We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
Jaakko Heikkilä

The course “Tools for activating your online event audience” provides an excellent overview of different tools that are available for interacting with the participants in an online event, be it a meeting or a training. The course deals with the basic ways of interactions: letting the participants ask questions from the presenter and the presenter to ask questions from the participants. We also consider some tools available for collecting and mapping ideas from the participants as well as prioritizing among those ideas.

Read more

The course “Tools for activating your online event audience” provides an excellent overview of different tools that are available for interacting with the participants in an online event, be it a meeting or a training. The course deals with the basic ways of interactions: letting the participants ask questions from the presenter and the presenter to ask questions from the participants. We also consider some tools available for collecting and mapping ideas from the participants as well as prioritizing among those ideas.

Each tool is presented and discussed in relation to the following four questions: 1) What is the tool about generally; 2) Is it free to use; 3) What can you use it for; and 4) How does it work in practice. In addition, the course participants have a chance to experience each tool briefly from the participant perspective.

The course begins with an introduction and a brief discussion related to why the participants should be activated in the first place. After this introduction, several tools are discussed one after another: Slido, Mentimeter, Kahoot, Zoom, Flinga, Jamboard and Socrative. Finally the last two lectures review what has been discussed during the course and provide an overview of the topic.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Why interaction and activation are important in an online meeting or training
  • Online tools for engaging the participants
  • How to set up online quizzes for events
  • Hot can the host ask questions from the participants
  • How to let participants ask questions from the host
  • How to collect ideas from the participants
  • How to vote or prioritize the ideas the participants come up with

Syllabus

Introduction

After completing this lecture the students know what the course is about and what it consists of.

After completing this lecture the students know why it is important to engage the audience in online trainings and events.

Read more

After completing this lecture the students know what are the functionalities in Zoom videoconferencing software that can be used for activating the interacting with the participants.

After completing this lecture the students know what Kahoot is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Kahoot.

After completing this lecture the students know what Mentimeter is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Mentimeter.

After completing this lecture the students know what Socrative is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Socrative.

After completing this lecture the students know what Slido is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Slido.

After completing this lecture the students know what Jamboard is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Jamboard.

After completing this lecture the students know what Flinga is about and what it can be used for. They are also familiar with the basic functionalities and operations in Flinga.

After completing this lecture the students get an overview of the tools that have been discussed during the course and can evaluate what is the best tool for their needs.

After completing this lecture the students have completed the course and get some final tips about what to do next.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores tools like Slido, Mentimeter, and Kahoot, which are commonly used to enhance engagement in educational settings and professional development workshops
Covers a range of tools for collecting and prioritizing ideas, which is useful for brainstorming sessions and collaborative decision-making during events
Examines Zoom's interactive functionalities, which helps instructors leverage a familiar platform for more engaging online learning experiences
Presents each tool in relation to its cost, which helps event organizers make informed decisions based on their budget and resource constraints
Requires participants to briefly experience each tool from the participant perspective, which may require access to a computer or mobile device during the course
Focuses on specific tools such as Slido, Mentimeter, Kahoot, Zoom, Flinga, Jamboard and Socrative, which may become outdated or replaced by newer platforms over time

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Reviews summary

Activating online events with tools overview

According to students, this course offers a positive and clear overview of various tools designed to activate online event audiences. Learners particularly appreciate the practical demonstrations and the ability to experience tools from a participant's perspective, finding the content immediately applicable to their work. While many find it an excellent starting point, some more experienced users feel the coverage of individual tools lacks sufficient depth for advanced use cases, suggesting it's potentially best suited for beginners or those looking for a broad introduction rather than deep dives into specific software functionalities. Overall, it's seen as a useful resource for enhancing online interaction.
Best suited for those new to online tools.
"As a beginner, I found this course perfect for getting started with online engagement tools."
"It's a fantastic introductory course if you're new to facilitating online events."
"If you already use several of these tools regularly, you might find some parts too basic."
Covers many tools, but not in depth.
"The course introduced me to a wide range of tools I hadn't considered for online events."
"It's a great introduction to many different tools, though I wish some were covered in more detail."
"I got a good overview of Slido, Mentimeter, and others, but felt it only scratched the surface for deeper use."
Experience tools from participant view.
"Experiencing the tools from the participant side was incredibly valuable for understanding their impact."
"Seeing how attendees would interact with the tools was a highlight of the course."
"The simulations showing the participant view really helped solidify how these tools function in practice."
Content is clear and easy to follow.
"The explanations were very clear and easy to understand, even for someone new to some of these tools."
"The course content is well-structured and presented clearly, making it easy to absorb the information."
"I appreciated the straightforward approach and lack of jargon... very clear and concise."
Provides useful, applicable strategies.
"I found the strategies discussed immediately applicable to my online meetings and training sessions."
"The course gave me practical tips and tools I could start using right away to engage my audience."
"It was really helpful to see how these tools could be used in real-world scenarios for interaction."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Tools for activating your online event audience with these activities:
Review Basic Facilitation Techniques
Reviewing basic facilitation techniques will provide a solid foundation for effectively using the online tools covered in the course.
Show steps
  • Read articles or watch videos on basic facilitation principles.
  • Identify key techniques for engaging participants.
  • Reflect on past experiences with group facilitation.
Read 'The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters'
Reading this book will provide a deeper understanding of the principles behind effective audience engagement.
Show steps
  • Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
  • Reflect on how the concepts apply to online events.
  • Discuss the book with others.
Read 'Gamification by Design'
Reading this book will provide a deeper understanding of the principles behind effective audience engagement.
Show steps
  • Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
  • Reflect on how the concepts apply to online events.
  • Discuss the book with others.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Practice Question Formulation
Practicing question formulation will improve your ability to effectively use polling and Q&A features in online event tools.
Show steps
  • Brainstorm different types of questions (open-ended, multiple choice, etc.).
  • Write questions related to common training topics.
  • Solicit feedback on the clarity and effectiveness of your questions.
Create a Comparison Chart of Online Event Tools
Creating a comparison chart will help you solidify your understanding of the different tools and their features.
Show steps
  • Identify the key features to compare (pricing, functionality, ease of use, etc.).
  • Research each tool and gather information on its features.
  • Create a chart that clearly compares the tools.
  • Share your chart with others and solicit feedback.
Design an Interactive Online Session
Designing an interactive online session will allow you to apply the tools and techniques learned in the course in a practical setting.
Show steps
  • Define the learning objectives for your session.
  • Select appropriate online tools for interaction.
  • Create a detailed session plan with specific activities.
  • Gather feedback on your session plan.
Explore Advanced Features of a Selected Tool
Exploring advanced features will allow you to maximize the potential of the tools you use for online events.
Show steps
  • Choose one of the tools covered in the course.
  • Find tutorials or documentation on advanced features.
  • Experiment with the features and document your findings.

Career center

Learners who complete Tools for activating your online event audience will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Training Facilitator
A training facilitator designs and delivers engaging training programs, often in virtual environments. This course on activating your online event audience is directly relevant to the role. A training facilitator is often tasked with creating interactive online sessions to enhance learning and retention. Knowing how to use tools like Slido, Mentimeter, and Kahoot for quizzes and polls makes this course a natural fit. A potential training facilitator should take this course to build a foundation in using these tools effectively. The course's focus on participant engagement and its exploration of various interactive platforms help prepare you for designing and leading impactful online training sessions. Understanding why audience activation is important is a key component of being a successful training facilitator.
Webinar Host
A webinar host is responsible for planning and presenting online webinars, ensuring audience engagement and a smooth delivery. This course is highly applicable to the webinar host. A key part of a webinar host's role is to keep attendees interested and involved throughout the session, and this course equips individuals with the tools and techniques to do just that. Familiarity with platforms like Zoom, Slido, and Mentimeter helps a webinar host create interactive elements, such as polls, Q&A sessions, and brainstorming activities. A potential webinar host should take this course to gain practical experience with these tools and learn how to use them to maximize audience participation. The course’s emphasis on understanding why interaction is important in online settings is especially valuable for webinar hosts.
Virtual Event Planner
A virtual event planner specializes in organizing and executing events in a virtual environment. The virtual event planner is responsible for selecting appropriate platforms, designing engaging agendas, and ensuring a seamless experience for attendees. The course on activating your online event audience gives a strong foundation in the tools that can be used. The course covers interactive tools like Flinga and Jamboard. These tools facilitate idea collection and prioritization and are useful for virtual event planners. By understanding how to use these tools effectively, a virtual event planner enhances audience participation and creates more memorable and impactful virtual events.
Instructional Designer
An instructional designer develops engaging and effective learning materials for online courses and training programs. The instructional designer role benefits from learning about tools for audience engagement. The course on tools for activating your online event audience introduces a range of software for interactions. By understanding how to integrate interactive elements into online courses, an instructional designer can create a more immersive and impactful learning experience. The course's focus on tools like Kahoot and Mentimeter helps instructional designers to create quizzes. This is useful for assessing learning outcomes. Understanding why it's important to activate an audience is valuable to an instructional designer.
Online Community Manager
An online community manager fosters and manages online communities, ensuring active participation. The course on activating your online event audience is directly relevant to managing online participation. The online community manager aims to create engaging discussions and activities to keep members connected and involved. Knowledge of tools like Slido and Mentimeter facilitates interactive polls and Q&A sessions, helping to stimulate conversation and gather feedback. Furthermore, the course’s emphasis on understanding why engagement is crucial and how to implement interactive elements makes this course helpful. The course helps an online community manager to foster a vibrant and thriving online community.
Corporate Trainer
A corporate trainer designs and delivers training programs to employees within an organization, aiming to improve their skills and knowledge. The corporate trainer role may benefit from the course on tools to activate your online event audience. The corporate trainer often adapts training programs for online delivery, making the need for interactive tools essential. Understanding how to use tools like Flinga and Jamboard helps corporate trainers to facilitate brainstorming sessions and collaborative activities. The course’s practical approach, including hands-on experience with each tool, helps corporate trainers to create engaging and effective online training sessions. They can use these tools to enhance learning and knowledge retention among employees.
Online Educator
An online educator teaches courses and delivers educational content through online platforms. The online educator may find the tools in this course to be helpful. Keeping students engaged and active is a key challenge in online education. Understanding how to use tools like Kahoot, Socrative, and Mentimeter, as discussed in this course, helps to create interactive quizzes, polls, and discussions that enhance student participation. Being able to ask students questions, and let them ask questions, as discussed in the course, helps educators to create a more engaging and effective learning environment. The course provides valuable insights and practical skills for online educators to make their online classes more interactive and enjoyable.
Meeting Facilitator
A meeting facilitator guides group discussions and meetings to ensure they are productive and engaging. The tools discussed in this course may be valuable to a meeting facilitator. A meeting facilitator is often required to use virtual formats. The course specifically addresses how to activate participants in online meetings using different interactive tools. By understanding how to leverage platforms like Slido, Mentimeter, and Zoom, a meeting facilitator can foster active participation. They would also be able to gather feedback, and ensure that meetings are efficient and effective. The course’s hands-on approach to learning each tool from the participant perspective helps meeting facilitators to design and lead more impactful meetings.
Digital Marketing Specialist
A digital marketing specialist develops and implements digital marketing strategies to promote products or services online. Digital marketing specialists often use webinars and online events to engage their target audience. This course on activating your online event audience is relevant because it provides insights into how to create interactive and engaging online experiences. Knowing how to use tools like Slido and Mentimeter for polls and Q&A sessions helps digital marketing specialists to gather valuable audience feedback, increase brand awareness, and generate leads. The course helps a digital marketing specialist to create more effective and impactful online marketing campaigns.
Human Resources Specialist
A human resources specialist manages various aspects of employee relations, including training and development programs. Some human resources specialists handle online events and training for employees. The course helps human resources specialists leverage online interaction tools. This can be used to create training programs and disseminate company information. By understanding how to engage participants in online events, a human resources specialist can create more effective training sessions, improve employee morale, and enhance overall organizational communication. The course’s exploration of tools like Zoom and Flinga provides practical skills for implementing interactive elements in human resources programs.
Project Manager
A project manager plans, executes, and closes projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. Project managers often need to conduct virtual meetings and presentations with their teams and stakeholders. The course may be useful to a project manager. This is because it provides practical knowledge of tools that enhance engagement and interaction in online settings. Project managers may use tools like Mentimeter and Jamboard to facilitate brainstorming sessions. These sessions help with decision making. They may also use these tools to gather feedback from team members. Understanding how to use these tools effectively helps project managers to improve team collaboration, communication, and project outcomes.
Sales Representative
A sales representative sells products or services to customers, often through presentations and demonstrations. Some sales representatives use webinars and online meetings to reach potential clients. A course on activating your online event audience may be helpful for sales representatives. The sales representatives could use these tools to engage their audiences. By incorporating interactive elements like polls and Q&A sessions, sales representatives can create more persuasive presentations, build rapport with clients, and increase sales conversions. The course’s focus on tools like Slido and Kahoot may help sales representatives to make their presentations more memorable and impactful.
Market Research Analyst
A market research analyst gathers and analyzes data to provide insights into consumer behavior. Gathering feedback from customers in online surveys is one way to collect this information. The market research analyst role may benefit from tools to assist in this matter. Understanding how to use interactive tools like Slido and Mentimeter helps analysts to gather valuable insights during online focus groups, surveys, and webinars. The course on activating your online event audience may help a market research analyst. This may help the analyst to improve the quality and relevance of their market research findings.
Public Relations Specialist
A public relations specialist manages a company's public image and communications. This includes organizing press conferences, events, and online interactions. The tools discussed in this course may be valuable to a public relations specialist. The course may help to enhance audience engagement. It is expected that a public relations specialist must use these tools to facilitate Q&A sessions and gather feedback during online events. By understanding how to use interactive tools that enhance engagement, a public relations specialist can create more impactful public relations campaigns. This leads to improved brand reputation.
Technical Support Specialist
A technical support specialist provides assistance to customers experiencing technical issues with products or services. It is expected that a technical support specialist must use these tools to facilitate Q&A sessions. It is also expected that they must gather feedback during online events. The tools discussed in this course may be valuable to a technical support specialist. The course may help to enhance audience engagement. By understanding how to use interactive tools that enhance engagement, a technical support specialist can create more impactful sessions that lead to improved customer satisfaction.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Tools for activating your online event audience.
While not directly about online tools, this book explores the fundamental principles of creating meaningful gatherings. It emphasizes the importance of purpose, intentionality, and thoughtful design in bringing people together, whether in person or online. provides a broader perspective on how to create engaging and impactful online events, complementing the course's focus on specific tools.
Explores the principles of gamification, which can be applied to online events to increase engagement and motivation. It provides a framework for designing game-like elements into your sessions. While not directly focused on specific online tools, it offers valuable insights into the underlying principles of audience activation. This book is more valuable as additional reading to provide a broader context.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser