Hands-on training is a great way to help your virtual team learn new skills, practice existing ones, and build confidence. But how can you deliver it effectively and affordably when your team is dispersed across different locations, time zones, and devices? Here are some tips to help you provide hands-on training for virtual teams on a budget.
The first step is to select the tools that will enable you to create, share, and monitor hands-on training activities for your virtual team. You don't need to invest in expensive or complex software to do this. You can use free or low-cost tools that are widely available and easy to use, such as Google Docs, Zoom, Loom, and Kahoot. These tools can help you design interactive exercises, record video demonstrations, host live sessions, and assess learning outcomes.
During the pandemic, as educators, we discovered that an effective way to conduct budget-friendly hands-on virtual lessons was by urging parents and students to pick up necessary resources at the school. Virtual training facilitators can employ a similar strategy, ensuring all participants have the required materials. Another strategy would be using readily available tools, such as repurposing household items. By encouraging resourcefulness and opting for affordable alternatives, you can create practical virtual team training experiences without burdening the budget.
Tools shouldn't just be low cost - they need to be easy to use for people who may not be used to #virtualtraining or even computers. I've seen sessions being delivered where way too much time has had to be allocated to get people able to use a tool that the facilitator only needs for 10 minutes of their session.
The next step is to plan your hands-on training activities according to the learning objectives, the time available, and the level of difficulty. You want to make sure that your activities are relevant, engaging, and challenging for your virtual team. You can use different formats and methods, such as simulations, scenarios, case studies, quizzes, and games. You can also mix individual and group activities to foster collaboration and feedback.
It’s a balance including interactivity and training, and you have to be mindful of making sure your activities provide value. A good activity should have a relevant purpose, be engaging, and allow for good discussion afterwards.
The third step is to prepare your materials for your hands-on training activities. You want to make sure that your materials are clear, concise, and consistent. You can use templates, checklists, and guides to help you create and organize your materials. You can also use visuals, audio, and video to enhance your materials and make them more appealing. You can upload your materials to a shared folder or platform that your virtual team can access easily and securely.
Include some calls to actions or immediate steps the trainees can use in their day-to-day to make it stick. Sometimes training gets lost when people don't know how to apply it. Make it sticky with tangible examples as takeaways.
Consider who your audience is. What 'tribes' might they belong to? What do they share as a common denominator? As applied to virtual environments; what resources can the speaker reasonably assume that all will have access to where they are anticipating from? E.g. an audience of parents can be presumed to have a facsimile of a car (i.e. a toy) in their home for their kids to play with. If you are teaching physics this wheeled toy can now be used to demonstrate the laws of motion by the audience at their own desk rather than by watching you, the presenter, share a screen with the viewers.
The fourth step is to deliver your hands-on training to your virtual team. You want to make sure that your delivery is interactive, supportive, and flexible. You can use live sessions, recorded videos, or self-paced modules to deliver your training. You can also use chat, email, or phone to communicate with your virtual team and provide guidance and feedback. You can adjust your delivery according to the needs, preferences, and progress of your virtual team.
The fifth step is to evaluate your hands-on training and measure its impact on your virtual team. You want to make sure that your evaluation is objective, comprehensive, and timely. You can use surveys, tests, interviews, or observations to collect data and feedback from your virtual team. You can also use analytics, reports, or dashboards to track and visualize your data and feedback. You can use your evaluation results to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
I work at a corporate training company that sells training platforms to train online and in person teams. The number one problem most people have is not having an affordable, CENTRALIZED platform that can easily track training. My advice for organizations looking for training is to know how they're going to manage and track their training before just implementing something. Otherwise, it can be a big time suck later in the process.
The final step is to improve your hands-on training based on your evaluation results and feedback. You want to make sure that your improvement is continuous, relevant, and effective. You can use the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to guide your improvement process. You can also use best practices, tips, and resources to enhance your improvement process. You can share your improvement results and feedback with your virtual team and celebrate their achievements.
As a piece of tracking, make sure that the training is actually accomplishing the real task at hand, whether that's applying a new process, using a new skill, working in a new way, to make sure the new thing is actually adopted, you need to track that new thing- not just the training itself.
From what I've observed during my 29 years in the information technology business, it seems that many organizations still prioritize delivering and pushing training content to their employees over ensuring that it truly aligns with the perspectives, contexts, and needs of their teams. How effectively are these organizations enabling their employees to handle their responsibilities and achieve desired outcomes? It is crucial always to ensure that when training teams on a technology, platform, or any other subject, they actually and effectively learn how to apply this knowledge and newly acquired skillset to their daily tasks. Learning and effectiveness must walk hand in hand.