Lessons On Engaging Global Audiences Online: KM Insights from Dar Maxwell of Engility Corp

Cross-posted from Agrilinks, USAID Bureau for Food Security's knowledge management platform. The original post was written by Joy Chen of the KDMD Project.

The USAID Bureau for Food Security’s Agriculture Sector Council Seminar Series, Feed the Future Stakeholder Meetings, and other Agrilinks events have effectively engaged global audiences to discuss agriculture and food security issues, approaches, and best practices. Through experimentation, refinement, and participant feedback, the Agrilinks team has developed interactive, high quality online learning experiences. Recently, the Agrilinks team sat down with Dar Maxwell, Manager of Distance Learning and Technology at Engility Corp, who plays a key role in shaping Agrilinks webinars, along with other online activities under the USAID Knowledge-Driven Microenterprise Development (KDMD) Project. I am lucky to work closely with Dar and she continuously pushes myself and others on the project to explore more effective and innovative ways to engage our global audiences.

In this short interview as part of the KM Insights series, Dar discusses the various components of ensuring a successful, interactive webinar. Here are some highlights:

• Plan plan plan. Just as in planning for an in-person event, successful webinars result from strong preparation, including (1) identifying learning objectives, (2) tailoring content to the target audience, and (3) managing necessary tasks. Online events require a good amount of attention so that the technology can effectively support the overall objective. Can the audience clearly hear the audio? Can the international audience effectively participate even in lower bandwidth areas? What are contingency plans to ensure a high quality event? Dar stresses the importance of rehearsals and dry-runs to address these questions and troubleshoot any difficulties prior to the event.
• Find easy ways for participant engagement. Online participants form impressions about the webinar as soon as they enter the webinar room. Dar shares easy ways an online facilitator can create a friendly, participatory environment in simple ways such as asking participants to introduce themselves and share where they’re joining from in the public chat. Webinar polls are another great tool that the KDMD Project has used to break the ice, prompt participants to interact with the webinar platform, and learn a little bit about their fellow participants.
• Provide timely validation. Unlike in-person audiences, webinar participants do not have the benefit of visual cues from the presenter or facilitator. This is why timely validation is extremely critical. Dar finds it helpful to put herself in the shoes of the participant who is likely joining from their office cubicle and perhaps a bit distracted by their computer and daily tasks. Providing timely validation lets them know that someone is paying attention and is appreciative of their participation.

In addition to these tips, Dar also share her thoughts on the future of online learning activities as part of USAID’s knowledge management strategy.