Yes, You Can Run A Virtual Training For More Than 90 Minutes! Here’s How.

Throughout Edgework's two-decade history we have primarily been a face-to-face training and facilitating organization. We've run successful online trainings, but typically followed the conventional belief that people can't engage in training online for more than 60 to 90 minutes.

Last month I facilitated our 3-hour Teamwork Essentials workshop in person. is our flagship workshop. It’s built around a fast-paced blend of content, many paired and small group conversations, lively large group Q&A, poster work, a card sort activity, and even a tower building team challenge with building blocks. It’s high energy and high impact and there is great connectivity between participants. It rocks.

Last week I facilitated a 3+ hour virtual version of the same workshop, and it was fantastic. The content was the same, but by focusing on the overall design, thinking unconventionally, and by revisiting how best to facilitate in a virtual classroom setting, we got the energy, the impact, and the connectivity that we were aiming for. It rocked.

Here’s how we’re approaching virtual training at Edgework:

Set Expectations in Advance: Your pre-messaging should be explicit in the requirements around participating using video, describing the nature of the workshop and how they will be interacting, and setting the tone for full attention during the entire time. If anyone cannot attend on video or fully participate, they need to share their restrictions in advance so everyone understands and can support how they will be interacting.

Send Key Workshop Handouts as Pre-Work: We have a great card sort activity where groups work to prioritize team member competencies. I can’t recreate the card sort, but what I did is create a one-pager with the nine competencies and their definitions on a single page handout. Each person had that handout in their pre-work so when it was time to make groups and get into the discussion, we could get right at it. Think about anything you may put in their hands during a workshop and ask yourself if you could provide them with these handouts in advance.

Plan for 5 to 10 Minutes to Get the Tech Right With Attendees: Inevitably, no matter how skillful people are, in a group of 10 to 20, you are going to face tech issues. Assume in your schedule that you’ll need time to get everyone situation and settled. Ideally, you instruct people to sign in early; however, if that doesn’t happen, plan for the tech check. This can be great informal conversation time.

Master the Platform: Take the time to become skillful on the platform you are using (Zoom, Blue Jeans, WebEx, etc.). There is usually a great deal of functionality that can serve you well, from creating breakout groups, to chat, to annotation. Set up a few meetings with yourself to get to know your platform. View the tutorials. Then, examine your workshop and ask yourself, how can I use the full suite of tools on my digital platform to recreate the experience I used to have with attendees in a face-to-face context?

Establish Norms About Calling On Attendees: It is crucial in a virtual training space to reserve the right to call on attendees by name to speak. You can’t rely on your learners volunteering to talk to carry the interactivity and participation Announce this at the outset, and let people know they have the right to pass. This may run counter to your facilitating philosophy, but I’ve found it has a dramatic impact on the energy, flow and learning in a virtual learning experience.

Connect and Engage People Early: A rule I’ve always followed in our workshops is to try to design for everyone to speak in the first 15 minutes. Its our experience that once everyone puts their voice into the room, they are much more likely to talk throughout the workshop. The easiest way to do that is with pairs or small group conversations. You can do the exact same thing virtually with breakout groups. Alternatively, you can do a roll call with everyone with learning groups that are in that 10 to 20-person range. It’s time well spent for a longer virtual workshop.

Use Breakout Groups Thoughtfully: This is one of the best features of certain platforms. Plan for when exactly you will need breakout groups, how many groups you will create, and if you can pre-assign people on a list. It will take a couple of minutes to get the groups set up. It’s the same time it can take to have people count off in a classroom so don’t sweat the time it takes. Instruct people on how long the discussion will be and remind them that (with Zoom at least), when their group is over they will be pulled right back to the large group, so to pay attention to what they’re saying when the timer elapses at the end of the breakout group!

Track Participation: Create an attendance sheet, be sure you have everyone’s name, and create a simple chart to be able to monitor participation. As each person is speaking, I put a check mark next to their name. As the workshop progresses, I can see clearly who we have not heard from yet and if need be, invite them to contribute. In this way, we maximize everyone’s airtime and foster learning and connectivity. 

Take Breaks Every 45 to 60 minutes: This is the KEY to running a longer virtual training. We’ll schedule breaks every 45 to 60 minutes. In a 3-hour workshop we might take two breaks, the first is 15 minutes and the second is 10 minutes. We give people an exact time to return to their computers, instruct everyone to set a timer to return on time, and remind them to mute themselves. Encourage them to stand up, stretch, get a snack, etc. In other words, they should try to take a real break. 

I know that many organizations, including many of Edgework’s clients, have postponed their training calendar in the hope that things will return to normal in a few weeks or a few months, and we can return to the classroom for training. What your people need right now is connectivity to each other, the chance to share perspectives, techniques, and experiences in a facilitated context, and skills. Training can do this. Challenge yourself to breakout of the fixed mindset that shorter sessions, with packed content, is the only solution.

The need to manage people, deliver effective feedback, work effectively in a remote setting, or navigate crucial conversations, has not gone away, just because we’re all working from home. If anything, there is an urgency right now to further our collaboration, communication, and leadership skills. 

Long-form virtual training works. Give it a try!

For more information about our work with teams, managers, and everyone in your organization, visit www.edgeworkconsulting.com.