How do you get the most out of an online session via video calling or a webinar?

Video calling with a coach and yoga lessons via a group video call or a webinar is becoming more and more common. This is not for nothing, because being able to teach or do a coaching session remotely has its advantages.

But how do you get the best out of your online service via video calling? Because touching someone or physically correcting them during a yoga pose obviously is not possible.

Learn to stay connected with the client during video calls

Just like a face-2-face meeting, a good atmosphere is important for establishing good contact. In addition, especially if your client is video calling for the first time and doesn't know you yet, it is important to pay attention to non-verbal communication.

How do you create a good atmosphere during the video call with your client?

A good atmosphere starts with yourself. Make sure you are prepared and have time without being distracted by your surroundings. After all, you are at work, and the fact that you can do this from your living room thanks to video calling, does not mean that the children have to run around the room.

Your background also determines the atmosphere for your client. The person can see what is happening behind you, so it is best to choose a quiet background. A bookcase behind you looks nice, but before you know it, your client is more busy deciphering the book titles than listening to you.

Make sure your client does the same. Sessions with a lot of background noise or distractions in your client's room are up to 80% less effective.

Pay attention to non-verbal communication while video calling your client.

A disadvantage of video calling and webinars is that you only get part of the person's non-verbal communication. With people who have their nose in the camera, you even get almost nothing except the eyes and a lit nose.

Therefore, ask your client to sit a little further away from the camera than normal and do the same yourself. Suspended shoulders, a restless moving body, or wild gesticulating hands are than just about to come along.

The temptation can be great for a client to answer an email in between while sitting at the computer. If you would have a face-2-face session, you probably wouldn't allow it, but because you can't see the keyboard, the person can do it secretly.

Therefore, make sure the person keeps looking into the camera by simply asking for it. Eyes that keep moving a little bit from left to right indicate that they are doing something else 'on the sly.'

It is also possible that there is someone else in the room that you can't see. You usually notice this because the person looks in a particular direction on a regular basis instead of in the camera.

One solution is to ask what can be seen there, but a more subtle solution is to ask if the client can use earplugs. Thanks to the earplugs, he can still look, but he will hear the person in the room less often.

Learn to keep in touch with the group during a webinar

Depending on which platform you are using, you will see no one, 1 person, or several persons on the screen. Therefore choose the right platform based on the type of contact you want to have with your group. You can choose from different options.

• a. Skype only shows and hears people who are speaking.
• b. Zoom and Microsoft Meetings can show and let large groups of people see and hear at the same time.
• c. TheONE only shows and let people see and hear the person that the webinar host assigns.

Option a and b were originally developed as a group conference platform. Only later did they add webinar functionality. So it is important to know whether you want to give a webinar (an online lesson or lecture via video calls) or prefer a group discussion.

TheONE is one of the few companies that has chosen not to be able to set up group conversations because webinars are most efficient when only one person is speaking and in the picture.

By having only the host or the person assigned to speak and hear, the audience can fully focus on that person. The disadvantage is that the speaker himself does not immediately see what his audience is doing.

Keep in touch with your audience by asking and answering questions

Whatever webinar platform you choose, just as when giving a live training, seminar, or lecture, it is important to ask your audience questions. All webinar platforms have a 'raise a hand' function.

This allows the audience to give a written answer or ask a question that the webinar host can come back to immediately or later.

A big disadvantage of the 'raise a hand' function, just like with Facebook live, is that the host can be overwhelmed by answers or questions. Many webinar hosts, therefore, make use of a so-called moderator. People who filter all relevant questions and use written text messages to answer the questions the host can't handle.

Because TheONE purely offers a webinar service, this platform takes into account that the host is not overloaded with questions. Participants can only ask 1 question at a time, and if they have another question, they first have to delete the old question. In addition, the host has three simple buttons for each question.

1. I will come back to it later
2. I can't answer that right now
3. Thanks
4. Give the questioner the word with image and microphone

This allows the host to verbally address the most relevant questions without having to deviate too much from the lesson or presentation.

Have a look in this article at what other features and benefits TheONE has to offer.