With the rise of remote work and digital learning, virtual training has become an increasingly popular way for organizations to deliver educational content. Delivering effective virtual training requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices to help you create engaging and impactful virtual training sessions.
Choose The Right Platform
The first step in delivering successful virtual training is choosing the right platform. There are many different options available, from simple video conferencing tools like Zoom to more comprehensive learning management systems (LMS) like Moodle or Canvas. Consider what features your organization needs, such as breakout rooms, chat functionality, or screen-sharing capabilities. It’s essential to choose a platform that can meet your specific requirements and support the kind of interactive teaching you want to do. Also check what users have to say about an LMS platform online, such as the many Axis LMS review testimonials available online.
Prepare Your Content
Preparing your content is key when it comes to delivering effective virtual training. You want learners to engage with what they’re hearing and have useful takeaways at the end of each session. Create content that is concise and focused on relevant topics that need attention. Keep it simple by using bullet points whenever possible. This style will keep learners engaged without overwhelming them with too much information at once. Interactive activities such as polls and quizzes on the fly can also alleviate stress about learning being solely lecture-based.
If possible, you may want to consider pre-recording some parts of your presentation. This is because technical glitches are sometimes inevitable when conducting live demos or presentations online. These glitches could frustrate attendees, making them lose interest at some point during your speech! Pre-recorded videos enhance accessibility because people who may suffer from poor connectivity or time zone differences, among others, can still access on-demand recorded materials post-event!
Train Your Facilitators
Virtual trainers need unique skills compared with their face-to-face counterparts. The first is their proficiency in the technology used, demonstrated by minimizing technical difficulties faced by participants. They must also pay more emphasis on communication excellence and engagement skills to maintain the interaction of the audience when delivering sessions. Train your facilitators on how to deliver virtual training effectively. Set up practice runs or role plays with fewer participants for testing purposes and allow them time to adjust their techniques accordingly.
Design Engaging Sessions
Engage learners by designing interactive virtual sessions that are stimulating. This will achieve better retention levels than just sitting through a conventional lecture. Keep things varied: multi-media videos, slide decks or slideshows, polling questions & Slack discussions can all help increase interactivity in the chatbox provided. In addition, consider creating breakout or discussion groups among cohorts so they can help one another digest taught concepts, ask questions about anything unclear as well as network during these virtual tables.
Maintain Engagement Levels
It’s challenging to keep participants motivated when taking an online course because attendees can easily succumb to boredom and distractions at any stage during training delivery. Thus, it’s important you use various engagement tactics throughout each session, including building cohesion among attendees on social media channels before lectures begin.
You might schedule mastermind groups or accountability partners among learners based on interests. Offering an online learning buddy system amongst like-minded peers helps fuel accountability leading to maximum retention during studying hours! Also, set objectives and goals for each lecture so that people know what their learning outcomes should look like from this time spent in front of screens.
Optimize for Accessibility
It’s crucial never to leave anyone behind. Alongside optimizing the visual features of any presentation, such as images, fonts, and colors, ensure you have captions (subtitles) or transcripts so everyone can access the material regardless of individual ability differences. Make audio files more brain-friendly by providing pathways between learning styles students may be going through, such as auditory comprehension needs over long reading activities.
Conduct Surveys And Seek Feedback
Make corrections where necessary by communicating with clients directly. Knowing how progressive organizations are based on past feedback is key here! Get feedback from attendees to refine how you present future virtual training sessions, adapting quickly where necessary.
Conducting post-training surveys and 1:1 touchpoints with key stakeholders, both internal and external, could altogether improve the overall delivery of online courses. Gaining client trust and positive comments can contribute towards revenue outcomes as well. It also improves the company/corporate image in terms of the level of care provided when offering e-learning opportunities.
In Summary
Virtual training is an excellent way that many organizations are deploying to save costs while delivering valuable insights about various topics concerning employees, self-employed staff, or students. It’s important to make good choices and be prepared for various aspects that come into play here, including but not limited to platform choice (paid/free). Designing engaging sessions that balance interactivity with convenience for learners, such as attending some parts on-demand and remaining at scheduled times as your facilitator meets up with each audience member virtually, is crucial. Conducting surveys can also provide meaningful feedback regarding online teaching credibility while optimizing accessibility.
Delivering Virtual Training: The Best Practices In The Industry
With the rise of remote work and digital learning, virtual training has become an increasingly popular way for organizations to deliver educational content. Delivering effective virtual training requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices to help you create engaging and impactful virtual training sessions.
Choose The Right Platform
The first step in delivering successful virtual training is choosing the right platform. There are many different options available, from simple video conferencing tools like Zoom to more comprehensive learning management systems (LMS) like Moodle or Canvas. Consider what features your organization needs, such as breakout rooms, chat functionality, or screen-sharing capabilities. It’s essential to choose a platform that can meet your specific requirements and support the kind of interactive teaching you want to do. Also check what users have to say about an LMS platform online, such as the many Axis LMS review testimonials available online.
Prepare Your Content
Preparing your content is key when it comes to delivering effective virtual training. You want learners to engage with what they’re hearing and have useful takeaways at the end of each session. Create content that is concise and focused on relevant topics that need attention. Keep it simple by using bullet points whenever possible. This style will keep learners engaged without overwhelming them with too much information at once. Interactive activities such as polls and quizzes on the fly can also alleviate stress about learning being solely lecture-based.
If possible, you may want to consider pre-recording some parts of your presentation. This is because technical glitches are sometimes inevitable when conducting live demos or presentations online. These glitches could frustrate attendees, making them lose interest at some point during your speech! Pre-recorded videos enhance accessibility because people who may suffer from poor connectivity or time zone differences, among others, can still access on-demand recorded materials post-event!
Train Your Facilitators
Virtual trainers need unique skills compared with their face-to-face counterparts. The first is their proficiency in the technology used, demonstrated by minimizing technical difficulties faced by participants. They must also pay more emphasis on communication excellence and engagement skills to maintain the interaction of the audience when delivering sessions. Train your facilitators on how to deliver virtual training effectively. Set up practice runs or role plays with fewer participants for testing purposes and allow them time to adjust their techniques accordingly.
Design Engaging Sessions
Engage learners by designing interactive virtual sessions that are stimulating. This will achieve better retention levels than just sitting through a conventional lecture. Keep things varied: multi-media videos, slide decks or slideshows, polling questions & Slack discussions can all help increase interactivity in the chatbox provided. In addition, consider creating breakout or discussion groups among cohorts so they can help one another digest taught concepts, ask questions about anything unclear as well as network during these virtual tables.
Maintain Engagement Levels
It’s challenging to keep participants motivated when taking an online course because attendees can easily succumb to boredom and distractions at any stage during training delivery. Thus, it’s important you use various engagement tactics throughout each session, including building cohesion among attendees on social media channels before lectures begin.
You might schedule mastermind groups or accountability partners among learners based on interests. Offering an online learning buddy system amongst like-minded peers helps fuel accountability leading to maximum retention during studying hours! Also, set objectives and goals for each lecture so that people know what their learning outcomes should look like from this time spent in front of screens.
Optimize for Accessibility
It’s crucial never to leave anyone behind. Alongside optimizing the visual features of any presentation, such as images, fonts, and colors, ensure you have captions (subtitles) or transcripts so everyone can access the material regardless of individual ability differences. Make audio files more brain-friendly by providing pathways between learning styles students may be going through, such as auditory comprehension needs over long reading activities.
Conduct Surveys And Seek Feedback
Make corrections where necessary by communicating with clients directly. Knowing how progressive organizations are based on past feedback is key here! Get feedback from attendees to refine how you present future virtual training sessions, adapting quickly where necessary.
Conducting post-training surveys and 1:1 touchpoints with key stakeholders, both internal and external, could altogether improve the overall delivery of online courses. Gaining client trust and positive comments can contribute towards revenue outcomes as well. It also improves the company/corporate image in terms of the level of care provided when offering e-learning opportunities.
In Summary
Virtual training is an excellent way that many organizations are deploying to save costs while delivering valuable insights about various topics concerning employees, self-employed staff, or students. It’s important to make good choices and be prepared for various aspects that come into play here, including but not limited to platform choice (paid/free). Designing engaging sessions that balance interactivity with convenience for learners, such as attending some parts on-demand and remaining at scheduled times as your facilitator meets up with each audience member virtually, is crucial. Conducting surveys can also provide meaningful feedback regarding online teaching credibility while optimizing accessibility.
