Suffering from online fatigue? (5)

Our fifth article on our theme of Online Fatigue, and this time we discuss how necessity is the mother of invention.

If you missed the first four articles, you can read them here, here, here, and here.

Why are we doing this series? People have told us that they are starting to get a little fed-up with online training. Yes, the amount we are exposed to in this COVID world has increased, but a major factor is the quality of the online material. Previous content has been transferred online without the necessary planning and redesign. Uploaded Powerpoint slide decks, poorly prepared live sessions, and technology issues are all too common. We spend all day staring at a screen longing for live face-to-face interactions.

There are those, of course, who have pivoted and embraced the situation, investing heavily in online resources, and altering their future training strategies as a result of their success. But not everyone can afford the luxury of bespoke, engaging materials, so what about the rest of us?

At Leaderbox, we have tried to address this issue in a number of ways, and each will be the topic of a short article over the next couple of weeks. For this fifth article, we discuss innovative online training solutions.

Approach 5. Innovative Online Training Solutions

Face-to-face training has many benefits, some of which are very difficult to replicate online. Whilst theory content can be delivered via a myriad of methods online, activities are impossible to replicate online where participants need to physically interact, communicate quickly and react to others' actions and body language. These activities are great for team building, leadership development, problem-solving, building emotional intelligence, plus many other competencies, and are sorely missed at the moment.

So, whilst these can’t be replicated to the same level of interaction (especially the physical interaction), some have used this opportunity to develop online exercises that were previously not required. Necessity is the mother of invention, and various innovative online solutions have sprung up across the L&D landscape to fill the void. Examples include virtual escape rooms (some even including actors), game shows, murder mysteries, happy hours, team games, group tours, and many more initiatives. These have provided novel, interactive online experiences, and no doubt, these will still be in use in some form once face-to-face training makes a return.

What are we doing about it?

At Leaderbox, we have reviewed the physical activities and scenarios that are included within the system, and have developed some of them into online versions. Our most ambitious project is the conversion of a complex team scenario into a video-based version that can be delivered by a facilitator online during a team video conference. The video runs in real-time over a 70 minute period and contains dramatisations, questions, updates, countdown timers, and feedback. It is a great way to put a team under pressure, virtually, whilst they work remotely to discuss the issues, solve the problems and make difficult decisions. To make delivery easier, the video has been embedded into one of the facilitator packs discussed in the 3rd article. Click on the image below to see a short trailer.

Beyond this, we have converted other various exercises that explore soft skills, motivation, values, trust, emotions, etc., using techniques such as bespoke playing cards, online scorecards, live word clouds, and other interactive tools.

If you want any further information on our online initiatives, or you’d like to discuss how we can develop something new to meet your needs, please contact us.