How do you prepare for training delivery contingencies?

When I plan sessions I try to avoid having a single point of failure in the chain. Trying to eliminate "if this fails the entire program is shut down" possibilities then gives you flexibility to respond. If the fate of your session rests on your presentation have different copies, have copies available on thumbdrive & online sharing sites, have a copy on a backup computer, etc. This way if one single version stops working your entire session won't be wrecked.

Learning was turned on its head in 2020 and the landscape of digital learning exploded. With new technology, there are ways that it could go wrong. Make sure that your learning experiences can be converted to (or from) a technology-driven experience so you don’t have to scramble and sacrifice quality for availability.

I like PACE planning. Developed by the US Military it stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency. In other words, you have levels of backup for a situation so that if a challenge happens you seamlessly switch over to the next level in the plan. Thinking through all those levels guides you to being prepared.

Include the contingency plans in your housekeeping at the start of the session. "if my screen freezes do this...." if the fire alarm goes off we'll do this...." etc etc. If you address those at the beginning your participants won't be lost if something goes haywire.

One thing that we do in these circumstances is to adapt to the learning needs of the delegates. If there are challenges within the training, we will often build in a chance for delegates to work on case studies that they build for themselves, based on real-world scenarios. They then can see how the ideas discussed can be applied in the situations. It helps to overcome any challenges we are facing in the training environment.

This is where it’s important to always develop in person and virtual trainings. This way you can pivot as needed to help address the critical needs training needs.

We have learned that it is essential to determine what delivery method will be most beneficial to the target audience. As a software solutions provider for the collision repair industry, some of our customers prefer us to come on-site, while others are comfortable with an online format such as Zoom. To ensure success, we make their preference primary and keep other methods waiting in the wings, just in case. Finally, making a written version of the training available for all delivery methods has proven to be a great safety net and gives the customer an in-hand reference source. That reference is especially important when you're building buy-in with a new user.