Virtually There session recap

As training adapts to innovative, ever-changing workplaces, our approaches to designing learning and supporting employees evolve, too. We know blended learning gives us flexibility, but it can overwhelm us, too.

Recently, Russ Powell and Joe Halpin, the founders of Peregrine Performance Group, believe, “One of the most effective ways to build training is to focus on performance, build a job aid, and build the training around it.” Sounds like a great plan. But what counts as a job aid? Why does this blended method work so well?

This blog will cover the basics of job aids, as Russ and Joe shared during their recent Virtually There event How to Recognize and Create Damn Good Job Aids. Click here to watch the entire session for a helpful 7-step process you can use to create your own exemplary job aids.

Since virtual classroom skillsets are not as off-the-shelf as face-to-face training skills, we often wonder just how well we are doing at this virtual facilitation gig. Often, our only feedback comes from “smile sheets,” the surveys at the end of class to see what people thought of the program.

But how do these really help guide our professional development when only five out of 30 learners actually filled it out? How can we assess how things are really going in a virtual facilitation setting?

Virtually There Session Recap

As trainers, we often have to design and deliver technical or hard-to-understand content to our learners. Oftentimes, the content itself doesn’t naturally draw people in or lend itself to being easily remembered. By leveraging new edtech, innovative instructional design techniques, and engaging facilitation, we make an honest effort to engage learners and improve organizational performance.

But what if bells and whistles don’t hold the key to one of our biggest modern learning challenges? Karin Rex, instructional design expert, believes an easier path can get us to our goal of creating last learning experiences: story.

Watch the webcast of Karin’s fantastic Virtually There session Storytelling on Steroids with VideoScribe, for the full story.

Picture it: someone at a networking event asks you to describe your job.

What words come to mind? If you answered “fun!” first, count yourself among the lucky few.

Most of us take our professional responsibilities seriously and seek out opportunities that challenge us. However, pursuing our serious dreams often results in roles that fundamentally lack fun.

This week, most of us in the United States stop for a single day to eat turkey, watch a famous parade or a football game (or three), and give thanks for the things that make our lives great.

The general feeling of gratefulness got InSync Training’s team thinking: what do we love most about our learning experiences?

When asked, our team of training experts openly and graciously shared the things that bring them joy and gratitude in the modern classroom every day.

Do have experience producing virtual training sessions? If your technical skill set includes experience with popular virtual classroom platforms like WebEx Training Center and Adobe Connect, we want to learn more about you!  

As we deal with more demands on our time and new generations join the workforce, engaging learners and helping them become successful at their jobs becomes more and more challenging.

When trying to create training that sticks, expert Lou Russell overcomes modern workforce obstacles by focusing on three elements: fun, fast, and flexible. In fact, her approach to facilitation acknowledges that, “The brains that we have are not geared toward multitasking, and as we are trying to juggle a lot of things, we change – for me, I change topics every fifteen minutes or every hour.”

What does creativity have to do with corporate training? Jenny Holt answers this question and challenges the idea that serious learning only happens within scholarly activities.

Art may not seem like an obvious thing to introduce into your training sessions, but the benefits are tangible. Companies that foster creativity are three and a half times more likely to achieve revenue growth of 10% or more than their peers, a study by Adobe and Forrester found. When you participate in art-related tasks, dopamine, a feel-good chemical, is released in the brain —  this alone will create happy, motivated learners. Moreover, art has plenty of other mental benefits which can improve your team's’ ability to retain information, concentrate, and solve problems.  

When we think of corporate learning, rarely do “fun and games” come to mind. More often than not, compliance training pops into our heads, characterized by endless slide decks, droning SMEs-turned-facilitators, and uncomfortable days spent in a classroom. Folks, training has a reputation problem. Our learners perceive traditional training as outdated and ineffective.

But, blended learning provides an opportunity to change minds. Designers can select unique, engaging treatments for each learning objective. Facilitators transition from a “sage on the stage” to a “guide on the side.” Learners regain control over their learning experiences and prioritize the skills they most need to build.

Gamification and game-based learning, when used appropriately within a blend, supports all the key actors in modern learning.