In the modern classroom of today, trainers find themselves in various situations they may not have prepared for. One of common situation is going virtual.

Does this sound familiar? You’re going along training for years and then BOOM your company decides to jump on the virtual classroom train. The big question settles in, “How do I make this virtual classroom space feel like a face-to-face classroom?”

Global organizations are the norm now. The boundaries constraining corporate success and competition no longer fall along state, national, or continental borders. Growth, as demonstrated by companies like Amazon, Apple, and more, has no limit.

Education serves as the true competitive differentiator. Can your learning function adapt to more diverse and international workforces faster than the competition? For this reason, Diversity & Inclusion, also known as D&I, has quickly become a priority for just about every organization.

At InSync, we often talk about mitigating virtual classroom disasters with preparation and planning. With a solid plan, we can avoid most “virtual training emergencies.”

Hurricane Florence reminds us that there are indeed true emergencies that impact our families, our safety, and our livelihoods.

Teamwork is more important than ever in the wake of a natural disaster. With so many of our team members and our client facilitators working from remote locations, it’s critical to identify who might be potentially in the storm’s path, and find ways to proactively support them so they can focus on what is truly important.

In thinking about leadership and learning in the era of the four-generation workplace, no shortage of frustrations exists. Technology changes, “cool” workspaces, and operational processes are constantly evolving.

Everything feels more complicated, and learning faces the unique challenge of equipping and empowering our colleagues for success in this new environment. It’s quite simple to chalk up learner disengagement – especially that of the millennial employee – to a “person” problem.

But what if it’s a “perspective” problem?

Are you one of the many accidental trainers out there? The function or topic expert so good at their job that management asked you to train others in your organization? You aren't alone! InSync Training's lead facilitator Karen Vieth discusses four key areas you can focus on to become a dynamic virtual facilitator. Learn how to identify your natural skill, learn tips and strategies for better virtual facilitation, and take your sessions to the next level — on purpose.

Chances are, you didn’t dream of being a virtual facilitator when you were little. But here you are, quite by accident. You may have recently graduated and landed a sales position that turned to training. Or you had a job for a while and found yourself in the training department years later. Regardless of how you landed in training, it's a great spot to be, where you help others learn the tricks of the trade.

Virtually There session recap

Our learners have a lot going on. Work, media, and the responsibilities of day-to-day life bombard them with data. Their brains must process a metaphorical mountain of information. Individuals consciously and subconsciously determine which stuff to pay attention to, and which to ignore.

Theoretically, training content focuses on critical information, right? We may think so, but if our learners have other priorities, our L&D programs get lost in the noise.

Guest author Jenny Holt revisits the idea of outdoor learning in her newest blog.

Professional trainers must adapt to any learning environment, including those in the great outdoors. And when you consider where our learners work, understanding how to manage mother nature as a fickle classroom host becomes an important skillset for many L&D professionals.

In America, over half of all jobs require working outside, and this means that a large part of the training needs to be outside too. From farming and agriculture to forestry, construction, transportation and the hospitality industry, sitting at a desk in an office certainly isn’t the norm. The problem with working outdoors, however, is that sometimes the weather can be restrictive. For instance, if you are a tree surgeon, you certainly don’t want to be training on days when there are high winds.

So what can you do when the weather interrupts your outdoor training session?

When was the last time you had fun during a mandated training event?

This loaded question plagues instructional designers and facilitators alike. Stakeholders know that training impacts overall organizational performance, making upskilling employees a high-stakes game. Without the proper instruction, teams may not achieve business-critical goals and, perhaps more detrimentally, become frustrated when they feel unprepared to handle the responsibilities of their roles.

As training professionals, we understand the risk of poorly designed or delivered learning events. But taking learning seriously doesn’t necessarily mean all training elements must feel serious. In fact, fun and games present a unique option to boost learner engagement and retention.

I, like many of you, spend my work day at my desk. I’m lucky to climb the corporate ladder from a cozy home office, often kept company by my three Labradors.

Recently, though, I stumbled across a scary fact courtesy of the world-renowned Mayo Clinic:

“Any extended sitting – such as at a desk, behind a wheel or in front of a screen – can be harmful. An analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found those that sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking.”

Organizational boundaries keep growing and becoming more fluid, and as our learner base disperses around the globe, training programs have to adapt appropriately. That’s no small feat in the face of multi-cultural classrooms, emerging technologies, and stakeholder expectations of learning success.

Multi-method delivery, or the simultaneous support and instruction of non-co-located learners, provides a popular and effective solution in the modern workplace. Organizations managing remote and in-person learners have had success with this approach, as they’re able to balance the needs of both groups, while successfully engaging all participants.

Ready to incorporate multi-method delivery into your modern blended learning methodology? Make sure you implement the four factors required for success!