Guest Writer: Steven Douglas

Our current situation is a challenge for every one of us on a personal and professional level as we navigate our unfamiliar environment.  This challenge has special meaning in the realm of training, as workplace training professionals scramble to add value to the company’s bottom line and learn unique ways to deliver content. Before you rush off to launch your video conferencing application for another 8-hour online new-hire class, let’s take a pause and consider a few things.

By now, I’m sure you’ve learned you can’t use face-to-face material in a virtual setting so let’s examine a few alternatives.

1) Focus on essential tasks, and break them down into easily absorbed bits, use job aids, or short videos to walk people through the process.

2) If virtual training sessions are necessary, keep them short or you’ll lose people. Anything over 90 minutes is too long.

3) Live virtual training has a lot of benefits, but it is just one tool in a trainer’s tool kit. Other tools you might consider are curated wikis, discussion threads on a learning management system, or use an FAQ.

4) Know how to use video conferencing applications, whether it’s Zoom, Centra, Skype, etc., and become familiar with the presentation features.

5) Finally, give the people you are training extra space to make mistakes. Remember, they are walking in the same strange and unusual place like you.

I believe training’s new horizon will open new opportunities to demonstrate its long-term commitment and contribution to the success of your company. Be creative, be unconventional, and be focused on the training objective.

For more information, I recommend the book Engaging the Online Learner by Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson. Also, check out the LinkedIn posts by Guy W. Wallace, Will Thalheimer, and Shannon Tipton.