Moving your training from a classroom to a Zoom meeting brings an entirely new set of challenges. Are attendees paying attention or catching up on email? How do you recreate the feeling of a classroom? Should online learning be longer or shorter? Did your message land or totally miss the mark?
As companies are moving more work offsite, both professional trainers and subject matter experts will need to radically up their game to ensure that their message is well-received and that training has actually occurred. Here are six tips to help.
Tip #1 Keep classes small so that you can encourage participation. If someone is on a webinar with 100 other people, it is easy to hide. However, if there are only eight to ten participants, it becomes obvious when attendees are not participating. When you send out invitations, let potential participants know that you will have multiple offerings with fewer participants with attendance on a first-come basis. Initially offer fewer classes than you think you will need. You can always add more if interest is high.
Tip #2 Break up the training into multiple, shorter sessions and vary the format. In other words, make the online portion of the course part of a larger offering. Suppose that you have a four-hour training that you typically offer in a classroom. Consider breaking it out as follows:
Assign pre-work that will take about 30 minutes. This could include a self-paced video, taking an assessment or reading an article and answering a few questions. You might have a combination of these activities. Pre-work will give all participants a starting point so that when you bring them together, you will have a mutual set of experiences that you can share.
Plan multiple group sessions that are short and interactive. You may include introductions, an anchoring activity or open discussions on the information that was distributed prior to the class.
Do you usually have a group breakout? You can still do this. After your first session, assign small ‘group’ projects that will take participants 20-30 minutes to complete.
Include a follow-up session to debrief your activity or to reinforce the training.
By breaking up your training, you keep the pace moving and you won’t lose people after the first 45 minutes. People can complete portions of the class at their own pace and you likely will not need the entire four hours, since you can eliminate breaks.
Tip #3 Set Expectations Early. If you want people to attend your training prepared and ready to interact, you need to set this expectation upfront. I typically begin by not calling online training a ‘webinar’. Why? Webinars are rarely given priority and will be cut short or skipped entirely if other priorities surface. Think about it, how many times do you sign up for a webinar only to log in late, listen while you do other work or bug out early?
Instead, refer to your session as online or remote training. Give the course a name that reflects the content – just like you would with any other training offering. Provide a good description of what the training will cover and let people know what to expect upfront. Let attendees know that they will be expected to complete pre-work, turn on their cameras and interact during the online sessions.
Tip #4 Avoid the overwhelming urge to talk. I know this sounds strange. After all, people are tuning in to hear what you have to say. However, one challenge of facilitating online is resisting the urge to simply talk for a full hour. You wouldn’t do this in a classroom, so there is no reason to do it during online training. If you do, folks will start tuning out pretty quickly. Instead, think about creative and structured ways to make your sessions interactive.
Introductions are a good way to get people to interact early and often. Be sure to control the participation process (e.g., ask people to go in alphabetical order, in the order in which they signed up or by randomly choosing participants).
Use an anchor activity to connect the content to the learner’s experience. This can be something that the learners write down in a workbook or share with the class.
Engage the group in a controlled discussion. Actively facilitate this process so that one person does not dominate the discussion.
When you are actively explaining a concept, remember to breathe, keep it short and make sure there are no questions before you move on.
Tip #5 Separate the ‘nice to know’ from the ‘need to know’. When training is interactive and you are talking less, you must spend time deciding which components you will include in your class and which you will leave out. For many, this is the most difficult part of instructional design. If you know that you have too much content, consider narrowing the scope of your training, adding self-paced work or extending the number of sessions that you are offering.
Tip #6 Include a ‘practice session’. When people have learned new information, it is critical that they apply it as soon as possible. This could include a group break-out activity or an individual exercise. Create a practice session by giving a ‘homework’ assignment then reconvening for the next session or scheduling a one-on-one session with participants.
Learning in Motion
Now it is time for you to practice your new learning. Before you plan your next training workshop, use these steps to carefully plan which content to include and how to structure your learning. As you and your attendees get used to using new formats, you may find that remote training becomes a preferred, cost-efficient and time-efficient solution for your organization.
About the Author
Fiona F. Middleton, MSM is a results-focused strategic learning and development executive with the ability to conceptualize, design and deliver targeted, sustainable and engaging enterprise training programs that positively impact the bottom line.
With more than 20 years’ experience working with business owners and senior management teams, Fiona is an expert in adult learning and an authority on delivering customized coaching and training programs that help organizations obtain results.
For more information: FionaMiddleton@comcast.net.
Fiona F. Middleton, MSM 