Competent virtual facilitators have quite a few enviable skills.

They’ve been trained on the nuances of how to teach virtually and have mastered their virtual classroom platform. (Zoom, WebEx, Adobe Connect, etc.) They consider the principles of adult learning throughout every delivery. They manage the entire experience. And so much more!

The infographic associated with this post provides a pretty detailed list of the qualifications and responsibilities of a good virtual facilitator, in a “job posting” format. (Download here and feel free to adapt for your own use!)

We talk a lot about learning journeys. The modern learning landscape has evolved, and standalone programs no longer exist.

Learners reasonably expect personalized, relevant training experiences. Designers understand that their role has changed to accommodate complex perpetual learning programs that resemble winding pathways.

But what about facilitators? How has their responsibility shifted in the age of learning journeys?

Think back to the last webinar or virtual training session you attended. I’m willing to bet that you divided your attention between the event and other things like email, lunch, or a pressing project.

We don’t judge! Even the most committed learners and seasoned virtual classroom experts have a tendency to multitask in this learning environment. And for good reason – we all juggle an increasing number of competing priorities, and our organizations keep decreasing the amount of time available for learning.

Trainers must not only support learning objectives, but also business goals. More often than not, our stakeholders include our learners’ managers. Their involvement in our initiatives impact the outcomes we see.

In our experience, if managers undervalue components of a blend – for example, virtual classroom sessions – their teams will lack the necessary support and resources they need in order to successfully participate in learning activities.

The best bet for overcoming leadership leeriness? Training, of course!

Workflow learning is something we're starting to hear a lot about. It's the concept of embedding content into the flow of work at each moment of learning need.

I think this is a great idea. But it’s not really new.  Our children are already doing this.

And, as is typical, they can't believe we haven't been taking advantage of all of the technology available to us to support our workflow all along. (Admittedly, they aren’t using these words.)

I’ll share a personal example.

Learning does not just happen. The success or failure of knowledge transfer and behavior change depends on many factors such as engaging facilitation, thoughtful instructional design, and purposeful training deployment and management. And, many would argue, that underlying all of those elements lies a bedrock of neuroscience.

Learning theories, which attempt to define how students gain, process, and retain information, have a storied and stormy history within the Learning and Development field. Some experts swear by their efficacy and rely on them heavily, while others dispel them as pseudoscience bunk.

Let us count the ways!

Valentine’s Day encourages us to fill our hearts with love and our bellies with chocolates. Not a team to ignore tradition, InSync, hit by cupid’s arrow, considered all the reasons we adore the modern blended classroom.

Whether a learner or learning industry leader, a facilitator or designer, manager or new practitioner, we can all find something that gives us training butterflies.

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.

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.

Virtually There Session recap

Have you heard? Modern learners love games. In fact, with the right design, these games have the power to increase learner engagement and boost retention.

Our organizations and stakeholders, though, often struggle to understand the value of games. “Having fun doesn’t equal skill building,” is a common refrain. How do we prove them wrong if they won’t buy in?

Take the first step by walking them through “Serious Games 101.” Andrew Hughes, President of Designing Digitally, graciously shared his serious game secrets with our Virtually There learners. This blog details the basics of serious games and game-based learning, allowing you to apply his model to your own corporate L&D.