During the pandemic, virtual live instruction was widely adopted to meet immediate training needs.  Forbes noted that adoption of virtual technology in learning and development has been greater in the last ten months than in the previous ten years. 82% of corporate L&D executives see virtual live instruction as a key element of their implementation strategy moving forward.

The team approach when creating learning experiences can make all the difference in whether a virtual session is successful or not! It feels amazing when a producer can seem like they are anticipating the needs of the facilitator or speaker before they even ask. However, even if it seems like we can read minds, the anticipation is a skill that is developed over time with experience. It is fantastic to produce learning events as a partner with the facilitator and a support for the participants.

Digital learning has been a staple for organizations and government entities long before the woeful year of 2020 where live events, in-person meetings and travel were stymied and placed on a standstill. The economic crisis driven by the pandemic and stay-at-home policies disrupted various vocations and industries, many of them dominated by females. Women leaders who saw the writing on the wall charged towards ways to align their priorities to develop and grow as entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, and community trailblazers all while managing families and keeping their sanity.

Company Grows Revenue, Expands Geographically and Appoints New Executive Team Members

Once the COVID pandemic shut down offices and quarantined us in our homes, virtual training exploded overnight.   According to Forbes.com, the transformation to digital has been rapid in all areas, but the progression in L&D to the virtual classroom over the past 12 months is arguably greater than that seen over the last 10 years.

In the world of virtual classrooms, there are many reasons why a session may be ineffective and tiring for both participants and facilitators. Whether the technological tools are used too sparingly or interaction between participants is not encouraged enough, a session can feel stagnant and end up not being successful. I’m sharing some of my observations I’ve made in the online classroom along with suggestions to help ensure that your sessions are engaging, fun, and learners are energized with new knowledge to apply to their jobs.

Nothing changed our workplace more, and more quickly, than the Covid-19 pandemic, and we all need coping skills to keep up. Facilitators need to be especially vigilant in order to ensure their learners are positively connected to the learning experience. 

Karen Vieth revisits  “Seven Facilitation Techniques That Nurture Emotional Engagement in the Virtual Classroom” in our Virtually There session Emotional Intelligence and Engaging Your Audience in the Virtual Classroom. on March 10. She ties EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT to EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, and discusses how important it is to the workplace, providing techniques to help facilitators nurture emotional engagement.

Read the blog below, originally published in 2019, to learn more about how effective learning involves an emotional component.

This is the third installment in a series that explores actionable approaches virtual classroom facilitators can use to improve learner engagement through purposeful facilitation.

We often frame corporate training as a compulsory process: complete these requirements and move on to the next task. It's a reinforcement of a "Push" learning culture that is content-centric, and not a personal experience.

Effective learning involves an emotional component. Employees want to do well on the job. They hope to have the skills required to meet their goals. They stress about balancing their professional responsibilities while upskilling. The training function has an obligation to recognize these emotions, and facilitators can improve virtual training experiences by addressing them in their delivery approach.

On March 17, InSync celebrates Instructional Designers!

Have you thanked your instructional designer today? You really should. Instructional designers are the unsung heroes of the learning and development field. The job description for a designer has changed so much in the last decade. As we’ve introduced new instructional strategies, techniques, and technologies to our training toolbox, it’s been the instructional designers on the front line learning how to develop content in new platforms, how to engage learners with technology, and making the business case to invest (or not invest) in the latest and greatest EdTech trend.

Keeping learners engaged - it’s the boundless task as a facilitator.  There are a whole heap of ideas and tactics that work but here’s one I have used that may be a bit different… Shock your learners!  Embarrass yourself!  Give them what they never expected, SING loud and proud😊

I’ve been delivering online synchronous training for over 10 years and working almost exclusively remote for the past 3 years.  So why am I so exhausted at the end of every work-from-home day for the past 11 months?  Other than my kids ALSO being home for the past 11 months, I can point to one other thing that is different - my webcam. Before last March, I didn’t even have a working external webcam.  But for the past 11 months, nearly every meeting and training session I’ve been a part of has utilized my camera.  And it’s wearing me out.