By Heather Blicher, CCCOER Director, Open Education Global
When it comes to planning webinars, my philosophy is: it’s not about who you know, but who you want to know. That’s why I usually have several email conversations going at once with potential speakers, panelists, plus informal brainstorm sessions with colleagues from other nonprofits or partner organizations on the calendar. Not every idea fits neatly into a semester’s line-up and more often than not, organizing and refining webinars takes at least a couple of months to get it to the right place. And that’s perfectly okay.
New Voices Matter
New voices matter. If the same few people are always given the spotlight, we miss the chance to hear new perspectives and experiences. I don’t want to focus only on one state, region, country, or familiar circle. This means looking beyond the usual networks and intentionally seeking out people whose work might not always get the attention. What excites me is when we expand the circle and bring in someone who challenges us to see things differently through their work. That doesn’t mean you won’t hear from a familiar person, but it does mean that offering opportunities to people we haven’t heard from is an important part of the process.
Current Events
Current events can change the conversation quickly. A good example is when we hosted Resilience and Open Education: Supporting Ukrainian Librarians During Wartime. Many of us (including myself) hadn’t heard this story before (though it had been featured in conference sessions and other platforms), and bringing it to the CCCOER audience gave it a broader audience. Preparing for that session over a number of months reminded me why I want CCCOER to be a place where people can share stories. Our platform is ultimately about raising awareness and connecting without judgment. What is a world without connections and support from fellow human beings and community? It’s a tough world, that’s what it is.
Ideas and Feedback
Some of the best ideas come from you. I love when members share successes or challenges on the CCCOER Google Group/listserv, and I often reach out to follow up. And whenever I tune into another organization’s webinar or sit in on a conference presentation, I take notes. These opportunities give me fresh exposure to what’s happening outside of my familiar day-to-day understanding of the OER landscape and often spark ideas for future topics or speakers.
Feedback plays a big role in shaping what comes next. The surveys after each webinar, as well as the broader community surveys, really do guide us. If you’ve ever filled out a survey and wondered if it mattered to us, the answer is absolutely yes.
New Formats
This year, we’re experimenting with two new formats alongside our regular webinars:
From the Field
The session will start with a short 15–20 minute presentation from a CCCOER member or partner, highlighting a project, practice, or experience from the field. Then we will open the floor for discussion. Think of it as “show and tell,” but with more dialogue. Come to listen; stay to connect.
OER Exchange
The session will be all about peer-to-peer dialogue, revolving around a single question or theme shared in advance. This will give participants space to reflect before joining. To keep the conversations candid, sessions will not be recorded. Instead, we’ll share a short summary afterward. Bring your coffee, tea, or snack, and join colleagues for real talk about the ideas, challenges, and experiences shaping your Open Education work.
And of course, I’ll be asking for your feedback after each webinar. It’s how we keep learning and refining what we offer.
So that’s a peek behind the curtain of how I approach webinar planning. It’s part strategy and part experimentation. It’s about making space for new voices and perspectives. It’s always being on the lookout for new connections that could lead to a program, a collaboration, or a blog post. Or it might just lead to a great conversation and brainstorm partner- which I will never turn down! If you’re doing something that is exciting to you or experimenting with something that feels messy but is important to you and your community, I’d love to hear about it.