As a former litigator in Big Law, I get it.
The pressure to bring in business is huge.
And because I get it —
Because I, too, was in the game — not too long ago, I am not a hater.
At the same time, now that I’m in-house counsel – I can’t help but see how things could be done differently or more effectively for the audience you (outside counsel) seek.
So I think I’ll start a series called “Real Talk,” where I transform random rants I have heard from other in-house folks (and from my own frustrations) into musings for your consideration.
The first in this series is on the CLE.
First, the length of one hour.
Yes, it is a nice, round, easily trackable amount of time. But that’s asking for A LOT of commitment from a busy in-house counsel. Especially in pandemic times.
Need a stat?
Sixty-six percent of in-house counsel are struggling with their workload as COVID-19 increases their duties and shrinks budgets, according to a report released by research organization Gartner Inc.
Which is probably why you have many of us sign up, but not able to attend.
And even if we are able to attend, we are barely able to pay attention.
And many times, in my humble opinion, many presenters seem to need to fill in that hour with “fluff” — “fluff” that is unnecessary so that when we are paying attention, it can be frustrating that our time is wasted by “fluff”- and we go back to checking our email and not paying attention.
Why does every CLE have to be a full hour? What’s wrong with 30 min or 15 min? What’s wrong with doing a weekly 15 or 30 min CLE on a very specific topic?
I know that there is a strategy with the “shotgun” approach, wanting to have something for everyone, but from my in-house experience, we want deep subject matter experts —and if it’s engaging and helpful, you will likely get a following or better yet, that call.
By the way, this was especially true during the month of April, at least for in-house employment lawyers. I had so many invitations to CLEs that I probably really needed, but I could not spare an hour. (I was working 12-14 hour days as it was).
(And if I had to tell on myself, I began creating a filter for all the unread invitations because they were overwhelming my inbox.)
Second, the content.
Is it intended to be a primer, a 101, on a legal topic?
If so, make that clear in your title or marketing.
Nothing is more frustrating than joining a CLE, having an expectation in mind due to the witty branding created by the marketing department, and then after a precious hour, it was completely not what was advertised and/or 100% what I already knew.
I love it when CLE speakers set expectations on the front end: “If you’re looking for a primer or some background, happy to discuss at another time, but today we are talking deeply about X case and its ramifications.”
Yaaaaaaaaaaas!
Those who need background or 101 know that they can drop off and those who are here for it, know to stay (or vice versa).
My suggestion: 30 min or 15 min blocks of very targeted information wrapped up in witty or engaging branding – of course, presented by someone who is conversational in tone.
Respectfully, please, please skip the long, boring intros.
Yes, I get that you want to introduce your best and brightest and why they are the experts they are, but one line is sufficient.
We judge the speakers on what they say anyway so even if you shared a paragraph’s worth of accolade, we probably were checking our email, and we won’t remember.
It is more impressive to say, “Today, we have Jane Doe who is our thought-leader in this space, having advised thousands of clients, tried X no. of trials and has testified before Congress.”
This tells me that Jane Doe is the real deal so I better listen. Got it! And if she is conversational and engaging, then I’m turning off the notifications on my computer and leaning in.
Or maybe start your CLE with a poll or word cloud to get engagement instead of intros.
Or something like a word or phrase, “Transparency. That’s really what we’re talking about today. My name is X, I’m a partner here at Y, where I am helping my clients navigate the balance between transparency and Z.”
Short. Powerful. Move on to your content.
Be willing to think outside the box, especially when you know your competition is probably hosting their own CLE or webinars on this very topic.
Consider your brand – what makes you different?
Is it that you will have a unique guest like someone from a government agency, or a regulatory person or a legislator or judge, who will offer a different perspective?
Maybe a guest who can help in-house counsel consider the “how” to implement. One firm that was impressive had a NIOSH expert; another firm, an epidemiologist.
Is it more about tone — less formal and a bit cheeky, where it feels more like we’re grabbing a beer while you drop knowledge?
Or maybe you realize that your clients are all stressed out so you have a short webinar on mindfulness or crisis management?
Third, your how – the speakers & tech.
Branding is everything.
And details matter, when it comes to the user experience.
While I totally get that tech can be fickle and not always controllable, if users can’t hear or consume the content, then it is a waste of everyone’s time – and users may think twice before signing up again.
Which is why you should choose your speakers carefully.
You want a dynamic, engaging moderator at least (if not all the speakers) and I recommend you practice using the tech. Have someone preview your background, your angle, listen to your mic.
Are you centered on the screen? Are you engaging the audience by looking at the camera instead of the screen? Is a ceiling fan chopping your head? Are we looking up your nose or looking only at your mouth and chin? Do you sound like a robot?
Is everyone familiar with the mute and how to turn on and off video? Is someone going to navigate the chat or Q&A?
Final thought – consider trying something new.
Here’s a prime example.
At the beginning of the pandemic, in-house lawyers were getting emailed, called, skyped, texted, chatted non-stop by our clients with lots of questions. For many of us, the overwhelm was compounded by having our entire families at home. A small group of my in-house friends joked that there was no way we could do CLEs during lunch because we had to feed our kids and that 9 p.m. was more workable for us.
While that may sound crazy (and there’s really no need now so don’t do this), but this does beg the question of – why don’t you personally reach out to your current clients or prospective clients and ask, “is there anything I can help you with?” “Is there a better time?”
What if you had created a 30 min CLE for your clients who wanted it at 9 p.m., when their children where asleep and could give you their full attention? Even if it were only a handful of folks, consider how helpful you would have been to them? How that could have deepened a relationship?
When convention is set aside, the possibilities are endless.
Meybe.
