6

Lessen the Lecture: Engaging Virtual Training

After the COVID-19 pandemic and new social distancing mandates significantly decreased the use of traditional, in-person instructor-led training in the spring of 2020, organizations were forced to quickly switch many in-person programs to the virtual classroom. Those who lacked experience in this area struggled at first, only learning later the level of intentional program redesign, as well as trainer and producer development, that it takes to create truly effective virtual training.

Unlike webinars, virtual classroom training programs should be robust learning events—the opposite of the boring, lecture-style live online training of the early 2000s. It would be a mistake to run a webinar for a large audience and expect higher-level objectives to be met. Similarly, it would be a mistake to run a virtual classroom training event as though it were a webinar with only knowledge- and comprehension-level objectives and still expect participants to remain engaged and walk away with lots of new skills.

A key to designing and delivering engaging virtual classroom training is to leverage the right kinds of activities. But it is also important to understand the broader instructional design context of using activities—simply stringing one activity after another will not produce optimal results. So, let’s consider a few additional virtual classroom design tips, and then we’ll close this chapter with one additional element: a three-step activity debrief process.

Design for Interactivity and Collaboration

To enable the most learning through virtual classroom technologies, you have to go back to the training program’s design. Was it developed with the social or relational context of the virtual classroom clearly in mind? After all, some information can be learned faster on your own simply by reading or watching a video. Did the instructional designer simply create a content-rich PowerPoint slide deck to be lectured to attendees? Or were the learning objectives purposefully viewed through the prism of what is best learned together, at the same time, with an expert trainer (and producer) as the guide at your side?

In addition, interactivity isn’t enough. To really kick the engagement level and learning opportunities into high gear requires truly collaborative activities that go beyond simply asking and answering questions in the chat or using polling features. The activities in this book, and the many others being used in robust live online training every day, generate not just a single response from most or all participants, but get participants truly conversing with one another, building on each other’s responses and ideas, and working together to brainstorm, prioritize, categorize, compare and contrast, debate, reconsider, reflect, and so much more.

Set the Social Stage

Even a well-designed virtual classroom event can fail to reach its goals if participants are not properly prepared. Participants need to be ready to engage, collaborate with one another, and learn together, not multitask or catch up on email.

To make sure they are ready, you must set the social stage. First, participants need to know ahead of time what kind of experience to expect. Event announcements, enrollment emails, and even short, recorded videos can all promote the interactive and collaborative nature of your virtual training program. Giving participants a heads-up that this event will be different from what they are used to can go a long way in enabling greater learning.

Second, as participants arrive in the virtual training room, give them plenty to do right away. Show a tour slide that introduces the key features they need to know about, which can help reduce any anxieties they may have about technology. Ask a poll question to get them interacting or create a dedicated chat area with get-to-know-you questions or an initial question related to the program’s topic. (See chapter 2 for more details on the tour concept and other activities to start your program.) Facilitators and producers need to be very active during the program’s early moments, making sure everyone is connected, encouraging conversation, and noting responses to the poll. This sets the social stage and makes clear to participants that they will not be able to multitask during this program the way they did in yesterday’s webinar.

Create a Chatversation

Many years ago in our conference presentations, and then in the first edition of this book, we introduced a new concept that we called the chatversation. This robust, free-flowing learning conversation is what develops in well-designed and well-delivered virtual training events. Far too many virtual trainers worry that the virtual classroom’s chat feature will distract their participants. They fear that learners will focus too much on what’s happening in chat and as a result won’t be able to hear or keep up with the important content being taught. While the fear is understandable, the problem isn’t the chat—the problem occurs when virtual trainers are not skilled enough to leverage this wonderful tool. The trainer’s fears should subside once they’ve practiced and are comfortable with using chat in their virtual sessions.

Some trainers use the chat only at specific points in their virtual training programs, hiding it or turning it off when they aren’t directing participants to respond to a question. This degrades the chat tool—turning it into little more than the poll feature. When the chat feature is left open throughout the program, learners can use it to ask questions, respond to one another, encourage one another, and, more important, engage in a powerful new learning opportunity—the chatversation.

Chatversations are difficult, if not impossible, to foster to the same degree in a traditional classroom. Consider a physical classroom with 20 people. The instructor can ask a question, but will typically only get one response at a time (perhaps controlling it through the raising of hands or the like). If Mary in the front row has a question, she can ask the instructor—but can’t as easily ask the rest of the class without interrupting what the instructor is saying. That is, she can’t easily get a response from Cheryl in the third row, or Peter in the back row, let alone simultaneous answers from Cheryl, Peter, and Gretchen. But with a lively chatversation in a virtual training event, this kind of peer-to-peer, many-to-many social learning happens naturally and leads to far more learning than would otherwise occur.

Objections to open chatversations revolve around training contexts in which participants might not act appropriately if given so much freedom or if the content of the training is highly sensitive, open to misinterpretation, or in need of some measure of control. While perhaps valid, these reasons aren’t good enough to remove chatversations entirely. A continuum of freedom and control should be considered, with some constraints to rein in people only if they go far off topic, give out false information, or act inappropriately. The producer can fill this important role by monitoring the chatversation and keeping it alive if it seems to dwindle.

Using the Virtual Classroom as Part of a Blended Learning Approach

While virtual classroom training can often achieve learning objectives on its own, using a blended approach that leverages asynchronous content and tools can often produce even stronger results. Consider a program that centers on two, two-hour live online training events:

Before the first event, participants respond to some questions using a dedicated discussion area in a tool such as Slack, Padlet, or Microsoft Teams. They attend the first live online event, which includes whiteboard activities, robust chatversations, and breakout activities. After the first event, they are asked to read a blog post and return to their dedicated discussion area to share their thoughts (in Slack, Padlet, or Teams).

The participants later attend the second live online event, which starts with some reflection and discussion of the blog post. The event is also designed for further social learning, with whiteboard activities and robust chatversation. After the program wraps up, conversation and learning continue in the discussion forum, helping participants transfer what they’ve learned to their regular jobs so they don’t forget all that they’ve learned.

Alternately, consider the reverse approach—one that places the asynchronous tools at the center:

Participants join the cohort group in Slack, Teams, or a similar platform, and respond to provided questions or topics. As conversation and learning develop, the trainer acts as the moderator, or “gardener,” pruning any tangents and watering the conversation to keep it alive if it starts to slow.

After a few weeks of meaningful dialogue and knowledge growth, the trainer schedules two, one-hour targeted learning events to address issues that would benefit from synchronous brainstorming and collaborating. The first event has activities that use brainstorming to come up with possible solutions to the issues. The second event is a more formal technical training session with activities to practice approaches that resolve the issues. After both sessions, the participants communicate asynchronously in the discussion forum to reflect on what was learned and provide any additional tips.

Virtual classroom training can fit into a blended learning approach in multiple ways to achieve learning objectives. But the critical piece is ensuring appropriate activities are included in the sessions to achieve optimal results. So, let’s go through some examples now.

One Word

Break the ice on a topic, especially one that is controversial, challenging, or difficult to understand.

Description

This activity is quick and easy to facilitate with a larger audience. It is best to have participants respond through the chat, rather than directly on the slide if there are more than 16 participants. Try putting one word, specific to the training event, on a slide and ask the participants to define it. This activity can break the ice by addressing the elephant in the room immediately and getting people talking about their understanding and perspective on a key concept or topic.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create a slide featuring the single word.

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that the slide is loaded or shared, annotation tools are enabled, and public chat is available.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: As we are preparing for today’s class, let’s find out your experience as it relates to our topic of [insert class topic]. What is your definition of the word you see on this slide? Write it using your annotation tools, anywhere in the open space. Please mark the green check when you are done.		Producer: Provide guidance on the tools as needed. Facilitator: Ask participants to respond through the chat if the audience is larger than 16. Producer: Clear status indicators, as needed.
Facilitator: How do these insights affect our program topic today? How are we more, or less informed?		Facilitator: Call on participants to explain their definition, while looking for similarities and differences. Encourage other participants to use their status indicators (such as laughter, applause, or green checks) as they listen.

Transition

Facilitator: “Thank you for all your insights. Let’s dive into [insert class topic here].”

Remember This?

Sharpen the ability of participants to focus on details and recognize the limitations of memory.

Description

Ask participants to try to describe everything they can remember about the front side of a $1 bill (or the local currency, if you’re facilitating an international audience), without looking at it. Then present a slide that shows the $1 bill, so participants can see what they remembered correctly, what they missed, and what, if anything, they included that isn’t there. You can then relate this exercise back to the training topic (communications, sales, leadership, technology) in that you often take for granted things that appear obvious or that you are used to seeing, but don’t always remember what is important and most relevant.

BACKSTORY

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create two slides—one for annotating and one with an image of the front of a $1 bill.

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that the first slide is loaded or shared, annotation tools are enabled, and public chat is available.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: Without looking, describe what is on the front and back of a $1 bill. Type your responses in the blank spaces on the slide. Click the green check once you are done.		Producer: Provide guidance on the tools as needed. Facilitator: Encourage discussion and comment on the responses. If there are more than 16 participants, ask them to respond through the chat.
Facilitator: Here is a picture of the $1 bill. Let’s examine what we missed or forgot to list—or what we imagined was there. Use the highlighter or circle tool, and use chat to mention things you thought were there but are not.		Producer: Display the next slide, showing the front side of a dollar bill. Provide guidance on the tools as needed. Clear status indicators, as needed.
Facilitator: We often take for granted things that appear obvious and focus on things that are not important or irrelevant. [Relate this point back to the topic of the training program as appropriate.]

Transition

Facilitator: “Now that we are paying close attention to detail let’s take a look at [insert class topic here].”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Match the currency used to the country of your audience.
• Instead of money, use a logo for a product related to the training topic.
• Use any image that’s relevant to your topic, industry, or company.

It’s All About That Voice

Demonstrate the importance of a speaker’s voice when presenting virtually.

Description

To conduct this activity, simply present a slide with different facial expressions (but do not include too many negative expressions). Adjust the images based on the culture of the audience you are working with. The facilitator should demonstrate the first example to break the ice. Choose a favorite and go overboard on play-acting it to set the tone. People enjoy guessing which expression you’re demonstrating either in chat (if there are numbers next to each image) or by putting their pointers or mark next to the one they think it is using their annotation tools.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create a slide with a wide variety of facial expressions.
• Create a second slide with a simple table grid so that participants can share insights and comments at the end of the activity (or use the chat feature).

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that the first slide is loaded or shared. Ensure that annotation tools are enabled. Ensure that public chat is available.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: Can people really hear you smile? In a virtual presentation, online training, or telephone conversation, it has been said that your voice is your most essential tool. Let’s find out! In front of you are images with different facial expressions. Some are happy, some are not so excited, and some are downright aggressive! What does the phrase, “May I help you?” sound like when it is delivered in one of these ways? I’ll go first to demonstrate.		Facilitator: Choose one expression to emulate as you deliver the line. Tip: It is best practice to demonstrate this activity the first time yourself, before asking for a volunteer.
Facilitator: Now it’s your turn to deliver the line in one of these ways over the audio. The rest of us will use our annotation drawing tools to indicate which one we think it is. Please raise your hand to be the first volunteer.		Producer: Provide guidance on the tools as needed. Clear status indicators as needed. Facilitator: Listen to the volunteer. Encourage the others to use their tools to circle, check, or highlight the expression they think it is.
Facilitator: Great job! Both in relaying the emotion of the expression, and in the rest of you guessing which it was. Who is the next volunteer?		Producer: Erase all annotation between volunteers. Repeat these steps as many times as you would like, time permitting.
Facilitator: Well that was fun! Thank you to all the volunteers. I’m interested in what you think was happening here. Let’s take a moment to analyze what we just experienced. Did the speaker’s delivery help you uncover the emotion they chose? Was it your own emotional intelligence or capacity to listen that helped guide you to the correct one? What other observations do you have? Choose a spot on the grid and type your response. Type your name or use your pointer to identify your entry.		Producer: Load the grid slide. Facilitator: Ask participants to explain their responses. Encourage dialogue and comment appropriately.

Transition

Facilitator: “Thank you for your thoughtful comments and insights. I think we all would agree that when it comes to virtual presentations, live online training, and any telephone conversation we find ourselves having; our voice is our most important tool for conveying meaning in our message.”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• If you can’t find photos you like, use emoji or other animated faces instead.
• To use chat instead of annotation tools, simply number each image so that participants can indicate their guesses in each round in the chat.
• Select a phrase, question, or sentence that is common for the topic area or job role of training participants.

BACKSTORY

Do You Remember the Details?

Have participants introduce themselves, and later test their memory on details about their peers.

Description

This introductory activity is optimal for a two-day course. On day 1, present a slide with a grid that participants can use to introduce themselves. If you know the names of the participants in advance, design the grid with each person’s name already populated. (Even if someone does not show up, it’s a nice touch to add a note in their box saying, “hello, we missed you, enjoy the recording!”) If you don’t have a participant list in advance, leave the grid blank and tell participants to select a box using a pointer or typing their name.

Have participants enter their name, company, location, role, and one interesting fact about themselves in their box. They can share what they wrote aloud; however, everyone doesn’t need to speak because participants can read the slide. The facilitator should comment on everyone’s information and formally greet them even if they do not choose to speak up.

Before day 2, the facilitator should prepare a slide with a grid filled with the interesting facts from day 1. Have some fun getting images to represent what people said—for example, an image of Africa for a participant who was born on the continent, or an image of a dog and a heart for someone who loves dogs.

The participants then start day 2 by attempting to connect one another with the details. There is often laughter, and it promotes discussion on just how much we remember from the online classroom, without the nonverbal communication cues often present during an in-person training environment. This activity does not take long on day 2, and you’ll have a more natural result if you don’t warn participants before the follow-up on day 2.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• For day 1 create a slide with a grid that includes (optionally) the names of the participants and space for their information.
• For day 2 create another slide filled with images representing aspects of each (or several) participants from day 1.

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that the first slide is loaded or shared, annotation tools are enabled, and public chat is available.

The Activity

Say		Do
Day 1 Facilitator: Let’s learn more about each other. In the box labeled with your name, please indicate your company (if relevant), location, role, and one interesting fact about yourself.		Producer: Provide guidance on the annotation tools as needed.
Facilitator: Thanks everyone for sharing. Who would like to say a few words about themselves, perhaps to further explain the story behind their interesting fact?		Facilitator: Comment on everyone’s entries and formally greet them even if they do not choose to speak up. This is also how the balance of time is best managed.
Day 2 Facilitator: Do you remember how we opened our session yesterday? Let’s see how many of the details you retained. Based on the information you all shared, can you identify who each image in the grid represents? Type the names on the slide next to each image.		Producer: Ensure that you are displaying the day 2 slide with all the images. Producer: Provide guidance on the annotation tools as needed.

Transition

Facilitator: “Thank you for sharing yesterday, and for remembering so much about each other today. This demonstrates the power of live online learning—no one remembers everything from a training program, whether in-person or online, but if you are focused you can remember a lot. Now let’s move on to [new topic for day 2].”

BACKSTORY

Strategy Alignment

Help leaders align business unit strategies with company strategy (or a similar purpose).

Description

What is the best way to engage a group of leaders in an online training environment? It’s the same with any participant: Make the training relevant and get to the point. When this Strategy Alignment activity is done in person, each leader is asked to give a one-minute elevator pitch to the CEO on how their business unit’s strategy is aligned with the company’s strategy. Each participant takes a turn and everyone listens while the facilitator coaches each person. It is effective and it works every time.

To make this work efficiently online and keep it engaging, simply change it to an annotation activity everyone can participate in, and then add a verbal component for those who volunteer. Open by asking everyone to write a 30-second elevator pitch on the slide and sign it. Let them know someone will be called on once they’re done. Their pitches can be one sentence, or just some keywords.

Ask participants to read each other’s pitches, and take a moment to review them and call on a volunteer to give their pitch verbally. Coach them, ask others to offer peer-to-peer coaching, and proceed for as long as everyone remains engaged and as time permits. Don’t feel the need to cover everyone, because they’ll learn from one another. Encourage participants to adjust their text on the slide using tips and ideas they hear during everyone’s feedback.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create a slide with enough space for annotating.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Prepare an example and type it on the slide.
• Producer: Ensure that annotation tools are enabled and provide guidance as needed.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: You’re on an elevator with the CEO and she says to you, “How is your business unit’s strategy aligned with the company strategy?” You have 30 seconds to tell her, but here you have 2 minutes to write it down. Use the annotation tools to write your pitch and sign it. When you are done, click the green check.		Producer: Keep time and assist with the annotation tools if needed. Facilitator: Read the text as it appears, and prepare to call on someone.
Facilitator: Mitchell, let’s hear yours.		Producer: Clear status indicators as needed. Facilitator: Coach and encourage peer-to-peer commenting and coaching. Proceed with a few more and encourage participants to make edits to their own entries.

BACKSTORY

Transition

Facilitator: “Not an easy task is it? Being very concise and precise in our language—whether spoken or written—is more difficult than writing longer documents or never getting to the point. Now, let’s apply what we’ve learned in this activity to [next topic of the program].”

Bingo! (for Training)

Help participants minimize distractions by providing a reason to look and listen for key learning concepts.

Description

What better way to keep people engaged than to give them a competitive game to play while they’re learning? Trying to fill a bingo card with key learning concepts gives participants something to pay attention to instead of being tempted to email, use social media, or work on other projects. Create a square grid filled with words, phrases, numbers, or even images from the training event, which participants will have to look and listen for throughout the event. Have a bit of fun with this by asking participants to send a chat when they mark a square on their card. Once they have a complete row, column, or diagonal, encourage them to call out “bingo!” just as they would at an in-person bingo game. Don’t worry if it interrupts the session; it’s supposed to be fun. As soon as they call bingo, have them share each checked off box and recall what they learned regarding each topic.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create a bingo card related to the event.
• Include the bingo card in the participant manual or email it in advance if you want to give each participant a different card.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Confirm that participants have their bingo card, whether it was in the manual or shared in advance.
• Producer: Email the bingo card (or participant manual) to anyone who needs one.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: Take out your bingo cards and get ready to start marking them. The card is filled with the topics we are discussing today. When you see or hear each topic being discussed, mark it on your card and then feel free to send a chat too. When you have filled in an entire row, call out “bingo!” The first person to call it out is the winner, but only if they can explain each topic. Ready? Let’s go!		Producer: Enable chat and make sure each participant has a bingo card. Facilitator: When the first participant proclaims “bingo!” make sure they explain each item in their row. This helps reinforce the information gained from the session.

Transition

Facilitator: “You got it! Great job explaining each topic. You win!”

Spice It Up

Try out these alternatives:

• The example in this book has a 3 x 3 grid, but you could also create a larger grid, especially if you want the activity to span multiple training sessions.
• To run this activity during a larger webinar program, give out a reward rather than ask the participant debrief over the audio.
• Possible rewards for the winner of this activity, where relevant, include:
  • A signed copy of a book
  • A free pass to a live online training session or workshop
  • Gift cards
  • Early dismissal
  • Recognition on an internal organization discussion board or social media site
  • Recognition via email, copying the participant’s manager or team leader

Scavenger Hunt

Discover answers and report findings on websites or in software, individually or in groups.

Description

The Website Scavenger Hunt activity works well when participants need to learn the key points and then remember the details as relevant situations arise. Each participant is assigned something to look up on a website and asked to answer a few questions, which they’ll then debrief upon returning to the main training session. This activity does not require formal breakout functionality. Simply send the link to the site in the chat, set a timer (or have the producer keep time), and list the questions in the participant manual for note taking.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Confirm the website is active and accurate.
• Prepare the questions and present them on a slide, as well as in the participant manual for reference.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Check the roster of participants. Plan what each person will research.
• Producer: Enable chat. Check that the website is active.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: In this next activity let’s examine [topic or aspects of a website resource]. You will each be given an assignment. Please answer the questions found on page 12 of your participant manual. Then come back to this session and raise your hand when you are finished and ready to share your findings. You will have 15 minutes to find the answers to your questions.		Producer: Prepare assignments to send in chat. Send the link in chat. Keep track of the allotted time and call the participants back when it is time.
Facilitator: Welcome back! Let’s take some time to hear from each of you now. We’ll start with [one of the topics].		Producer: Clear status indicators, as needed.

Transition

Facilitator: “Excellent discussion! Let’s now examine some situations where these laws are applied.”

BACKSTORY

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Rather than asking people to verbally communicate their answers, prepare a slide where they can type their findings using the annotation tools. Debrief by asking for volunteers or calling on participants with specific questions for more detail.
• Use share screen to display the website during the debrief if that would help. Highlight information with your cursor while calling on participants to talk about what they learned. Alternatively, let the participant share their screen.
• Have participants work in teams instead of individually. Use breakout sessions, assign several topics to each team, and request that the team report out key ideas after a specified time. Have each team prepare the key findings on a slide that they will share with the main training session on their return. (See chapter 9 for more on using breakouts.)
• Consider making this activity a timed competition. Create a slide with the questions you want participants to answer when they visit the website. Instruct them to indicate in the chat when they are finished. Wait for more than one person to respond, in case the first participant gets any answer incorrect.

Other ways to use the scavenger hunt include:

• Marketing: Use breakout groups and have teams research competitor websites. They can share their screens to the websites in the breakout, document their findings, and prepare to report back to the other groups when finished.
• Software: Provide a list of features for participants to discover in a software program. Have them document the correct steps to complete actions they can perform using the software.
• Human resources: Give participants a list of benefits to research and learn more about by searching the company intranet.

Make the Connections

Assess what participants have learned by letting them put it into their own words.

Description

If for some reason you are only permitted to run one activity in an online training event, the Make the Connections activity is a prime candidate. It’s fun to plan, design, and facilitate, and it provides valuable insight into learner understanding. Participants always have a good time, too.

The example here was designed for an auto insurance company and used during new agent training. The slide features three columns representing a client who could walk through the door or call at any time: The first column is the people, the second is the type of car they own, and the third is where they reside. Participants get to mix and match an image from each column and then describe the auto insurance plan they would recommend. For example, what insurance package is most appropriate for a family of four who owns a minivan and lives in a city?

Participants use their annotation tools to circle their selection and then unmute their audio to describe the package and their reasoning. Ask clarifying questions, probe for more details, and provide additional coaching as needed.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Prepare a slide with three columns and three rows of images.

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Load or share the slide. Ensure annotation tools are enabled.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: In this review activity, you will construct a scenario by choosing images—one from each column—and describing an approach or solution for that combination. When it is your turn, use your annotation tools to circle your chosen images. Do I have a volunteer to go first?		Producer: Assist participants with the annotation tools, as necessary. Facilitator: If no one immediately volunteers, it could be that they are unsure of what to do. Share a quick example yourself to model what you are looking for. Allow each person to take a turn, coaching on the content and solutions as needed.

Transition

Facilitator: “Nice work describing [the solutions] as you would to new clients. Practice makes better, but I’m confident each of you are ready to go!”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• For nurse training, have participants identify various medical instruments used in different situations and why.
• For a new-hire orientation, use pictures representing different departments and processes. Allow new hires to make the connections on how they interact and with whom.
• Use pictures of technology, and ask participants to explain how each part works and what it is used for.
• For B2B sales training, have participants determine which product or solution is best for various types of businesses facing different types of challenges.

Recognizing Diversity

Set a baseline definition for a word or concept.

Description

This activity uses a common word to reinforce how differently we all think. Participants are told to close their eyes and create a mental picture of a word that you share with them (such as dog or cat). Then you reveal a slide with images of that word all over it; for example, the slide here shows many different dog breeds. Allow a few moments for participants to mark which pictures were most similar to what they thought about and discuss what they were thinking and why. You can also ask what is different and what is similar about the images.

The activity ends by asking participants, “What is your definition of diversity?” Debrief by making the point that people are shaped by their different beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences. Everyone sees the world differently.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create three slides
  • Slide 1 explains the directions and reveals the chosen word or concept.
  • Slide 2 shows pictures of the word or concept.
  • Slide 3 has a question for participants and space to annotate their answers

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that annotation tools and public chat are enabled.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: To start let’s do a visualization exercise. In just a moment, I’m going to give you a word. Then, you’ll take 1 minute to close your eyes and create a mental image of that word. Keep your eyes closed so you can see the object in your mind. We’re going to go ahead and get started now. The word is dog.	Producer: Enable annotation tools. Provide assistance as needed. When the minute is almost up, switch to the second slide.
Producer: And that’s 1 minute. Facilitator: Time is up. Open your eyes and look at the pictures we’ve posted of dog. As you can see, dog can be represented in many different ways. Use your check mark tool to indicate which image most closely resembles the one you had in your mind.		Producer: Enable annotation tools and provide assistance as needed. Facilitator: Give participants a moment to mark their selections.
Facilitator: It looks like you had many different ideas about what a dog looks like. What factors could have caused us to have such different responses? Please chat your responses.
Facilitator: We’re going to take a moment now to discuss how what we just did relates to diversity. Using your pointer tool, claim a space on the slide and share at least one way that this visualization exercise can be applied to the idea of diversity. Take about 2 minutes. When you’re done, please mark your green check.		Producer: Switch to the third slide. Provide assistance with the annotation tools, as necessary.

Transition

Facilitator: “As we can see, we are a diverse group. We have different beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences that shape our lives and who we are. We all see the world differently. Let’s examine this further in our next activity.”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Change the pictures.
• Use another word or concept.
• Ask a different debrief question.

Enjoy the View!

Have some fun while getting significant practice working with the annotation drawing tools, chat, and breakout rooms.

Description

Introduce the activity as a bit of creative competition during which participants will work together to draw one of three scenes—but they can only use chat, no talking allowed. Then at the end, teams will share their scene and accompanying story and everyone will vote on their favorite.

Place the participants in one of three groups. (If possible, let the platform automatically distribute participants into three breakout rooms, which will make the activity faster and easier to facilitate.) Ensure the drawing tools are on, keep track of time, and wait for the fun to happen. Encourage those who are concerned about their drawing ability to go beyond their comfort zone—they will likely create something they thought they couldn’t.

When there are 30 seconds left in the time limit, send a broadcast breakout message to the teams, reminding them to choose a spokesperson to tell the story of their scene. End the breakouts and bring them all back. Show each team’s picture, and ask their spokesperson to debrief the scene. Encourage everyone to make their scene as memorable as possible so they will get the most votes. This activity is fun and doesn’t require too much explanation to make it a success.

BACKSTORY

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create three slides:
  • Slide 1 explains the directions (such as, draw a beach, city, or jungle).
  • Slide 2 shows an image to represent voting.
  • Slide 3 shows the reward, which can be specific to the audience.
• Create three more slides—one for each scene—for use in the three breakout rooms. Include plenty of space for the groups to draw their scenes (see the examples in this activity).

Before the activity begins:

• Producer: Ensure that public chat and annotation tools are enabled. Confirm that the beach, city, and jungle slides are loaded into three breakout rooms. Or if working in a platform like Zoom, give the file to a designated member of the breakout group. Alternatively, just have them label their own whiteboard and share it. Prepare a poll to ask participants to choose either beach, city, or jungle. Have a timer to keep track of time.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: In this next activity, we are going to have some fun, while also testing your drawing skills! On the screen you see 3 boxes labeled Beach, City, and Jungle. You will be challenged to draw one of these scenes and create the most enjoyable view.		Producer: Prepare the three breakout rooms. Use the breakout feature to distribute the participants evenly.
Facilitator: Using your drawing tools your team will work together to draw a scene. The trick? You cannot talk—you may only use chat and your drawing tools! After 3 minutes we will ask you to put your pencils down and have a volunteer tell us the story of your scene. Once all teams have shared, we’ll vote on which one was most enjoyable. Questions? Raise your hand at any time.
Facilitator: All right, [producer] will now explain how you will get to your scene and start drawing! Producer: Sure, thanks [facilitator]! In a minute you will each be transferred into one of three groups: the beach, the city, or the jungle. You will know once you enter your breakout room. Use your drawing tools to collaboratively create your scene! I’ll keep time. Raise your hand if you have questions and have fun!		Producer: Start the breakouts and help participants navigate to their breakout room. Provide help with drawing tools as necessary. Start a timer. Producer: As a 30-second warning remind each team to select a volunteer who will talk about their scene. Call time after three minutes and end the breakouts. Bring the three scenes into the main viewing area.
Facilitator: Welcome back everyone! Let’s regroup and hear from each team’s volunteer. Tell us about your scene and why we should vote for it. Beach team—you’re up first.		Facilitator and Producer: Comment on each drawing and respond to each volunteer’s story.
Producer: OK, let’s run the poll. Everyone, vote for your favorite.		Producer: Open and run the poll, and then close it once everyone has voted. Share the results.
Facilitator: Congratulations [winning team]! You all did a great job using the drawing tools. What did we learn in this activity? What questions do you have?

Transition

Facilitator: “Well that was fun! Now that we have set the tone for some competition and quick drawing skills, let’s see what we have in store for you next!”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Don’t use breakouts:
  • For WebEx, turn on the attendee privilege to “view any document” and load the beach, city, and jungle files as separate presentations. This will create tabs at the top of the meeting window. Ask participants to click on the scene of their choice. Keep track of time and then, as presenter, click to the tabs at the top to debrief. As presenter, you bring the whole group with you.
  • For Adobe Connect, load the files into three separate share pods, in one layout. Make them as big as you can and tell each person to click to a share pod/scene. Let them choose their scene or assign them. Everyone will see each other’s, but that is OK because it is a quick activity.
  • For Zoom or Teams, consider using an external tool like Miro and simply send participants the link to their designated whiteboard.
• Change the drawings to anything applicable to your organization, event, topic, or audience.

Would You Rather?

Analyze scenarios to improve technical knowledge and identify learning opportunities.

Description

Teaching people to use the features of an application, or in this case, the features of the web conferencing platform they will be providing technical support for, takes time, attention to detail, context setting, and practice. It is typically a large undertaking and is usually learned over multiple sessions, various practical applications, many discussions and readings, and, of course, on-the-job experience. Features can be described, stories shared, examples provided, and practices executed, and yet there will always be more to learn. An activity like this highlights the importance of taking the time to consider things from new angles. It gives learners the opportunity to examine existing knowledge, current beliefs or feelings, and any potential biases. In the process, it identifies areas where learning still needs to occur. Participants may learn they haven’t mastered that set of features because they don’t like it or find it so confusing that they refuse to focus on it!

Use a Would You Rather? activity to get participants to think about what they are learning by asking them to compare ideas, concepts, or details. In the example shown here, producer candidates are asked to consider which features of a web conferencing platform they would prefer to support. They are paired up and placed into breakout rooms with enough time to review each option, discuss their reasons, and take notes. They learn from one another’s stories, support and teach each other, and identify what else they still need to learn in the process. The debrief questions the trainer uses once everyone returns from the breakout room are:

• What did you learn from others?
• Which features do you still need to learn more about?
• What are you most excited about?

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Decide upon the comparisons and document them in the participant handouts. Leave space for taking notes.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Determine how much time is needed and plan accordingly. This activity deserves at least 15 minutes in the breakout room. For reference, participants in the example described here were asked to discuss a comparison eight times, referring to 16 different features.
• Producer: Prepare breakout rooms, a clock for timing, and ensure participants have the materials they need to reference while working in teams of two.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: It’s time to play Would You Rather? In this activity you will be partnered with another person and asked to review the table on pages 33 and 34 of your participant manuals. Take a look there now to make sure you are ready. Our producer has paired you up, and you will be working in a breakout room to review each of the eight rows in the table. Note you are being asked to compare features, and the question is essentially, would you rather support this feature or that one, and why? Discuss, take notes, and be prepared to talk about the final three questions at the bottom of page 34 when we all return in 15 minutes: What did you learn from others? Which features do you still need to learn more about? What are you most excited about? Let’s do this!		Producer: Prepare breakout rooms placing participants into teams of two. Facilitator: Visit the breakout rooms to listen in, but there is no need to interrupt or add to their conversations.

Transition

Facilitator: “Wonderful! Your conversations were enlightening because now you know exactly what you still need to focus on to sharpen your technical support and troubleshooting skills to become an expert virtual producer.”

Four Corners

Ask participants to make a decision about a problem or question.

Description

The Four Corners activity is commonly used during in-person training sessions. The trainer will label each of the room’s four corners with Agree, Strongly Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree, and participants are asked to stand next to the answer that best aligns with their thinking regarding a specific topic. Then participants are asked to discuss their ideas and come to a consensus to share with the group.

In the virtual training version, the facilitator types the answers into the four corners of a slide and then shares it. Participants use their annotation tools to type their names in the box that best aligns with their ideas. They’re then placed in breakout rooms according to their answers so they can discuss as a group and then return and discuss with everyone. Participants learn from one another and build on their own ideas at the same time.

If using a platform that allows participants to choose their own breakout rooms, create four breakout rooms labeled with the answers in the four corners and open them. Once people have annotated their answer, instruct them to open the breakout panel and join the breakout room that corresponds with their answer. Provide timing cues and call on each group to share once everyone returns. Remind participants to take notes in their handouts or on the devices they normally use. We’ve included some screenshots of what it looks like to create the breakout rooms in Zoom.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Prepare a slide with the responses in the four corners to share during the setup of the activity. Also prepare a handout the participants can use to take notes. Plan the timing of the breakouts based on the number of attendees.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Review the statement and be prepared to facilitate the debrief.
• Producer: Enable annotation privileges and prepare the breakouts.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: In the next section of our program, we’ll begin the conversation with the following statement: Manager follow up after a training is critical for learning retention. Do you agree with this or disagree? And is that a strong agreement or disagreement? Type your name in the section that most closely aligns with your opinion.		Producer: Assist with annotation if needed. Prepare breakout rooms. Facilitator: Ensure the producer has time to prepare the breakouts before announcing that attendees should join them.
Facilitator: Now you’ve all decided, let’s take time to share our ideas with others who have the same opinion. Discuss your reasons in a small breakout group, come to a consensus, and select one person from your group to share upon our return. Please open the breakout session panel now, choose the room aligned with your answer, and take the next 10 minutes to discuss together.		Facilitator: Allow time for participants to consider their answer and type their names using the annotation tools.

Transition

Facilitator: “We had a thoughtful and insightful conversation just now. Listening to others helps us better understand our own opinions and ideas.”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Use virtual backgrounds to answer. Prepare the answers as image files that can be uploaded and used as virtual backgrounds. Send participants these backgrounds in advance of the training session and, if necessary, teach them how to upload the images.
• Use reactions to agree and disagree but note that this only accounts for two answers. Consider using an alternative icon for strongly disagree or strongly agree, since most feedback/reaction features have many options. Create a legend and place it on the slide to remind people what to choose for each reaction.
• Use different answers like Yes, No, Maybe, or Never, or use images, colors, or numbers. Just make sure attendees know what each answer type represents.
• If not using breakouts, allow private chat or create separate chat pods for those who answered the same so they can chat to share.

Fill in the Blanks

Provide an interactive way for participants to read relevant content like a checklist, a process, or a case study.

Description

Sometimes it’s necessary for participants to read something longer than what can fit onto a slide. Examples include checklists, case studies, role-play scripts, and reports. This activity is a creative and refreshing way to resist lecturing and instead let learners take the lead while using the online training platform’s interactive features.

Ask participants to refer to their handouts to read the relevant content for this activity. Make sure each person has access to the materials in the way that best suits them and their learning needs, provide enough time for the majority of the people to review most of the content, and enable the annotation tools so participants can fill in the answers.

Kassy uses the example shown in her producer certification. The producer candidates are asked to review three checklists in their participant manuals (the colors on the shared slide indicate which checklist has the answers). On average, it takes participants five minutes to completely fill in this slide using their annotation tools.

Sometimes there is more than one answer, and some participants may begin at the end. It’s fun to see how the group manages the process to work together and fill in the answers. The point of the activity is to get them to review the checklists, so they are better prepared for upcoming activities. This is just the beginning of using the checklists, as many more assignments will follow in the certification. But reading these lists is crucial and just asking them to do so as prework has not always worked. This activity always does!

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create relevant checklists (or other materials) and make them available to all participants. Prepare a slide with blanks so participants can use annotation tools to fill in answers.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Review the checklists and make sure they match the shared slide the participants will fill in.
• Producer: Enable the annotation tools. Ensure all participants have access to the reading materials.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: On pages 17 through 21 of your participant manuals are three checklists, each of them key to your success as a virtual training producer. The first list covers being prepared, the second one covers connection issues, and the third one is a step-by-step list of tasks to do on the day of the session. Note that the current slide shows 10 fill-in-the-blank style questions. They are color coded to indicate where the answers can be found. Take a few minutes now to read these 10 questions. Once you are done, take an additional 5 minutes to read through the checklists. As you are reading, fill in the answers using your annotation tools. It’s OK if more than one person types in the same spot. We will regroup once the slide is filled in to discuss what you read and make plans for our next activity. I will be quiet while you read, but [producer] and I are here in chat if you need help. Time begins now!		Producer: Help anyone who can’t find the reading materials or isn’t sure how to use the annotation tools. Use the chat so things remain quiet. Facilitator: Mute yourself and review upcoming activities while the participants read. Watch the screen and once the slide is filled in, announce that it is time to return. Optionally, mention that it is OK if not everyone read everything, as you have more planned to give them another chance to review the checklists.

Transition

Facilitator: “Excellent! That was a fast fill-in exercise. Let’s discuss what is here and why these 10 questions were chosen.”

Spice It Up

Some of these may take more time, but depending on the content and objectives, it might be worth it:

• Make multiple fill-in questions and put participants into small groups to fill out their assigned sheet together. Bring them back to review and share with the other groups.
• Post the fill-in questions to a shared discussion space and ask participants to do the exercise outside the live online training session.
• Run it as a competition, asking each person to fill out the answers on their own, in a handout. Have them raise their hands when they are done and then share their screen or unmute and speak to reveal the answers.

Lecture Trivia

Encourage active listening during a lecture.

Description

As much as most participants dislike them, lectures are often necessary for portions of a learning program. Sometimes, things just need to be explained while participants are asked to listen. Technical details, step-by-step processes, and software demonstrations are common lecture topics. The best lectures are brief and use storytelling to help establish relevance and maintain interest. One such way to determine at what level participants are truly paying attention is to ask them to actively participate by using what we call the Lecture Trivia approach.

Step-by-Step

1. Begin by sharing any specific instructions with the participants.
2. Once the lecture is complete, give participants a few minutes of quiet time to write a question related to the topic that was just presented. It can be true or false, fill in the blank, or multiple choice. For fun, ask them to assign a point value.
3. After a few minutes, ask participants to share their questions in the chat.
4. Call on the first participant who provided a question; ask them to unmute and share their question and its point value.
5. Ask the other participants to raise their hand if they want to answer; call on the first person to raise their hand to unmute and answer.
6. Ask the author of the question if the answer provided is correct.
7. If it is correct, take note of the points they have earned. If it is incorrect, ask the next person to answer.
8. Proceed through the questions, keeping score for those who answer correctly and celebrate the winner. Pride, bragging rights, and glory are often excellent prizes!
9. Use this exercise to foster a conversation about the lecture. Ask, “Were the questions written correctly?” “Do you agree with the answers?” and so forth.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Prepare the presentation and lecture materials.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Have a place to easily take notes and keep track of points. Note that some people may be distracted by this assignment, so giving them the instructions to listen first, and then write a question second, will manage this to some extent. Some attendees will not enjoy the competition component of this exercise, but most people love the energy and will play along.
• Producer: Help keep track of questions, who has answered, and points earned.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: We have a lecture planned for this next segment, but before you check out, listen up! You are going to help me write the test for this lecture by first listening to it, and then writing one question from what you have heard. We will share the questions and you’ll even be assigning points to each answer, meaning someone is leaving class today a winner!		Producer: Watch the chat for any questions or concerns. Facilitator: Stay on time and be clear when presenting.
Facilitator: Let me explain how all this will work today.		Facilitator: See the step-by-step instructions on the previous page and explain their next assignment before beginning the lecture.

BACKSTORY

Transition

Facilitator: “That was a lot of discussion! You certainly paid attention, and we learned more in-depth details that will continue to help us as we improve our processes.”

Spice It Up

Collect the questions privately and send the learners to lunch. Go through each question, grouping them together according to topic and filtering out any repeats. Assign the points yourself and deliver the questions in a more controlled way once everyone returns from lunch.

Answer With a Virtual Background

Provide a way to respond to questions visually.

Description

Most online training platforms have feedback, raise hand, and reaction tools, and while they are highly effective in their simplicity, they can sometimes go unnoticed and underutilized. Attendees don’t always know to use them, and trainers often forget to prompt their use, and miss seeing them when people do use them. This is not a suggestion to ignore these tools, but rather, a reminder to skill up and use the feedback and reaction tools more effectively!

An additional option for getting feedback and reactions from an online audience is to use virtual backgrounds beyond what they were intended for. Traditionally, virtual backgrounds are used to hide or change the environment from which someone is attending an online session. They have been particularly helpful for privacy and branding in this age of remote meetings and work. But what if attendees used virtual backgrounds to respond to questions and requests?

Virtual backgrounds are a powerful way to communicate, so consider using them as a way for people to share visually, without having to unmute. Attendees who are reluctant to appear on camera may feel more comfortable if you ask them to answer with a virtual background.

In this example, attendees were asked to complete an assessment before the meeting so each person knew their results ahead of time. Image files that met the platform’s sizing and placement requirements were also created and shared with attendees in advance. Once the session started, the trainer asked the attendees to change their virtual background to the one reflecting their assessment result as a way to reveal it. If attendees were not familiar with how to change their backgrounds, they learned quite quickly in that moment of need. This worked in much the same way as when attendees at in-person training get up and move to a different room or area where prepared boards or charts are posted.

There are many ways changing a background could be used, like asking participants to share a picture of something that is personal to them, or by sharing background options and asking them to choose the one most relevant to them. Once attendees have changed their virtual backgrounds, conversations are more visually supported. You can also facilitate breakouts using those visuals, either grouping similar responses together or purposefully dividing them to create conversations.

Step-by-Step

1. Create the images, checking that the placement of any information or objects will align with the person once they are in front of it.
2. Share the images either via email, file transfer, or a shared file location.
3. Instruct attendees on how to change their virtual backgrounds, if needed.
4. Prompt attendees with a question and remind them to answer by changing their virtual backgrounds, as many will unmute or answer in chat.
5. Proceed with prepared debrief questions.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Prepare the images and make them available to the attendees.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Have some images ready in your own virtual background options to demonstrate how quickly one can change their background. We also suggest taking a few screen captures as you’re changing the background, which you can use when teaching participants how to do it.
• Producer: Be prepared to send the images to participants again, if needed.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: Prior to joining our training session today, you were sent the DiSC assessment and should already know your result. Additionally, we emailed everyone four images about an hour ago. Please check your email now and save those images to your computer. Once you have them saved, please click the green check to let us know you have them. Click the red X if you think you need them re-sent.		Producer: Watch for those who do not have green checks or have clicked the red X and resend the images to them.
Facilitator: Now that everyone has the images, which one aligns to your assessment result? But wait! Don’t unmute to say it or send a chat message! We are going to answer using our virtual backgrounds instead. Please change your background using one of the images we just emailed to you. Let me show you how to do that right now.		Facilitator or Producer: Show them how to change their virtual background. Facilitator: Proceed with the planned questions and activities now that participants have shared their assessment results.
		Facilitator: Be ready to show those screen captures of how to change the virtual background. Have debrief questions prepared to facilitate conversations.

Transition

Facilitator: “We have shared our results and discussed our reactions. Now let’s look at how we can use this information to better communicate with one another as a team.”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Use images of locations for a visual. Send participants a few to choose from; for example, ask “If you could be anywhere today, would it be the lake, the beach, the park, or the pool?”
• Allow participants to use their own images, by asking, “Where was your most recent vacation?”
• Provide attendees with backgrounds that correspond to question, like the one referenced in the Four Corners activity. However, instead of responding using a whiteboard, ask them to change their background to the one that represents Agree, Strongly Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Then put them in breakouts based on their background responses to discuss, return, and share. Ask them to change their backgrounds if their answers change.

Break Into Zoom Engagement With an Escape Room Game

Provide a quick and unique way to introduce a group to Zoom engagement tools.

BACKSTORY

Description

Teaching participants how to use the features of an online platform like Zoom, Webex, or Microsoft Teams can be a challenge. Talking about a feature and showing people how to use it are not always the most effective ways to get them to actually use the features to communicate and actively participate. This is because people need to use the features themselves, with purpose, to really learn how they work. All the activities in this book are designed to help everyone use the features of these online platforms with comfort and ease.

Enter the escape room! Incorporating an escape room game idea is an excellent way to really teach people to use a platform’s features. This concept puts pressure on the participants to find answers for themselves rather than being told and shown. They are challenged to find out how things work in a friendly environment with a bit of healthy competition and celebration added. By giving them a puzzle to solve, participants are encouraged to discover how things work, while at the same time becoming familiar with features they will need to use throughout the program. Escape room games can have challenges or questions that are related to one another and follow a narrative, each building on the next, or they can simply be a series of questions that ask learners to gather answers. We used the latter for our example activity.

Use this activity at the beginning of an interactive Zoom training to help participants learn to use the features and spark engagement while solving the challenges alone or as a group. Plan challenges that focus on the main features participants will use throughout the program. In the example provided, we focused on the participants panel, reactions, and chat.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• When designing escape rooms games consider this: To customize or make your own game, begin with what you want the learners to do. Create challenges that require those actions. The culmination of answers can be a final puzzle to solve. With this in mind, develop the challenges and create a visual on a slide or document that you can share on the screen. See the challenges visual we used for this example.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Review the game for flow and prepare any hints you want to provide. Note that the answers you’ve prepared for this escape room are for participants using a PC, and that the answers for Mac users are different. Make sure you know how to solve the game yourself!
• Producer: Decide who is sharing the visual of the four challenges and confirm it is ready. Make sure that the Zoom settings allow participants to rename themselves and that chat is also enabled.

Sample Challenge Sheet

Hints to Provide

Challenge 1 Find the words in Zoom that fill in the blanks The first word is “participant” The numbers reveal a secret word The first letter of the secret word is “H” Answer: Heart	Challenge 2 Symbols correspond to a number Applause = 1 and red X = 8; what are the rest of the numbers? Challenge 1 showed us that heart = 5 Answer: 5 2 7
Challenge 3 Follow the steps to confirm your name or make changes There is one rounded rectangle in blue Answer: OK	Challenge 4 Combine the answers from the three challenges Type them in chat and then raise your hand Answer: Heart (or ) 5 2 7 OK

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: Let’s get you all working together and exploring the features of Zoom. We’ve designed 4 challenges. Work together to solve each one. The goal is to experience some of the Zoom features we will be using throughout this program. The game will be complete when you’ve all finished challenge 4 in the chat. I’ll be here to offer hints if you need them.		Producer: Display the challenge visual. Facilitator: Allow time for the group to complete the challenges. Remind them they can access the Zoom menu if they hover over their screen. Provide hints as needed.

Transition

Facilitator: “Congratulations! You’ve broken into Zoom engagement! Remember to use these tools, reactions, and the chat as you participate in today’s session.”

Spice It Up

Try these alternatives:

• Place participants in breakout rooms to complete the challenge. Ensure the challenge sheet is available in their handouts. Ask them to return to the main room once they complete all four challenges. Remember to have a way for them to ask for help.
• Use content from the training to create challenges each person must answer before they are cleared to exit the session.

Anatomy of the Online Participant

Analyze the characteristics of clients to better support them.

Description

The Anatomy of the Online Participant activity encourages producers in training to deepen their understanding of those they will soon be providing technical support to during a live online event. The activity asks learners to think from the other person’s perspective to gain an empathetic understanding of their needs. By asking learners to consider what their future online participants know, feel, and do when joining an online event, it helps producers in training to better prepare themselves for the kinds of support situations they will ultimately find themselves in.

Those in technical-support roles can feel quite a bit of pressure once an online event is live—pressure from those presenting as well as those trying to participate. Producers must know everything that could possibly go wrong, identify the specific problems, and provide effective solutions as quickly as possible—all while managing the emotional side of things. Analyzing the anatomy of the online participant using the three questions in this activity helps producers in training better understand what might be driving the errors, mistakes, and even abilities of the participants, encouraging them to listen in moments of frustration and possibly distress.

This activity works well when teaching anything about clients, customers, or co-workers, and can be easily adapted as such. Trainers should allow enough time for the breakout groups to discuss each question, as well as for everyone to share upon returning to the main room. The debrief discussions help the teams learn from one another, especially those who have had previous experiences and can share their stories.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Create a handout with the online participant, the questions, and a place for taking notes. Consider preparing a whiteboard if using a tool like Miro (as we discuss in chapter 9).

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Plan for enough time, based on how many learners are present. There should be enough time for the discussions in breakouts as well as afterward with the main group. Make sure the questions are prepared; the three used in this example are:
  • Know: What do participants know or think they already know?
  • Feel: What motivates participants?
  • Do: What have participants experienced with technology?
• Producer: Ensure learners have access to the documents to take notes. Prepare to help them share answers, if requested.

BACKSTORY

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: We’ve been focused on learning about the features and functionality of online training and meeting platforms. In this next segment, because all of you will be helping participants join live online events in the near future, let’s examine another angle of their experience to help you better support them and their needs. It’s one thing to know where to click, but it is entirely another to be able to understand and empathize with the participant’s experience. Let’s examine the Anatomy of the Online Participant in an effort to help us more deeply understand where they might be coming from. Please turn to page 13 of your participant manual and take notes there. We have also prepared a slide for your team to annotate upon in your group. You may save that slide and share your answers when we regroup. [Producer], let’s allow the groups to spend the next 10 minutes answering the questions on page 13 of their participants manuals.”		Producer: Determine how many breakout rooms are needed for there to be teams of 2 to 4 people. Prepare them and be ready to assist participants in and out of them, as needed. Facilitator: Confirm participants have located where to take notes and have the time to do so. Remind them to be ready to discuss their ideas upon returning.

Transition

Facilitator: “Participants join sessions with all sorts of ideas on how to make it work. However, they might not realize that what they are doing might be the reason something is not working! Their previous experiences may be influencing their decisions and attitudes. Analyzing the anatomy of the online participant, as we have just done, helps us be better prepared for whatever situation may come our way, and to be the best position possible to support it.”

Spice It Up

Change the subject matter to accommodate your objectives; for example, The Anatomy of the Buyer, the Student, or the Newly Hired Employee.

An Unexpected Call

Track the steps of an unexpected call as sales trainees perform the practice.

Description

The activity An Unexpected Call guides participants in a sales training program to apply the techniques they’ve just learned for handling unexpected calls. It’s a form of a breakout, without actually using the platform’s breakout feature. Participants in the virtual training session are asked to make a sample unexpected (cold) sales call. While they make the call, the process, which has already been covered in the training program, is shown in chart format like in the image shown. The chart includes a row for each learner, and enough columns for each step of the process.

The participant connects to the virtual training session using computer audio, and is then asked to mute once the activity begins. The next step is to use their phone to make the unexpected call, while still remaining in the virtual training session. Each learner is makes their own call, which no one else hears (because they’re all on mute). The screen with the table remains shared and each person uses their annotation tools to check off each step as it is completed. The learners can also take notes in a designated space in the participant manual.

After each participant completes their call, everyone regroups on the computer audio in the main training session for the trainer to facilitate the debrief. This is an excellent way to apply learning in the moment. Mistakes will be made, and successes will also be shared. The conversations following this real-time practice call are rich, helpful, insightful, and energetic.

The Setup

Design needs ahead of time:

• Prepare a slide or visual with a table. Each column header is the step. Make enough rows for each person participating in the exercise.

Before the activity begins:

• Facilitator: Clarify how participants will be using two sources of audio for this activity—computer audio for the training session and a separate phone to make the unexpected call.
• Producer: Ensure everyone is connected to the training session via their computer audio, and then muted once they begin the practice call. To make the unexpected call, confirm each participant has a separate phone they can use.

The Activity

Say		Do
Facilitator: We have thoroughly reviewed our unexpected call process. At this point, the remaining piece is to do it! We’ve prepared a table with a column header for each step. Type your name in one of the row headers on the left to claim your spot. In a moment, we are all going to mute our audio connections into this session, pick up our phones, and make an unexpected call to one of our prospects. Please take notes on page 37 of your manuals. In addition, while on the call, use your annotation tools to check off each step on this table as you go.		Producer: Make sure they are muted and have access to their phones. Facilitator: Keep the table showing and, if possible, share a timer or time alerts in the chat.
Facilitator: We have 20 minutes planned for the call so if you don’t have any other questions, let’s do it! I’ll put a timer up for your reference.		Facilitator: Watch time, wait for most checks to appear, and be prepared to greet everyone once they return to the main training session to share their experiences. Once everyone has returned, begin the debrief and let them share their challenges and successes using this process.

Transition

Facilitator: “I am thrilled with how this went and all the learning that just occurred. We had some interesting things happen and so many real-life case examples that we can refer to as we move into the next phase of our training program. Excellent work, everyone!”

BACKSTORY

Kassy’s 3-Step, Never-Fail Debrief Process

As we wrap up these examples of activities designed for interactive and engaging delivery in the virtual classroom, it is of the utmost importance to consider how to respond to participant interactions. All too often, virtual trainers are up against time constraints and distracted by managing technology. As a result, they miss out on opportunities to appropriately respond to the thoughts, comments, and other ideas participants are sharing. This can lead to a lack of learning, the opposite of the intention! To avoid uttering the phrase, “Great, thanks for your chats. Let’s move on to the next slide,” use my three-step, never-fail debrief process to keep your learners interacting, engaging, and motivated to continue participating in the learning process.

Let’s consider the following typical debrief question: “What are the challenges we might face implementing this strategy? Let’s use chat to respond.”

Be sure to “tack on the tech” or indicate which technology or feature they should use to respond; for example, say, “Please annotate in the space provided” or “Let’s use chat to respond.” The feature chosen doesn’t necessarily matter, but here are some considerations:

• If you want people to come off mute, ask them to raise their hand to manage who speaks when. Note that this will take more time to debrief so make sure that is the intention.
• If you want sentences, or longer, more thoughtful answers, use chat.
• If you have prepared a whiteboard or a slide with the space to type, use annotation.

As long as you are clear about which feature to use at any given moment, and participants know how to use what’s being requested, it will be effective.

Mute yourself and do not speak until approximately 75 percent of participants have responded. Mute and take a drink of water during this time to help you remain quiet. This is called intentional silence and allows participants to think, formulate a response, locate the technology to share, and then unmute, type, or draw (whatever approach was requested). Avoid responding out loud to the first person who answer so that you don’t disrupt or even stop the thought process of everyone else.

Once you’ve heard from the majority of the group, follow these three steps to debrief their responses (Figure 6-1):

1. Summarize. There is generally no need to re-read, out loud and verbatim, what was shared. Summarize instead. Encourage others to read what was shared in the chat or on the whiteboard, or to reflect on what was said by those who came off mute. Demonstrate you have reviewed their replies and thought about what has been shared. Consider noting themes or similar responses and then go to step 2.
2. Spotlight. This step follows the brief high-level summary by focusing in on a few key points shared by individuals. Choose one point to begin and ask the person who made it to unmute and explain. Use the individual’s name and a phrase like, “Calvin, please tell us more about that specific challenge you mentioned.” Listen to what Calvin says and call on others to share or comment. Perhaps others will agree or disagree. Encourage the conversation, guiding it in alignment with the course objectives.
3. Bridge. Once the conversation begins to wane, or the key points have been addressed, wrap up the learning moment. Briefly state what happened, noting how it connects to what they’ve learned, and then make a transition or bridging statement that moves them forward to the next learning moment. This guides the participants on their journey, while honoring their contributions along the way. The entire process also helps you, the trainer, listen with intention and encourage learners to become an active part of their learning experiences.

FIGURE 6-1. THE 3-STEP DEBRIEF PROCESS

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Conclusion

Just as online meetings and webinars can be greatly improved using well-designed activities, virtual training programs will be far more interactive and engaging when you include robust activities. Well-designed activities used appropriately in a training program will transform it from a series of lectures into a rich learning experience that is more likely to produce the desired skill development and behavior change.