The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many teams to work from home for the first time. But essential training can't wait for the end of social distancing.
What's more, as many organizations adapt their approach to survive coronavirus, learning new skills takes on added importance right now.
With global teams working across different time zones, and flexible working on the rise, many businesses are already set up for online training. But don't worry if yours isn't one of them. Here, we explore ways to train people effectively when face-to-face isn't an option.
Types of Online Training
Online training lets organizations and managers teach people skills and knowledge over the internet via a computer, smartphone, or other device. It can involve:
Asynchronous training such as e-learning courses, videos, and facilitated discussion forums, that people can access when they want to.
Synchronous or live training where multiple learners take part at the same time, interact with the trainer and one another through virtual classrooms, webinars and online chat tools.
Online Training vs. Online Learning
With online training, you're training employees to understand and master the skills, processes and procedures they need to do their job. You can also help to instil the behaviors, attitudes and competencies that you and your organization expect.
That could be getting up to speed with the latest computer software, completing a health and safety course, or recognizing everyone's role in an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Not all learning requires someone to facilitate it "live," either online or face-to-face. Creative, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, for example, can be developed on your own with online learning.
How to Create and Develop Online Training
As physics professor Rhett Allain writes in Wired, "Lectures started in medieval universities where one person would read a book aloud so others could copy it. Yeah, we're still essentially doing that same thing – but we don't have to. So, if we are going to move everything online, let's at least do it right."
So, here's our top tips for developing effective online training.
1. Take Stock
Making your face-to-face training fit for an online audience is a great opportunity to revisit what outcomes it's meant to achieve for you, your trainees, and your business. So, consider:
What's the organizational goal behind your training? (To win new business, for example.)
What do learners need to do to reach this goal? (To improve their communication skills, for example)
What actions must they take to meet this goal? (Host a webinar on an area of their expertise, for example.)
2. Prioritize and Repurpose
You can't fit a whole awayday of training into one online session. But that can be a positive, as it forces you to think differently and prioritize the content that really matters.
For example, a 20-minute video, follow-up quiz, and group chat feedback session could replace that awayday, and avoid overwhelming your learners.
You can also repurpose the best bits from your face-to-face training. Can the PowerPoint be a branching scenario (interactive form of learning) on an e-learning course? Can your icebreaker be even better on a Zoom call? Why not redesign and email out that case study to your trainees?
3. Involve Your Trainees
As part of your planning, if appropriate, ask your trainees what skills and knowledge they need to do their job better. You can also ask how they'd like to be trained online, and which apps they are familiar with. You might be surprised by the answers.
4. Involve Managers
As you prepare your online session, it's a good idea to seek input from other managers and your L&D department. The U.K. Government's Employer Skills Survey found that organizations with strong online L&D capabilities are 19 percent more likely to involve managers in the design of their solutions.
This is backed up by McKinsey research, which found that 48 percent of organizations that reskill say having the senior management team sponsor the programs helped them to succeed.
5. Communicate Your Training Outcomes
Now you have clear goals for your training, communicate them to your learners and the wider organization. Even if your audience is obligated to do the training, explaining how it will benefit them will increase buy-in. So, what new skills or knowledge will they gain? And will these new skills make them feel more confident, energized and creative? If so, tell them!
And when you do communicate, ditch the "what you'll learn" bullet points written in the language of the trainer. Instead, speak to them like they're colleagues and highlight the benefits to them. For example, "We're here to help you hit your sales targets – and boost your bonus."
6. Attract the Right People
Setting out clear training outcomes will attract the right people to your course. Unless it's mandatory training, they'll grab the attention of those who are passionate about upskilling or reskilling.
Identify the right team members you need to train to meet your goals. That includes those who initially think "this isn't for me," and other managers.
Choosing Online Training Platforms
Once you know the content of your online course, you'll want to choose an approach or platform to best present it. Your options include:
A digital toolkit like Mind Tools, with on-demand, multimedia resources.
Online communication and collaboration platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Facebook.
A learning management system (LMS) – software that hosts content for self-paced learning.
Don't feel like you must jump in and subscribe to a sophisticated and expensive LMS. Together with your learners and colleagues, you can test out what works and what doesn't – finding and adding the best mix of tools to meet your training objectives.
Teaching Your Online Courses
Just because you're moving online doesn't mean you have to ditch the face-to-face training skills that you already have. According to a 2020 Learning Guild report, "A critical but sometimes overlooked aspect of an online learning experience is social presence – the feeling of connectedness among and between facilitators and learners."
The report points to "conversational tone, friendliness, smiling, quick responses, and opportunities for sharing/self-disclosure" as the key elements that contribute to social
presence. So face-to-face training skills are not only transferable but also critical to delivery.
Here are six tips to get online training right.
1. Encourage Participation With Interactive Activities
No one wants to sit through an hour of PowerPoint slides. Whether you're hosting a live webinar or an e-learning module, encourage trainees to participate in the process.
On video calls, for example, you can invite questions as you would in the classroom. Smaller groups can use "breakout" features to brainstorm and present back to the class. And chat features also let people ask questions and offer opinions as you present.
2. Enable Peer-to-Peer Training
Studies show that when employees want to learn a new skill, 55 percent ask a colleague. So, consider making peer-to-peer training part of your online course. That could be:
Encouraging employees with specialized skillsets to lead sessions.
Setting up a WhatsApp group, Slack or Teams channel for trainees to share, reflect and get feedback from each other.
Creating a virtual whiteboard using an app such as Stormboard, Miro or GoToMeeting for people to post their ideas.
3. Review the Basics
Not everyone, even trainers, will be totally tech-savvy. So, if you're hosting a video call, for example, familiarize yourself with the software, to ensure that you and your trainees can log in, turn on your cameras and mics and use the chat feature. And have a Plan B for any issues such as video buffering.
4. Learn, Repeat, Remember
That book you finished last night, could you explain the plot to your friends over lunch today? The "forgetting curve" is at its steepest during the first 24 hours after you learn something.
The same goes for training. To train properly, you should help your learners to keep reviewing and practicing. For example, you can nudge them toward short, online resources or have multiple online sessions rather than just one.
That way, they can work at their own pace, and better understand and remember information.
5. Make Training Part of the Job
To really make information stick, innovation expert Steve Glaveski recommends you incorporate training into people's real workloads. Do that and you'll, "Shorten the feedback loop, deliver business outcomes, and encourage 'aha' moments."
6. Getting the Right Blend
Emerald Works research found that 88 percent of "high-impact learning cultures" embrace blended learning. For example, your training could involve a live, virtual classroom; online resources for trainees to explore at their own pace; and an online forum for peer feedback.
Challenges for Online Lessons
While experts recommend a blend of training methods, it's important to recognize that online doesn't suit all professions and skillsets. A video presentation, for example, may miss the nuances of body language that are so important for roles such as social work.
And a VR headset may have software that renders an oil rig in great detail, but it's not a substitute for hands-on training. Sensitive subject matter and security measures may also prevent some types of training going online.
Key Points
Even when classrooms open their doors again after the coronavirus pandemic, you may find that online training remains a crucial part of your program. Or that it's even better suited to your trainees. Don't ditch your face-to-face skills, though, as you may find they work even better when used online.
Online training lets you teach the skills and knowledge people need to do their jobs when face-to-face isn't an option.
Repurpose your face-to-face training for online delivery, and consult potential learners and other managers as you develop your online training to ensure it meets everyone's needs.
Online learning can incorporate virtual learning activities to help people enrich their careers beyond the technical skills required for their role.
Research suggests a blend of content types, live and asynchronous activities, formal and informal training works best.
Reference:
Rhett Allain, 'Moving Your Classes Online? Here’s How to Make It Work' at: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-make-online-learning-work/ (2 September 20).
'Employer skills survey 2017: UK findings' at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-skills-survey-2017-uk-report (2 September 20)
McKinsey and Company, 'Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps' at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/beyond-hiring-how-companies-are-reskilling-to-address-talent-gaps (2 September 20)
The Learning Guild, 'Evidence-Based Ideas for Virtual Classroom Experiences' at https://www.learningguild.com/insights/253/evidence-based-ideas-for-virtual-classroom-experiences/ (2 September 20)
Degreed, 'How the workforce learns in 2016' at: https://get.degreed.com/hubfs/Degreed_How_the_Workforce_Learns_in_2016.pdf (2 September 20)
Steve Glaveski, 'Where Companies Go Wrong with Learning and Development' at: https://hbr.org/2019/10/where-companies-go-wrong-with-learning-and-development (2 September 20)
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