The increasing popularity of virtual instructor led training or VILT is not unknown and it has become an important information delivery method all across, including corporate trainings. As it is, the benefits of VILT like cost efficiency, lower resource requirement, user friendliness, and others such cannot be looked upon. But, how do you make sure that your VILT is what will attract the attention of learners? We understand your concern hence we have listed common pitfalls which occur in VILT design and implementation which will help provide a valuable experience to your audience. Read on to find out!
You’re not engaging and interactive
Who likes to be a part of the monotonous everyday lectures or study via just the collaterals provided? To overcome this scenario, VILT was born. But, the risk of getting bored or opting out is much more in this case due to the endless distractions which might occur and boring content might tempt your learners to pay attention to those.
Prevent yourself from such misfortune by captivating your learners with strong, engaging, and interactive materials. Make sure you break lengthy presentations into smaller components. Do integrate a break every 45-60 minutes. Add multimedia elements like images, videos, audios, infographics, animations, mini-games, and other fun elements.
You can create custom elearning content courses for catering to the needs of your audience and meanwhile you can also find custom elearning companies for the same.
Another way to maintain your audience’s interest is by calling on them to ask questions or provide answers as open-ended questions help participants synthesize and apply the concepts presented easily. Moreover, you can also include post-training exercises to keep the synergy of your training event alive.
Lack of preparation and management
Have you ever lacked the technological preparation right before your virtual training? Well, you’re losing out on your learners then!
Being well-prepared in terms of technology is essential and requires immense attention of the facilitator. Some tips to manage your VILT effectively are:
- Request all participants to turn off their cell phones and emails at the beginning
- Check all lighting, background, frame etc in case you’re using a webcam for live delivery
- Keep a tab on the chats, videos, and other visible pods for any questions and comments
Not using a producer
One approach to focus on facilitation is to have a producer who should be the respective platform expert. He/she should have a sound knowledge of the intricacies of the platform and should be able to operate the platform alongside addressing technical issues, keeping things running smoothly. Generally, there are various experienced and technologically proficient facilitators who have the potential to serve as their own producers, but it is advisable for them to opt for a producer as well. Not only will the producer be able to better manage and direct the session but also reduce the workload of the facilitators and help them provide their undivided attention on learners’ needs.
Not providing course materials
Not equipping your learners with the appropriate course journal or workbook is one of the most common mistakes done in virtual classroom training. Most often the trainers overlook the need to provide it to the learners but it is always advisable to provide the course content in learners’ hands before they go through the virtual course. For the same, you can either post the material online or send it across via email as a PDF. With this, the learners get to experience the same feeling as in a traditional classroom method and derive the same benefits from reading accompanying content, jotting down notes and completing learning exercises.
So, these are some of the pitfalls of virtual instructor led training which must be taken care of before delivering. Just avoid them, get creative with your content and you’re good to go!
