We believe that meeting together in a group setting is the best way to achieve your goals. It allows speakers to capture the attention of the audience, and provides attendees to have in-person interactions, which is a great way to form relationships. With this being said, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing virtual meetings taking place instead of face-to-face. We are professionals serving professionals, and wanted to provide you with ideas to run a remote training during this time:
First, Select some Remote Software
Zoom is an ideal system for businesses of all sizes, because it gives your staff a variety of different meeting options. Zoom enables the smooth running of meetings and enables your staff to focus on other things. In addition, it allows you to control the length of the meeting, so that it is only 30 minutes long, or it can go on as long as you wish.
Google Hangouts is also considered a great system for remote meetings – it’s reliable, easy to use – and best of all, it’s free (!).
Then, Compose Your Training
When you are ready to get into the training process then it is important to consider what material you will be using. One option is to consider using slideshows as you prepare for your first training conference. Make sure you have a good number of slides to include in your presentation.
If you find the presentation is not working well, consider reducing the size of the presentation or breaking it up into chunks.
Once you find out what type of presentation you are going to give, then you will be able to plan your training meetings more effectively. You will be able to focus on creating learning material for your employees and less on trying to entertain the staff.
Spice Up Your Training
When you start working on planning your remote training, you need to give some thought on how to make your training interesting and engaging. You can do this by brainstorming ideas for learning materials. For instance, have you ever thought of augmenting the training using a few YouTube videos? You may be surprised with the number of interesting videos you will be able to leverage.
Take into Account the Different Types of Learners
Make sure that you create training materials that are available for an individual to download for easy viewing. Remember that some people are “visual/spatial” learners while others are “auditory” learners – in the ideal world, you should put together a training caters to both types of learners.
Incorporate a Q&A time, or Multiple Q&A times
Having a defined Q&A section limits interruptions; people can hold their questions until the Q&A portion of the meeting. Also by having a Q&A time, it encourages people to think about what they have learned and to try to come up with interesting questions.
During the Training, Have Everyone Show Themselves on Video
This will have several effects; first of all, if everyone knows they are on video, they will pay closer attention (and not try to get household chores done during the training for instance). Secondly, if people have questions it can be helpful to see their body language in addition to what they are saying. Participants can also use the opportunity to develop a rapport with the other participants. Just make sure everyone holds questions until certain points of course, to keep training from devolving into chaos.
Don’t Forget to Record the Training
Finally, by running a Zoom Meeting, your meeting can be recorded, so that you can review the entirety of the meeting and review the recording. You can do this at any time and use the recording to replay portions of the meeting for future reference; for instance, if an employee missed the training, or if you are onboarding a new employee, they can just watch the training after the fact.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in-person meetings foster an invaluable environment, and we look forward to serving you again in the future. Until then, it is our hope that you will continue meeting together as a group to engage, learn, and grow.