9 Best Practices for Virtual Training in the New Normal

Did you know that 74 percent of employees don't believe they're reaching their full potential? Do you wonder if your team members feel the same way? Let's discuss how virtual training platforms can empower employees.

Virtual training engagement, especially during COVID, can be tricky if the program isn't also interactive. Employees who are continually learning provide more value to your company every day.

Is learning a corporate priority in your digital workplace? Keep reading to learn how to find the right virtual training platform and some best practices for virtual training in today’s new normal.

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9 Best Practices for Virtual Training

Ninety-eight percent of U.S. corporations have plans to use online learning and virtual training in 2020. If you're part of the majority that wants to equip and engage your employees using virtual training, you need a virtual training platform.

Here are nine best practices to keep in mind as you search for a virtual training platform and start using interactive training activities.

1. Establish Clear Training Goals

If you don't know what results you want to see from corporate training sessions, you can’t gauge its effectiveness. You need to set clear goals from the very beginning.

• Do you want employees to have better knowledge retention?
• Do you want to see an increase in sales conversions?
• Is the goal to increase employee engagement?

Identify your goals, write them down, and share them with team members. Tangible goals help everyone stay focused and motivated. One of the advantages of virtual learning is you can easily track these goals and measure learner activities within a virtual learning platform.

2. Customize Training to Your Team

Not every off-the-shelf training program will fit the specific needs of your organization. When looking for a virtual training program to grow with your company, consider a customizable one. The best eLearning companies offer custom training programs for the modern, mobile workforce.

A one-size-fits-all approach to training doesn't exist. All of the virtual classroom training tips you can find online won't fix unengaged, untrained employees. Keep "custom" in mind when you start your search to ensure you get excellent online learning software.

3. Make Learning Fun and Interactive

Capturing employees' attention to help them remember and apply what they've learned is the goal of virtual interactive learning. Get significantly more out of each training session with fun and interactive activities.

People can only focus on a virtual instructor for so long before they tune out and start multitasking. If you're not sure how to make training fun and interactive or how to make a training session interesting, here are some ideas you can try:

• Training games
• Partner/group activities
• Roleplay
• Quizzes
• Opportunities to share anecdotes
• Q&A sessions

4. Request a Demo

As you search for a virtual learning platform to house interactive employee training programs, always request a product demo. Demos give you a chance to see the platform in action, ask questions, and evaluate its usefulness before committing to a purchase.

If you’re not sure what to look for, download our LMS Requirements Checklist. Learn how to choose the right learning management system, the five questions you should ask every LMS provider, the difference between LMS necessities and nice-to-haves, and more.

5. Trial Run the Virtual Training Platform

After you request a demo of the virtual training platform you’re interested in, ask for a trial phase. Usually, you can test run a free version of the platform for a short period.

During the trial phase, select a small group of employees to interact with the virtual training platform. Ask people from different teams to participate and offer feedback to make a more informed, well-rounded decision.

As you test out the platform, use a comprehensive checklist, like the one mentioned above, that consists of requirements and nonnegotiables. A well thought out list will help you understand whether the virtual training platform has the functionality your organization needs without being swept away by fancy features.

6. Ensure Virtual Training is Mobile Accessible

Adding a tedious training requirement on top of employees’ already-busy-schedules will not end in learner engagement. Your virtual training environment needs to be mobile accessible. Training should integrate seamlessly into your employees' workday, not slow them down.

Training content should be available in small, bite-sized pieces. Learners can then quickly consume and implement what they've learned into their day-to-day practices. Employee training available on mobile devices makes learning a more flexible, manageable activity even when working from home.

7. Apply Learning Activities

Another tip for those who want to know how to make virtual training interactive is implementing in-between activities. Virtual classroom activities that happen “in-between” training sessions can help learners apply what they’ve learned before moving on.

An example of an in-between activity might be a brainstorming session or team breakout. It gives employees a chance to think about how they can apply what they learned from their training into current work projects. Consider making these activities more interactive by pairing up learners together.

8. Assess Training Effectiveness

Be sure to regularly assess employees' understanding of various topics as they progress throughout the program. Appoint coaches to ask how things are going and identify knowledge gaps. Create opportunities for employees to summarize information and assess their knowledge retention.

The best way to assess employees’ knowledge retention is through custom learning assessments. With Spoke® LMS, you can see real-time insights using Spoke’s Assessment Builder. Evaluate, measure, and survey learners to understand how effective your corporate training is.

9. Survey Learners

Surveying learners to find out how much information they’ve retained is important, but asking for feedback on the training itself is just as crucial. Input from employees can help you understand their experience using the platform.

• Do employees look forward to learning, or do they dread it?
• Is virtual training helping employees on-the-job?
• Is the virtual training platform hard to use?
• Are the training sessions engaging?

Directly surveying team members will give you an immediate understanding of learner engagement, enjoyment, and usefulness. Learner feedback also allows you to make adjustments and improvements to the training sessions as needed.

Maximize Your Virtual Training Platforms Today

Do you want to increase your corporate training programs' interactivity and reap the benefits of using a virtual training platform? Interactive training sessions can significantly improve your employees' hard and soft skill sets.

Engaging the modern workforce is no easy task. It's time to maximize your team's potential and create a virtual training environment that empowers employees to excel.

In the ever-changing landscape of the digital workplace, we know you’ve got questions. Let Unboxed Training & Technology, your partner in training, help you navigate the new normal of virtual training.

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