ATD Webcast Recap

With all of the options available to accommodate individual learning objectives, many practitioners assume, “Oh! I’m only creating microlearning. I don’t need ADDIE or SAM or any complicated framework.”

However, when thinking about flipping your classroom to a more modern program, our team offers one critical reminder: instructional design becomes more important than ever. Standalone courses do not exist anymore, and neither do standalone training resources. Everything connects to everything else, making thoughtful design a critical piece of your blended learning puzzle.

During her recent ATD Webcast Blended Learning: A Five-Dimensional Puzzle, Jennifer Hofmann shared the factors she considers when embarking on a new design project. Whether you design, facilitate, or manage training programs, these three elements provide a foundation for understanding modern blended learning.

First impressions are key to developing rapport with learners in any classroom, but especially in the virtual environment. Facilitators in the virtual classroom must grab the attention of the learner right away and keep it to be successful here.

When trainers fill their delivery with verbal crutches, learners get distracted and possibly annoyed.

Virtually There Session Recap

When thinking about designing or facilitating live online learning, what scares you the most? For many, the technology feels like an intimidating part of the equation.

• What if learners can’t navigate the environment?
• What if we lose audio in the middle of the Subject Matter Expert presenting key information?
• What if the slide deck fails to load within the platform?

Behavior change is the holy grail of training. Learning and Development practitioners strive to impact business outcomes by improving the skills of our audience. Performance improvement grows out of learners truly understanding content and successfully applying it back on the job.

To achieve this goal, expert Oded Ilan believes, “we need a paradigm shift in the way that we perceive teaching and supporting people.” And that paradigm shift starts with our understanding of how our brains function in the modern workplace environment.

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.