If you've ever attended online seminars, this scenario will no doubt be familiar to you:
The course has started, the lecturer is speaking and you're nodding along thoughtfully until a notification flashes on your phone. Five minutes later, you've checked an email, replied to a message and missed the last section of the seminar entirely.
If you're attending legal courses online on demand, maybe you can rewind. But in many cases, these courses are being broadcast live, which makes it difficult to go back. Moreover, as a legal professional, you don't have a lot of time, so revisiting the material is often not an option.
The flexibility of online delivery can be a double-edged sword, offering convenience along with a plethora of potential distractions. That’s why it's essential to be fully present and focused to extract the full value of your attendance.
Here's how you can maximise your learning and get the most out of your time:
Set The Scene Like It's Court
You wouldn't take a call or a snack break mid-trial, so treat your online course with the same kind of respect.
Block out the time in your calendar as though you were attending in person. Choose a quiet and well-lit space where you're unlikely to be interrupted. Shut the door, silence your phone, and let others know that you're unavailable for the duration of the course.
It even helps to dress accordingly. When you're in work mode mentally, it can help you engage more deeply than if you were to watch the webinar in your pyjamas while eating a bowl of cereal and scrolling through social media posts.
Legalwise Seminars offers high-quality on-demand and live-stream content, but it's your responsibility to meet that content with equal intent.
Take Notes The Old-Fashioned Way
It might seem efficient to type your notes out while you're listening, but writing by hand has been shown to be more effective at improving retention and comprehension. Therefore, keep a notebook and pen nearby.
If you're watching a recording, you might want to pause periodically to summarise things in your own words. The key is not to copy slides verbatim but to engage with the material actively rather than passively.
Apply What You’ve Learned
When the course is done, don't just file the notes away and forget about them. Reflect on how the content might apply to your particular practice area, discuss it with colleagues, or look for opportunities to implement what you've learnt in client interactions.
True professional development isn't just about accumulating points but about deepening your expertise in a meaningful way. That requires you to be sharp and attentive during CPD training opportunities.
Check out our variety of legal courses online available through Legalwise Seminars, and contact us to find out more about the upcoming options tailored to your practice area.