Webinars With Wow Factor

Good reminders and examples of exercises where to use in the flow

The title is very catching which is one of the reasons I purchased the book. I figured if I could learn one thing that would be great. From the first page I learned a plethora of new information. I have been a teacher/trainer for over 20 years and a student of online learning for many years.I recently started teaching an online course. After reading this book, am looking forward to implementing many of the ideas shared in the text.I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in learning how to enhance their webinars and/or online classes.

Pluth's book spends some time discussing webinar preparation ("Where Do I Start?"), the "Deadly Sins" of Webinars, and creation of effective Power Point decks and participant handouts.The bulk of the book, though, focuses on "interactivities" (interaction + activities) that can easily be incorporated into most any webinar to enhance learner participation and, ultimately, learning transfer.I've perused multiple books covering webinar activities, and most have assumed that the webinar platform used offers similar tools (polling, whiteboard, application sharing, video, web browsing, etc.). Unfortunately, the company I work for -- because of both software limitations (firewalls) and hardware issues -- uses a platform that does not offer a whiteboard functionality, video capability, and web browsing. Kudos to Pluth for offering "Variations" to most activities that allow them to be modified to fit most any situation.While the majority of the Interactivities presented are good ones, a few assume you have the money to purchase outside licenses for software programs -- kind of a turn off for me (did Pluth get paid to be a spokesperson?). One of the activities assumes you will be able to afford the Bravo! system with PING software. Another assumes you can purchase and use Raptivity! software. A third is focused on ResponseWare. While I appreciate the general ideas behind the activities, I do not like the fact I'm being presented activities that require spending additional money or purchasing additional hardware.Aside from the third-party software activities, the book is solid, well-written, and does offer a myriad of activities most any facilitator using most any platform (sometimes with modifications) can easily implement. And create Webinars with WOW Factor.

This is a great book for people who are just starting in webinars and live online learning presentations. It gives some concrete ideas for how to incorporate interactivity and some interactive ideas that can be adapted for many situations. This is a great resource for people who aren't yet familiar or comfortable with presenting online and will really enhance my organization's webinars as we begin developing our online training program.

OK book

This book would have been rated higher if it was electronic. We are dealing with virtual interfacing and we have a book that is only available as a paper-bound edition. Frustrating and ineffective. The whole point of a webinar is to factor in the computer aspect of communicating with others via digital networks. The lack of a digital edition makes this book a relic for the price.

Loved this book for ideas on how to add to and spice up virtual training for my organization. I am limited to what our software can do however it opened up many ideas to me and I have incorporated many of them into a Virtual Instructor Course I have rewritten for my organization.

A good read full of handy tips and tricks.