Just last week I logged on to a webinar that I was really looking forward to attending. The topic was particularly relevant to me, and the session promised timely tips and tricks I was eager to learn. Sixty minutes later I went about my day with barely a morsel of new information about the hot topic. The presenter may have delivered great content but I can’t be sure. What happened?
The truth is, I was never engaged. And not long after tuning in, I had tuned out the presenter. Why? Because I could. In the confines of my office, I was easily distracted. Always the multi-tasker, I didn’t see the harm in checking e-mails, reviewing activity on Twitter and LinkedIn, snacking, even holding an impromptu meeting with a colleague to kick-start a new project.
And it seems I am not alone. According to the U.S. Travel Association, in a survey of senior executives, 81 percent of respondents admit to sending emails while on conference calls and 75 percent acknowledge having side conversations.
Normally I consider myself a respectful audience member with a better than average attention span. I’m patient – meaning that I’ll give a presenter longer than most to make a point (ditto for movies). And I don’t need a whole lot of flash to stay engaged, just solid content. (One of my favorite movies is My Dinner with Andre. Enough said.)
Still, I got to thinking…had the presenter dived right into the meat of the content, would I have been hooked sooner? If the presenter was a tad more dynamic would I have hung in there? Would it have helped if the webinar offered streaming video, not just audio? I can’t be sure, but I do suspect I would have remained a distant, passive listener just the same.
I was missing that connection that comes from being a captive audience member, observing and engaging with the presenter and the rest of the audience in real time – something technology, despite all its advances, cannot simulate.
Next week, I’m off to a live seminar in Chicago where once again the topic is very relevant to me. I’m looking forward to networking with peers, learning new concepts and ideas that resonate, and returning home with industry information that can be shared with colleagues, clients, and readers of this very blog. I will be out of the office for several days, and my company is spending money on the training and travel, so naturally the stakes are higher than attending a free webinar online. But I have to think the rewards stand to be that much greater.
I’ll let you know how I fared, and pick-up where I left off when I return from the Windy City.
To be continued…
