Get the Most Out of Online CPE Webinars
The flexibility and abundance of webinars these days can be both good and bad. On one hand, you can pick up free CPE from live webinars almost any time but on the other hand, it can be tempting to focus your attention elsewhere while the webinar is “on in the background.”

Whether you continue to do other work, flip the TV on, or just surf the web, most of us are guilty one time or another of focusing our attention elsewhere while waiting for the next webinar “survey question” to pop up to confirm we are still “there” to get our CPE.

Being “there” to flip back to the webinar survey screen and getting something out of the webinar are two very different things. Instead of a “check-the-box” compliance requirement, online CPE webinars should be used as an investment of your time and money to advance your career and grow your network.

Here are a few things you can do to get more out of online webinars:

1. Signup for Webinars in Advance
Don’t wait until you have a couple open hours to sign up for whatever free webinar is about to start. The webinars that you sign up for just to check off some CPE are not likely to be relevant to your career.

Instead, set aside a half hour each month and search for upcoming webinars that pertain to your career or interests and sign up in advance. At Encoursa we partner with the top thought leaders in the industry to offer a wide range of relevant topics to CPAs and financial professionals.

2. Treat Online Webinars Like Meetings
To ensure you will be free from work and other distractions, be sure to add webinars to your work calendar to block off that time.

This will prevent co-workers from scheduling meetings during this time slot and you will look at the webinar as a commitment you signed up for that will require your full attention.

3. Ask the Presenter Questions
If you are taking webinars that pertain to your career, you should have some questions in the back of your mind to ask the presenter during the Q&A time. Better yet, if the presenter’s contact information is available during the signup, send them an email with your questions in advance.

Reaching out directly to the presenters is also a great way to grow your network of contacts.

4. Take Notes
Typically, the presenter will go through a PowerPoint presentation during the live webinar. If you are able to download or print the slides in advance, you can add notes to them.

If you are not able to access the slides until after the presentation, you can take your own notes and add them to the slide deck. You never know when you might want to go back and reference topics you learned during the presentation.

Hopefully with a little advanced planning and preparation you will get the most out of your next online webinar.