#ActivateEngagement During Virtual Live Events with Tips from Learning Sciences

The switchover from predominantly videoing and streaming live events, to predominantly videoing and streaming virtual events, was made quickly. The training of salespersons needed to be done before peak season. The orientation of new hires could not be delayed. Leadership conferences were required to promote the vision for the year. It was crucial to get everyone on the same, new page. 

Most made use of the web conferencing tools they already had. They weren’t perfect. Perhaps they didn’t allow for live polls. Maybe they weren’t conducive for mixing live and pre-recorded videos. However, they had to be “good enough” at the time. 

Almost a year later, employees and audiences have significantly higher expectations. They’ve seen online news shows present seamless stories, and glamorous events, such as the Oscars, hosted. Production companies have had to up their game - with the tools they use and the way they use them.

Being virtual means the attention of an audience becomes harder to hold onto. Tricks from cognitive and learning sciences help to maximize the impact of virtual events. Businesses can employ learning science to advance the key messages that they’ve identified, information that they need to share, and stories they tell to inspire and encourage their audiences. 

This article series highlights six concepts from psychology and learning sciences that will help activate engagement with any audience. 

• Identify: Novelty, Interactivity 
• Inform: Metacognition, Creation
• Inspire: Empathy, Gratitude

At a recent event that Charles River Media Group produced with produced with Monotype, these concepts were illustrated throughout the week. Monotype integrated novelty through a creative Olympic theme and a celebrity guest speaker. Interactivity was evidenced by over 700 comments gathered throughout the keynotes. Those comments were filled with shout-outs, thank-yous, and words of reflection:

“Learning is winning! There is always a lesson to be learned from failure, mistakes, loss...the pain is part of learning.” 

The summary below highlights a few KPIs that contributed towards a successful sales meeting. Email [email protected] to learn more about producing your next live virtual event with CRMG.