One member from the Netherlands and another from England have joined together to create a new form of events for the Eurojuris network: webinars are coming!
There is nothing harder than having people come to your venue. Anyone who has organised a seminar, or any kind of public event, has found themselves cringing in front of the door half an hour before the beginning, biting their nails wondering if anyone will show up, nervously counting down the few names who confirmed they will be there, and despairing at the room not filling up... Of course, most events end up working very well, but how you would love to get rid of that anxiety!
This is what webinars are for. An online seminar with speakers talking to a camera and audience gathering around their personal computers – all this allows one to be free from the constraint of bringing guests and speakers alike to a place that will always be far away for at least part of them. Webinars have just made their way into your network.
'I discovered webinars when I joined the board of Jurismus', says Dave Beck (EJ Netherlands), a lawyer for the firm RWV. 'The idea was already in the air on the board and we were looking for ideas to make it real. Because my firm already did webinars for our clients, I decided to take the matter in hand and organise a webinar for Jurismus.' Dave had the opportunity to learn more about the technical aspect of a webinar, which involves much more than just inviting everyone into a random Skype conversation. 'At my firm we discussed with an external IT man, and he gave me very valuable tips on how to make a webinar possible. He taught me how to get suitable quality of images and sounds without using a studio. In order to get a good connection with many viewers we also use a YouTube based technology.'
Dave's initiative attracted the attention of another Eurojuris affiliated lawyer, Adrian McClinton (LawNet), who works in Sussex for the lawfirm Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP. 'I watched the webinar by our Dutch colleagues about debt connection, and I decided my firm should do the same. At my previous lawfirm, I planned, wrote and delivered a series of webinars to existing and potential clients and it worked very well. The biggest advantage is that no one has to travel. The webinars enabled me to reach potential clients I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to do so. The course of webinars was viewed by people who are located in places in far-flung parts of the UK, where I never normally go,. Delivering webinars to such individuals was a great opportunity for business. My fondest memory of webinars is the positive feedback I received'
Adrian and Dave have gathered a great deal of experience in organising webinars. 'I would suggest that it is important to incorporate some form of visual aid for instance a PowerPoint presentation', says Adrian, 'as it can sometimes illuminate what your are trying to communicate as opposed to just a guy sitting in front of a computer talking to other guys sitting in front of computers! Sometimes you need to make it more appealing with visual info.' Dave adds: 'You have the opportunity to record your speech somewhere and do the post-production somewhere else with someone else. But one thing to keep in mind is to be careful about the topic you choose and how you deliver it, because contrary to a live seminar, you will not be able to see the faces of your audience, you cannot see their reactions as you speak! So you have to make an extra effort to be interesting until the end.'
The first webinar is scheduled on December 1st and its topic and speakers will be presented at the Munich gathering. 'The name of the whole project for Jurismus webinars is Pimp my Firm!' says Dave. 'We will advance on this topic at the conference in Munich. A webinar for Eurojuris members would be different from a webinar for clients so we must talk about it. A Jurismus webinar will focus on skills for young lawyers, whereas other webinars would be centered more on legal content.' Adrian may be a future speaker for a Pimp my Firm event and is working on bringing the concept in Eurojuris. Both men refer to webinar as a great step for the network. So get ready for some action on your computer!
