How can you create community and engagement in virtual training delivery modes?

Virtual training has become absolutely necessary for proffessional development and education in todays digital era. To keep your audience engaged throughout the training is 1st and foremost task. The amount of time people can stay focused on a computer screen is shorter than in a classroom . So keep the amount of lecturing to a minimum. A well-constructed virtual training session will have graphics, video and other visual elements designed to educate and entertain. Supplement the material with stories and anecdotes to make the material more relevant. To have a good virtual breakout sessions will also help in better engagement

To foster community and engagement in virtual training delivery modes, it is crucial to employ interactive and collaborative features. Incorporate discussion forums, chat rooms, and virtual breakout sessions to encourage participant interaction and knowledge sharing. Implementing gamification elements, such as quizzes, challenges, or team competitions, can make the learning experience more enjoyable and motivate active participation. Utilize technology like video conferencing tools that support video, audio, and chat functionalities, enabling real-time communication and connection among participants.

-First of all you need to define your learning objectives & the training type. If it’s a practical training which requires hands-on then you need to figure creative ways to do that. If it’s a complex one you need to use different learning techniques such as gamification to engage the audience in the learning experience. -Second, you need to quite well define you training assessment tools. -Third, define your target audience such as Their age, educational background, interests & their persona (Common Characteristics) for example if they are from GenZ then you need to understand what GenZ are looking for when acquiring a training, do they prefer long or short sized trainings, do they prefer video learnings or instructor led trainings …etc.

You will need to define the learning methodology, if it’s self paced learning where the learner will learn at his own pace or if it’s virtual-instructor-led training where there is virtual instructors giving online classes or any other type. Also you might consider having some interactive forums between students to exchange together and a voice of the expert who can answer any inquiries arising from such forums. Based on the above, you will need to assess the learning management systems which supports your learning offerings such as moodle, corner stone…etc

Since virtual trainings had become more and more famous after pandemic, it has become critically important to develop new ways for delivering virtual training content having the learner engagement as a crucial factor in the equation of success. This involves different techniques to grab the learner attention to develop an attractive content that helps the learning to easily digest the information within. These techniques involves using AI avatars resembling humans to make the training more human, sometimes relying on gamification and game based learning, sometime role plays and scenario based scripts to give the training a whole new perspective that makes it appealing for the learning to take the course and finalize it.

One of the effective ways to engage your learners in a virtual training is through building rapport with the learners. It’s crucial that they feel your authenticity, transparency to build trust environment where they can interact and open up. To do so you need to properly introduce yourself, your expertise in the trainings, your hobbies and talents. Also encourage them to do the same and to listen to their expectations about the training. Also try to use interactive activities that can break the ice such as Caption Pictures, Guess who, Background challenge and others. You can also use online platform for games such as mentimeter and others, for pointing based games that Creates fun and engaging environment for the learners.

It's disappointing to see Learning Styles called out in this article; the myth that individuals have specific "learning styles" has been repeatedly, scientifically, and convincingly debunked. Choose learning modalities that best fit the learning objectives - defaulting to multi-modal delivery whenever possible - rather than an imaginary idea of your audience's "learning styles." As an aside, the fact that these articles are generated - at least in part - by AI is a probable explanation for why this myth resurfaces here, and also a cautionary tale about AI in general. AI is very good at feeding us conventional wisdom, even (and maybe even especially) when the conventional wisdom is wrong.

The learning is a continues process, same as evaluation and improvement. Part of the content developing process is evaluating the content output through different ways, either through focus groups inorder to get their feedback or through developing surveys that measures the quality of the course through the targeted group of learners and based on this statistical/ quantitative feedback, the training can be improved and enriched.

To foster community and engagement in virtual training delivery modes, incorporate interactive elements and communication channels. For example, utilize virtual breakout sessions or discussion forums where participants can collaborate on exercises or share insights. Implement real-time polls or quizzes to encourage active participation and gauge understanding. Establish a dedicated online platform, such as a discussion board or social group, where participants can connect, ask questions, and share experiences beyond scheduled sessions. By integrating these interactive features, virtual training becomes a collaborative experience, enhancing community building and ensuring sustained engagement among participants.