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. 

Welcome to 2021.

It seems that everyone is taking a collective breath as we look forward with expectation of promise and insight in a new workplace environment largely mandated by long-term impacts of COVID-19. By the time the pandemic will be deemed “over”, a large fraction of the global developed workforce will have spent nearly two years in work-at-home environments, as many companies are targeting late 2021 for reopening their offices. Some others have rethought their workplace policy altogether. In October, DropBox announced its “Virtual First” strategy - as an ongoing policy “remote work (outside an office) will be the primary experience for all employees and the day-to-day default for individual work.” There is also evidence that employees want some voice in when and how they work from home, seeking a model of “flexible work” that complements, rather than intrudes upon, life at home.[i]

I remember January. Traditionally, January and February are the slowest months at InSync Training. Organizations tend to spend these early months finalizing the training plans for the rest of the year. As always, we wondered what this new year would bring.

Then in February, we started hearing about Covid-19. Aka #TheVirus.

March brought uncertainty to the market… Would we still travel to conferences? How long would we need to worry? Are our children safe in school? Organizations were in a reactive mode - rescheduling or canceling events for the next several months. Many of those events were automatically moved online with little thought to long-term redesign.

Lately, the virtual classroom has become the most popular kid in school. From team meetings to global training programs, platforms like Zoom, Webex Training Center, Adobe Connect, and Microsoft Teams, have enabled businesses to adapt to the unexpected and unfortunate current circumstances.  

But switching learning environments involves technical, instructional design, and delivery considerations. When asked by clients what a new virtual blend involves, we liken it to a stage production. Behind the scenes, experts coordinate and orchestrate acts to wow an audience, all while making the featured talent look good.  

More virtual classroom events than ever have happened in 2020. In fact, the CEO of Cisco announced that Webex hosted 5.5 BILLION minutes of virtual meetings in the first eleven days of March. Combined with the spike in usage of other platforms like Zoom, virtual events have become a staple in today’s businesses and educational institutions.

And whether you elected to make the transition to live online learning or took the leap to adapt to corporate circumstance, the steps you take before a virtual training event begins can determine if the final outcome is successful.

Virtually There Session Recap

For the last 20 years, and especially over the past two months, our team has repeated a singular mantra: “one does not simply move a course online.”

But given the state of the world today, it feels imperative that we quickly adapt learning to the virtual learning environment. And while digital learning requires nuance, planning, and an awareness of both technology and instructional options, the transition can happen under pressure.

Right now, the state of the world demands a transition to virtual classrooms and remote work. Whether or not your organization started 2020 prepared for the rapid modernization of teams and training, the time has come to make the change.

Facilitators, instructional designers, managers, and learners all have to adapt to a new normal – a stressful process under standard change management conditions and a seemingly insurmountable task given today’s pressures.

Virtually There Session Recap

In response to changes happening in L&D during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts Jane Bozarth and Jennifer Hofmann joined forces for a special 90-minute Virtually There webinar on March 9, 2020. This blog post, the first in a comprehensive series, recaps some of the timely and helpful information shared during When Virtual Classrooms Become Virtually Required. 

The virtual classroom may not be new, but currently the world is experiencing a crisis that’s accelerating its necessity. With travel bans, new work-from-home arrangements creating unexpected virtual teams, and in-person meeting cancellations, virtual classroom platforms have become virtually required.

You’ve probably heard by now that, for the first time in history, our organizations include five generations of employees. For those of us in learning & development, that means our training programs must address the skills gaps, professional development needs, and future goals of divergently different groups of people.

Before designing engaging learning environments, or facilitating content in an emotionally captivating way, or creating intellectually stimulating exercises and activities, understanding the fundamental characteristics of these five generations can set learning up for success.

Virtually There session recap

Recently, a number of high-profile and previously well-respected organizations have come under fire for seemingly tone-deaf corporate action. Starbucks, Gucci, and Sephora all had well publicized racial and gender-equality missteps.

These organizations could have avoided these costly PR stumbles with the right Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) training approach. During their recent Virtually There session, experts Daila Boufford and Vani Narayana shared how a thoughtful D&I strategy can not only create more welcoming teams, but also evolve corporate culture.