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Optimizing Your Content for Virtual Delivery

June 16, 2020 1:28 pm

The following excerpt is drawn from one module of our new Virtual Facilitative Trainer workshop, developed by Kevin Quinn, an Adult Learning expert and a Facilitation First Certified Facilitator for over 14 years.

We’re all facing the question “What do I have to do to convert my training to the virtual environment?” Some answers are emerging from our shared practices over the last few months. Luckily, we also have best practices from two sources with longer experience with this challenge:

  • Remote/home schooling and higher education remote learning – these professionals have been honing their practice for many years and are a great source of tools, tricks and practices. They are also typically educators and work with the same concepts we do, although many of their topics and approaches are focused on younger learners
  • Virtual business teams – transnational businesses have had virtual teams for years, and they’re adept at managing remotely. Their lessons help us understand how to work with adult learning classrooms.

Key Lessons from the Field

  • Separate cognitive learning from practice – “Flip the Classroom” by removing all possible “tell” components into an asynchronous delivery (pre-reads; your own videos, PowerPoints; other resources you curate – YouTube videos, etc.)
  • Use virtual classroom time to:
    • Clarify or deepen the understanding of concepts
    • Demonstrate and practice skills
    • Plan for implementation and develop strategies to overcome challenges
  • Limit ‘in-person’ virtual training to the absolute vital few practices, competencies, ideas. While we, and our clients, place tremendous pressure on training to deliver enormous content, the learner in virtual environments (and in-person, for that matter) has limited capacity to absorb and process all the material. Our job in converting our training is to realistically plan a vital few things we will teach and test for.
  • Limit classroom time – our curriculum still contains many full-day or half-day programs. Even a half-day is a long time to sit pinned in a chair by your webcam. Is it possible to deliver most or all of your training 60 to 90 minutes modules?

What are Your lessons?

Let us Know

Do you have a unique meeting challenge not covered by one of our blog posts? We’re always looking for different dilemmas to discuss in our articles!