Every online event consists of three parts. They require different activities with the use of particular tools as well. The three parts of an online event are the preparation phase, the event itself, and the follow-up.
The tools I want to describe here are only my suggestions. I tried to choose those available around the world; however, in some countries, they may be some restrictions (like Google forms in China). You may easily find better tools yourself, so feel free to use them. From my point of view, more important than a tool itself is a system (the way you work) of connecting all your tools. So let’s have a look at the three parts of the online event – from a perspective of a system.
The registration form is essential for two reasons. The first one is to collect all email addresses for further communication. The second reason is to ask participants about their expectations in order to modify the event accordingly to their needs. I always prefer to use Google forms, but in fact, any forms or online services are useful – if they fulfil the above needs.
After the registration part, the best practice is to send them all event details – directly to their calendars.
I always prefer to use ZOOM for any online sessions; it can be project status, training, webinar, or even a simple call. The main reason why I use ZOOM is the smooth scheduling of all my calls and meetings. It also allows me to send the invitation to the meeting directly to the participants’ calendar. It can be a Goggle calendar or even Outlook. The second reason why I prefer ZOOM is that I can send the link to the session in the invitation as well. It is easier for the participant to join the meeting. It is not necessary to call them or to ask them for their nicknames (as it is always requested by Skype). The session is also accessible by the ZOOM app from the mobile phone, just by using the password included in the invitation that goes directly to the calendar.
The main purposes all preparation phase activities are: to work systemically, publish the event, gather the emails for future communication, gather the expectations to make your event more useful for participants, and send the session details directly to the calendar of the participants.
The event itself
ZOOM is free to use the tool, only with a few constraints. The constrain that differs a free version from paid one is that your online “free” meeting can last only 40 minutes. But guess what. To have 40 minutes for an online session is more than enough. You just have to spend some time to plan the meeting. Honestly, there are too many webinars and online courses these days. People spend a lot of time connected to virtual meetings or calls, and they think twice whether to connect to an online session that is not strictly related to their work. There are just too many online events today. And many of them are just a simple waste of time (or at least some parts of those events are a pure waste). Don’t be like those people who waste their time online. Be smart, productive, and funny. And by the way, if your event duration is less than an hour, you have a higher chance that people will participate. Try it if you don’t believe me
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