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ATD Blog

Are Your Training “Virtually” Blind?

Friday, May 10, 2013
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Imagine getting on an airplane with a pilot who had never actually flown, but was a whiz on the simulator. Or whose last time in an airplane had been co-piloting for Orville Wright. Feeling confident you’ll get to your destination in one piece? In a less extreme way, that’s how many training professionals are being asked to handle the move to webinar—or virtual instructor-led training (VILT).

As we work with organizations around the world, we are discovering some fairly interesting facts about how companies are moving to the virtual classroom. The information is surprising and, as learning professionals, a little disturbing.

  • More than one-half of learning professionals have never been a participant in a webinar or virtual classroom before being asked to deliver in that way.
  • More than two-thirds have received no real training on the use of the platform they are expected to use. They’ve figured it out in small groups or on their own.
  • More than 75 percent of virtual instructors received no training or practice in the differences between virtual and traditional delivery.

So basically, an awful lot of us are being asked to use an unfamiliar technology to teach in a new way and we have only a vague idea of what the learner is experiencing.  Many of us used this technology in the early days, were unimpressed, and have been dragged kicking and screaming to use it now for reasons that have nothing to do with effectiveness.
There are all kinds of reasons for this. Some are actually quite flattering, in a strange way. The thinking in many organizations is, “You’re the training professionals, we have faith in you to make it happen.” 

Some of the reasons are less benevolent: “We’ve slashed your travel and staffing and given you a WebEx license. Make it work. Oh, and there’s no budget for training your people on it, otherwise why did we bother?”

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So what’s the right way to introduce VILT into an organization?

  • Potential VILT instructors need to literally sit in the participants’ seats. What works for their learning styles? What doesn’t work? What would make for a great learning experience and how can you adjust the leader’s guides to make for a better learning experience?
  • VILT designers REALLY need to sit in the participants’ seat. You’d be amazed how many people design “great” training by all instructional design standards, but are painful to sit through if you’re a real live person in a real live work environment.
  • VILT instructors need to see the potential of the tools beyond the budget savings. In our training with organizations, one of the most powerful learning experiences is when they see the various features used in context. It is one thing to know that there’s a white board (which is usually not used because it’s distracting to the presenter and badly facilitated), and quite another to see how it can add value through engagement, participation and sharing of ideas. They begin to see the possibilities of this technology, rather than simply the constraints.
  • Instructors need the time to practice with the technology so they can become “consciously competent.”  This takes time. Rehearsal means using the platform in real time with real people, not just flipping through your PowerPoint muttering to yourself.
  • They need to learn the best practices of great VILT facilitators. Observing and co-presenting with each other is a terrific way to achieve that.

At GreatWebMeetings.com we work with all kinds of individuals and organizations to help them sell, present, train and lead their people using online presentation and communication tools. Too often we’re called in after these tools are rolled out with disappointing results. It doesn’t have to be that way.

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We’d love to hear your experiences here, or join us Tuesday, May 21 at ICE for our concurrent session, “How NOT to Move Your Trainers from the Classroom to VILT—A True Story of What Works and What Doesn’t.” We look forward to seeing you there and hearing from you!


About the Author

Wayne Turmel is a cofounder of the Remote Leadership Institute. He has spent the past 20 years or more obsessed with how people communicate at work. His work has helped organizations on four continents develop the communication skills needed to lead people, projects, and teams and to make the adjustment to remote working and virtual teams.

Besides The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership and The Long-Distance Teammate: Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere, Turmel is author of nine books, including 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations (ATD Press) and Meet Like You Mean It: A Leader’s Guide to Painless and Productive Virtual Meetings. He has also contributed to more than a dozen other books.

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