How to thrive in an overwhelming world of ridiculously useful webinars.
Whatever you want to learn, 2020 has a webinar on the topic. When the leaders of our countries say, ‘lockdown’, learning and development has said, ‘We raise you webinars’. Time and time again.
I love to learn. Famously so. Not in a Madonna-esque way (she’s still famous right? *looks to the youth of today*). In a way that with everyone I meet (socially distantly), I lean-in, furrow my brow and start absorbing like a sponge. Everywhere I go I leave seeds of learning, sharing my own thoughts or the wisdom of others.
Equality, diversity and inclusion has owned the spotlight this year. With black lives matter, remote working, and everyone talking about mental health, the world got ‘woke’. And, in true 2020 style, the webinars started building up like my reading list for when the libraries re-open again.
I say this as the Junior Chamber of Commerce’s European Equality and Diversity Taskforce (I know – epic title) has an awesome week of free webinars. Diversity Week covers so many amazing topics – changing the world out of a wheelchair, safe spaces, Roma communities, intergenerational working – which you definitely have to check out.
Which, therefore, prompts the question – how do we thrive in an already overwhelming world with an array of overwhelming useful webinars?
Caption: How to thrive in a world full of overwhelmingly good webinars.
Here are my top tips:
1) Off the back of self-care week, it would be silly not to start with self-care. Only attend if this works for you. Some nights I’ve had to say, ‘Hey that sounds awesome, but I want a gin and to watch Ru Paul’ – and that’s okay.
2) Set aside time each week to look at upcoming events and ask yourself, ‘does this suit my flexible but routine-d diary’?
3) A key pillar of my lockdown survival is the question, ‘how much virtual engagement am I doing’? Balance up webinars and personal development, with the other social engagements etc you have. With everything happening on the one screen, it’s essential to get a break.
4) If you can, access the webinar as a podcast and walk and learn. Webinars tend to be ‘talking at’, therefore pop off that camera and get moving. (Top tip for virtual engagement – if it could be a Youtube video, then ask yourself, ‘how am I brining value as a webinar?’.
5) Divide and conquer in your team and with your peers. If you can’t make it, get the key points from others.
How are you finding the world of webinars?
And, dare I ask, do you have any recommendations for me?!
