NACADA WebEvent Facilitator Tips

Tips for Maximized Experience Professional Development Events utilizing Webinars or Recordings


What can we do on our campus to maximize our attendees' professional development experience?

Make it an EVENT!

  • Utilize the Web Event Host Guide, developed by Webinar Advisory Board Past-Chair Terry Musser and NACADA Web Event Producer Leigh Cunningham.
  • Think through the various aspects of set-up and facilitation well in advance of the event .
    Learn from these participants from previous seasons:
    •  For our first Webinar, we did not adequately anticipate that we would want to have a group discussion at the end; our room was not well-designed for that. Now we've changed to conference-style seating instead of lecture style, and we like it!
    • We learned from our first attendance that we needed to reserve the room for a longer time period and plan for discussion prior to and immediately following the program.
    • We weren't sure about this format going in, and we did get distracted at times, but we were also to make comments to each other that we wouldn't have done in a live setting. We held a great discussion/brain-storming session at the conclusion of the webinar.
    • Because we had people from across campus attending, we were able to start a conversation about the importance of mission and learning outcomes for campus advising (not just in our units).
    • We found that it was a good opportunity to share thoughts and network with folks from across campus we don't see often.
  • Consider bringing in campus resource personnel to assist with facilitation or follow-up.
  • Our campus facilitator typcially invites staff from various student services departments related to the event or resources being presented for campus Q&A and additional local information that may differ from presentation.
  • Our university invites the resource person from the university to add comments and talk about resources at our institution.

If you have comments or suggestions - such as those above - about what you learned from your participation that might be helpful to future viewers, please email them to Leigh Cunningham.

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Facilitators Said...

At the University of Colorado at Boulder, we rely on the high quality of these webinars to provide professional development opportunities for our advisors and other student affairs professionals. The topics are timely and are great for starting conversation going forward. -Ned Muhovich, Associate Director of Advising, University of Colorado at Boulder

Strategies suggested by Webinar hosts:

  • We have the person(s) specifically responsible for this area on campus speak following the event.
  • We have refreshments!
  • We host a 'mini-conference' for 1-2 hours after the broadcast.
  • Our Dean encourages everyone to attend.
  • Our group tends to immediately have its own discussion following the webinar about issues relating to our college.