For decades, formal training has generally been the status quo for most businesses, and it looked something like an afternoon, a day, or a week or more of employees sitting in classrooms and listening to lectures with accompanying PowerPoint slides. While COVID-19 quickly changed the in-person training method, businesses were already starting to catch on that maybe a better way to train their workers was on the horizon, says Katy Tynan, a principal analyst at Forrester Research (Wall Street Journal).
When COVID-19 halted in-person training in a classroom setting, many businesses went virtual and created online programs. However, corporate leaders have not found that strategy to be the most effective training method. McKinsey explains that shifting from in-person to virtual training delivery goes “beyond merely applying existing technology solutions to offer virtual classrooms.” Rather, it requires a “fundamental rethinking of the learning experience to enable collaborative, interactive social-learning experiences for groups of learners.”
How do business leaders effectively teach and train their workers virtually? Suman Bhattacharyya, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, suggests these five tips:
1. Break training into smaller chunks – Sally Earnshaw, managing director of culture change consulting at Gallagher, a consulting firm, says that, “On average, people’s concentration in virtual [training] lapses about every seven minutes unless there’s a change in the method or mode of delivery.”
2. Train more frequently – Employees need to regularly practice and train to reinforce what they have been learning. “One and done” training sessions may be easy, but they are not effective. Give employees regular opportunities to learn.
3. Utilize engagement-based learning modules – Passive learning simply isn’t effective. Training creators need to think outside the box. Consider using collaborative boards, multi-screen sharing, customizable breakout rooms, etc. A training platform like Jigsaw Interactive is a great solution for any business looking to make a change toward more effective training through engagement-based and activity-driven programs.
4. Have co-workers train new employees– Business managers can train their employees all day, but will they cover the most pertinent information? Sometimes peer-to-peer training is the most effective, simply put, seasoned employees know best what other employees need to learn.
5. One size doesn’t fit all – Some businesses have employed AI technology in their training systems, tapping into the individuality of each employee and helping them gain the skills they need most and/or the skills they want to develop to work toward a specific goal or position.
Moving to digital training formats is imperative to maintaining a training program, but building a virtual training strategy the includes engagement-based learning is imperative to a company’s growth. According to Talent LMS, keeping modern-day employees engaged in their work means giving them more opportunities to learn new skills, discover new technologies, and acquire fresh knowledge to keep up with the changing times. When employees are happy and engaged in their work, they stay … and when they stay, the company benefits and grows.
Building and implementing an L&D strategy, ensuring your training programs are a journey and not a one-time event for your employees and, using Jigsaw Interactive as your virtual training solution is a smart investment for any company interested in retaining and engaging their workers.
