Canadian HR Reporter

F E A T U R E S 30 www.hrreporter.com L E A R N I N G & D E V E L O P M E N T 3 TACTICS FOR VIRTUAL SUCCESS Making the dramatic shift from full-day, in-person workshops to the virtual world is not without its challenges. But there are definite benefits to the online approach, and it's likely to remain popular beyond the pandemic, says Jerry Stauduhar of Kenny Associates THE pandemic forced those of us fortunate enough to continue working throughout its course to adjust how we perform our jobs, collaborate with colleagues, and serve customers and clients. For many, this required conducting a vast proportion of business interactions (as well as education and everything else) via one virtual platform or another. For Kenning Associates, one of the significant adjustments was translating in-person, full-day training workshops into the virtual world. The company had been moving in this direction already, as have been so well received that we predict that even after the pandemic, many employers will opt for the virtual versions. But, given all the limitations of virtual delivery, what makes them work? On reflection, three tactics that we've adopted have contributed the most to designing and delivering high-impact virtual learning programs: Deliver content in small bites to allow for mental breaks and reflec- tion: Virtual meeting screen time is exhausting, and for a variety of reasons well-documented elsewhere, attention spans are getting shorter. With this in mind, four hours, with generous break time, ought to be the absolute maximum for any one workshop or portion thereof. Three hours is even better. So, in some cases we took what had been about a full day's worth of content and split it across three or four modules or segments. For instance, with the "Balcony Conversations" workshop, which includes video-recorded role- plays and playback/debrief sessions, we devised a multi-day sequence conducted in a single week. For the "Strategic Communications" program, the modules were split across several weeks. Either way, participants have said in feedback surveys that they appreciate the opportunity to absorb and process new learning between sessions. They can practise skills purposefully, and then talk about how it went when the next module reconvenes. They also like that they don't have to take a whole day at once away from their day job to take advantage of a learning opportunity. As facilitators, we were able to benefit from the same reflection. We could prepare more thoughtfully for the next module, noting how groups and indi- much of the one-on-one coaching work had already migrated to video confer- ence, but in 2020 it became critical to rethink group workshops for a changed environment. Many of the core training offerings, such as "Strategic Communications," were still in demand. Could we make them work in a 100-per-cent virtual setting? The short answer is a resounding yes. After piloting multiple programs with multiple employers, virtual workshop experiences easily equal, if not improve upon, the in-person versions. Programs VIRTUAL TRAINING TAKES OFF 90% Percentage of workers who say their organizations are doing more virtual training as a result of the pandemic. 50% Percentage of employers who say that they are new or fairly new to online learning. 51% Percentage of employers using Zoom, followed by Microsoft Teams (28%), WebEx (25%) and Adobe Connect (24%). 60 The number of minutes most commonly taken by employers for a virtual class. viduals had responded to the material and making targeted adjustments for the next round. Some of these "small bite" modules can also be offered a la carte. With everyone working virtually, it's easier to pull a whole team together (even one that is globally dispersed) for a learning expe- rience that can be completed in just a couple of hours. Mix modalities to boost engage- ment and make use of what the virtual world provides: Even with in-person training, it's important to mix things up. It's deadly for participants to hear the same voice go on and on in any medium, but virtual platforms somehow amplify that. And facilitators face the mental challenge of managing materials and delivery while also trying to glean clues about how things are landing by glancing at a gallery of tiny participant faces on the screen. The best way to manage these engage- ment challenges is to create more oppor- tunities for interaction, and to make full use of the features of video conferencing platforms. To do so, minimize lectures Source: Cindy Huggett

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