The shift to virtual learning is upon us. As learning professionals, we have the opportunity to change the way we build employee capabilities and daily habits. However, this process is not as simple as taking a classroom program and delivering it virtually. To maintain engaged learners, we need to approach this very differently.
After designing and delivering multiple virtual sessions this year, we have implemented these ten best practices.
- Body language still matters. When delivering live sessions, as facilitators we are constantly reading the body language and responses of our participants. This guides us to encourage more dialogue, ask more questions, move participant tables, or call for a break. In virtual, we also need to observe the group – which is much more challenging when there are a sea of faces, possibly on a separate computer from the content we are sharing, yet observe and note is what we need to be doing, or at the very least have someone else helping us to do this. Figure out how you will do this and practice.
- Presentations that pop. PowerPoint or Prezi are the typical forms for sharing information. Prepare these differently than you may have for classroom. Plan on more visuals to highlight key points or key learnings that will draw the learner’s eye to the point of focus. Rather than using bullets, include animation or transitions that move the content in a visual manner. Great slide decks can be found at https://slidemodel.com/
- Cut your content down. What you can do in a day of classroom training cannot be converted to a day of virtual training. Face that and get past it. Transitioning in and out of breakout rooms takes time; acquainting participants with the technology takes time. This time can really vary so getting to know your audience helps to manage this. Chose a few key topics to focus on in the virtual session and engage the learners in the content. To cover some of the content, plan more pre and post work for your group. Prerecord micro lessons in PowerPoint to prepare participants for the learning.
- Focused time is limited. Know that participants will stay engaged for short periods of time when working virtually. This was really no different than in the classroom; we just didn’t focus on it as much because people could get up and move around as they needed to. Plan your session to be continually involving participants. Chunk the time to include information sharing, breakout groups, dialogue,
- Reengage participants. A best practice is to consider 90minute time slots. During this time re-engage participants every 2-4minutes by posting a poll, adding an annotation, answering questions in the chat box, leading a stretch activity, using the participant cues in zoom, or sending into breakout rooms. Debriefs of discussions can be varied by having only the team spokesperson be on video and all others turn off their video; mix it up and use another platform such as Mentimeter, IdeaBoardz or Mural; run fun polls to get to know more about the audience;
- Prepare participants for breakout room activities. Rather than sending people directly to the breakout room, share examples of what you are expecting them to do or discuss in their breakout team and what they are to share or deliver when they return to the group. This will expedite the process and eliminate time spent trying to sort out what we are supposed to do. Indicate the expected time teams will be in the breakout group.
- Is anyone listening? Sometimes groups are chatty and sometimes not, and just as we need to respond to this in the classroom, we need a few tricks to get participants talking if they are not. Breakout into pairs to dialogue on your question – 2 people in a breakout room will rarely sit and stare at each other. In Zoom this can be quickly done with the breakout feature. Or create your PowerPoint to encourage questions – such as numbering the areas of your model and asking participants to add to the chat box which number they have mastered or which number they want more information on. This can easily engage people as they have a small amount to add to the chat and can keep up with the discussion.
- Find your style. When we deliver in the classroom, typically we each have our own style for facilitating. Even when virtual, add your personality to the session and keep your energy up. Decide how will you engage participants in dialogue or get to know the individuals in your session. Determine the stories and examples you will share – this will need to be in a briefer format when done virtually. Whatever you plan though, be succinct, and don’t overtalk, overshare or over explain the information. You are there to lead the process of learning and deliver some meaningful fun.
- Prepare, prepare, prepare. Conduct a dry run and test your session and activities with a group of your peers/friends/family to be sure you know how the technology will work, the flow of the session and how the slides build. Consider what examples are you sharing and when. Technology can be messy, so embrace the messiness and be prepared with what you are able to manage. Plan to have a second monitor so that you can see your presentation and your audience.
- Plan your session support group. A Producer makes a difference. Plan to hire a skilled producer, as you will not regret this. A producer will take so much pressure off the facilitator and ensure that the session moves smoothly. If you have a group of more than 10, plan to have another team member also helping as a moderator. They can guide individuals struggling to logon or lost in an activity. This person can also help manage the chat box so that you are not distracted and trying to read and facilitate at the same time. Be transparent with your support group and the audience. Set the tone for how the session will unfold – if your team need to identify something critical to you – just say it.
Employees continue to require learning and growth on the job, so embrace the new reality of virtual learning. Practice and be prepared and you will create new opportunities for employee development.
