Webinars

By Joshua Wright

Companies and organisations are increasingly offering free educational webinars that anyone can attend online. But what are “webinars’? What would I gain from attending them? And if I wanted to participate in a webinar, how would I go about it? This blog article aims to address each of these questions and hopefully make the prospect of participating in an online webinar a slightly less daunting process.

What is a Webinar?

One could be forgiven for not knowing what a webinar is. After all, the term is a relatively new word, first entering the Oxford English Dictionary in 2008. Deriving from the terms website and seminar, the word webinar is defined as ‘[a] seminar conducted online, in which participants interact with one another in real time’. Following the pandemic, the ability to access webinars safely from home has led to the format becoming an increasingly popular educational tool. Accessible to anyone with an internet connection, businesses and organisations are increasingly holding online webinars, enabling participants from around the globe to join and participate in virtual events.

Why attend a Webinar:

There are several reasons why one may attend a webinar:

• Variety – Every day there are thousands of webinars available to attend. Whether you’re seeking to develop a new skill or just hoping to learn about a particular topic, there’s bound to be a webinar suited to your interests.
• The Best Price of all… Free!!! – Open to the general public, lots of webinars are completely free to participate in so don’t let money stop you from attending.
• No Commute – As webinars are online, you can access them from anywhere around the world. Whether working at a desk or lying in bed, it’s easy to join a webinar from home. However, I’m at pains to point out that just because you can join a webinar in bed, doesn’t mean you should (at the very least you should have the sense to use a fake background or turn your camera off)
• Little Time Commitment – In the busyness of modern society, it can be hard to find time for self-improvement. Fortunately, webinars tend to be short one-off events that don’t require a regular time commitment. You can attend as many or as few events as your schedule allows for.
• Develop Contacts – Showing an active engagement in an organisation’s webinar could be a great way to meet contacts and develop a rapport with potential employers. Furthermore, if you’re ever invited to interview for the company, discussing the webinars you attended would quickly prove your interest in the organisation and could help demonstrate your aptitude for the vacancy.

Where can I access Webinars:

If there’s a particular company or organisation that you’re interested in following, it is worth keeping an eye on their website to find out about any upcoming webinars (see if there’s an emailing list you can subscribe to that will alert you of approaching events). However, if you don’t have a particular organisation in mind, here are two websites you can find fascinating free webinars on:

5×15: Each 5×15 event brings together five internationally acclaimed speakers to give a fifteen-minute talk on their profession. Virtual masterclasses, their webinars allow world-leading artists, scientists, actors and politicians to share their expertise on a vast array of subjects. Past speakers have included the actress Joanna Lumley, the economist Tim Harford, the director Werner Herzog and politicians from the Birmingham MP Jess Phillips to the Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama. The webinars normally have a limited number of free tickets so if you’re interested in a particular event it is worth signing up early. Lots of their past talks are still available to listen to on their YouTube channel and podcast. If you’re interested in hearing from a particular past guest it is worth checking to see if their talk is still available to listen to.

Eventbrite: Founded in 2006, Eventbrite is a popular event management and ticketing website that companies frequently use to advertise their online events. The site is home to hundreds of webinars every day so it’s worth perusing the listings to see if any events interest you. If you follow a company on Eventbrite, they will email you notifications about any upcoming events meaning you never have to miss a webinar.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading today’s article on webinars. I hope you’ve found the topic informative and useful. If you have any recommendations for online webinar sites please share them in the comments section below.