability to create comprehensive reports, we can create a history of our business development. The manufacturer offers a free "taste" - a 30-day version of Trial.

ClickMeeting - The program offers a free trial period of 30 days for up to 25 people. The producer took care of the Polish language version with an available discussion mode in which up to 25 people have the opportunity to speak. A very useful feature is chat with the option of simultaneous interpreter, which means that we can have meetings with people who speak different languages. Additional options including increasing the number of participants to as many as 5000 are available for a fee - as in all other platforms.

WebexTraining, WebexEvents - Extensive webinar tools with many possibilities for maximum use of training processes. We have the option of sharing multimedia such as PowerPoint presentations or animations using Adobe Flash. Video teleconferences can take place on 6 independent panels in High Definition audio quality. A very interesting option is the participant's hand raising system. His query is automatically saved and the tool asks you to respond. Thanks to this, every user has the ability to quickly get the answer to their question. The function of surveying guests during the training and automatic counting of data and pulling out the necessary functions creates a very useful analytical function of the device. In my humble opinion, these and many other functions make this tool the most useful among those described for a professional trainer.

AdobeConnect - A platform offering up to 90 days free trial. Here you can completely design your virtual "lecture halls". Thanks to the numerous chat resources, quizzes, surveys, simulations and games we have the possibility of a very interesting training program for our participants. The option of dividing users into individual subgroups allows us to customize the material and carry out the didactic forms mentioned above. All materials are of course immediately available and ready to be sent to participants and to print. Unfortunately, the platform is not available in Polish.

Join.me - Application for use by the browser and by installing it on your computer's hard drive. A mobile version is also available. The tool is free when creating webinars up to 10 people. It gives the ability to split the screen and share files. Each participant gets the opportunity to create notes or sketch after a previously prepared presentation. The presentation itself can be entrusted to the participant. The manufacturer gives us the opportunity to use the PRO version for free for 14 days. Unfortunately, we have not yet lived to see the Polish language version.

Blackboard Collaborate - A very extensive application, the use of which can be divided into two main categories: Learning / Teaching and engaging the online community in all activities, e.g. marketing. Let us introduce the teaching function. The platform comprehensively supports this process through, among others: process management (e.g. thanks to a shared virtual board), data analysis (used in monitoring progress) or creating scientific conferences.

The described tools are undoubtedly a great improvement in the digitization of work, because the process of global "matrix" is a motor operating with high mechanical efficiency as well as electric motors. Let us remember, however, that these tools, although very helpful, should not, and even cannot, replace or eliminate non-verbal communication. Our bodies "talk" to each other in this way in 70%. And in all progress, this type of communication is important as far as eating vitamins in tablets, and allowing our intestines to synthesize them naturally from food. Because that's what they are for.