Activities to Improve Soft Skills

by | Jan 13, 2020 | 5 min read, Employee Training, Most Recent

Soft skills, like the ability to communicate and work together, are some of the most sought-after employee skills. In fact, 92% of recruiters say soft skills are critical tools they look for in their applicants. Unfortunately, soft skills don’t come naturally to everyone. Activity-based soft skills training gives you the opportunity to instill these desirable qualities in new hires.

The question is, what skills should you develop and why? More importantly, what are some soft skills training activities you can use to help employees?

Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers you need. Keep reading to learn how you can make your training sessions more engaging while developing crucial soft skills.

 

Attributes of Soft Skills

Most skills produce tangible results. Videography, for example, produces video content. You can tell right away by looking at the video if you’ve produced quality work.

You can’t measure soft skills with such ease because they deal more with personalities. They focus on interpersonal interactions and communication.

Examples of soft skills include:

  • Positivity
  • Active Listening
  • Good Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Adaptability
  • Leadership
  • Problem-solving
  • Integrity

Soft skills permeate everyday existence and many people don’t even realize it.

When you write your resume or interview for a job, you have to use soft skills to position yourself as an exceptionally qualified candidate. Soft skills help you communicate complex ideas to others. They even come into action when you learn something new.

For a better understanding of what soft skills are, take a look at this article from Indeed.

 

Activities to Teach Soft Skills

Activities keep people involved in the subject matter and encourage them to take ownership of their learning. Activity-based soft skills training engages employees and teaches them how to literally interact with each other; not just on paper.

Using activities to improve soft skills is an excellent way to create good habits and weed out bad ones. It also gives people the opportunity to practice the new skills they’ve learned.

 

Exercises That Help Imagine Success

Activities that let people imagine success helps them visualize what success looks like. An exercise to accomplish this goal is for participants to think of positive past experiences and what made them a success. Examples include:

  • A customer service call that made them feel good.
  • A presentation that was well delivered.
  • An experience at a restaurant with an attentive server.
  • A sales pitch that made them want to buy.

Split people into groups of three or four to discuss their encounters. They can write them down, roleplay them, or prepare a presentation for the rest of the class.

Learners may also consider negative experiences and why they weren’t positive ones. This helps them identify the positive qualities in people they interact with to make better experiences.

Activities like this help people adopt a positive mindset, which is key to developing strong, soft skills.

 

Interpersonal Communication Games

Games that focus on communication teach people how to actively listen. Listening is a critical soft skill to develop because it teaches people to do more than just hear what others say.

Learning how to use active listening has many benefits:

  • Develops an Understanding of Perception. Different words have different meanings to different people. When you actively listen, you’re able to pick up on what others really mean.
  • Builds Rapport. When you use active listening, people take notice and appreciate you for it. This helps you develop a connection that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
  • Ability to Follow Instructions. Active listening gives people a better understanding of directions. They’re able to complete tasks with better accuracy and efficiency.

Activity to Improve Active Listening

To show the importance of active listening, try this activity:

  1. Split your class into two groups.
  2. Ask Group A to keep their seats and have Group B leave the room.
  3. Instruct Group A to develop a short presentation about something they’re passionate about.
  4. Tell Group B to listen to the first 30 seconds of the presentation, but stop listening after that.
  5. Have a discussion about how Group A felt when Group B stopped paying attention.

Group A will most likely feel frustration that Group B wasn’t listening. Use this as a foundation to build active listing skills.

 

Team Games for Soft Skills Training

In any environment where you work with others, it’s important to foster a sense of team.

Teamwork helps to create an environment in which creativity can thrive. Team members brainstorm, share alternative viewpoints, and sell solutions.

When people work together, they combine their strengths. This leads to higher levels of efficiency and quality.

Relying on others is difficult, but with teamwork, you can build trust and establish strong relationships. People who feel like they’re part of a team tend to work safer because they trust others to help them out.

 

Activity to build Teamwork

Escape room challenges are an excellent way to build teamwork skills. Team members must work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and escape within a time limit. You can make your own escape room puzzles or you can visit a company that specializes in escape room games.

 

Tasks That Encourage Adaptability

According to Success.com, adaptability is two-fold. To be adaptable, you must be both flexible and versatile.

Flexibility means having a positive attitude towards change. Versatility refers to your ability to make that change happen. Teams who are adaptable are better equipped to solve problems.

 

Shrinking Vessel Activity

The last activity-based soft skills training game to consider is the shrinking vessel activity, which inspires adaptability and problem-solving.

  1. Encircle a group of people with a rope or string
  2. Shrink the space inside the rope over the course of 10 to 15 minutes
  3. Encourage everyone to stay inside the circle as the boundary shrinks.

Successful completion of this task requires participants to adapt to the situation and work together to find a solution.

 

Unbox Your Employees’ Potential

Unboxed Training & Technology offers modern soft skill training solutions for your company. You can use our training materials on a stand-alone basis or combine them to achieve impressive results. Choose the solution that’s right for you, or give our team a call at (888) 723-9770.

Employee Training develops a customized curriculum that breaks everything down for your trainees.

Spoke® LMS is a mobile learning management system that makes learning fun and engaging.

Hub360 Sales Enablement is a sales training and product delivery platform that helps every salesperson ramp up their sales.

Coach encourages on-going employee transformation through measurable development feedback.

Unbox your employees’ potential today by contacting the team that works with you!

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Microlearning and Microtraining Techniques for Success

by | Jan 6, 2020 | 5 min read, Employee Training, Most Recent, Sales Training

Do you need to train your team fast? As in, “my people needed to be client-facing yesterday,” fast? Then microlearning is here to save the day! Learn about microlearning and microtraining techniques for success to take your employee training to the next level.

 

Microlearning Meaning

Microlearning, or “microtraining,” is the process of breaking down employee training into small, bite-sized pieces. The goal is to use short courses that are easy for employees to quickly learn and apply. And when I say short, I don’t mean 30 minutes—I mean 5 minutes or less. No more than one objective is focused on per training course.

In general, corporate training exists to equip employees with practical skills to complete job-related tasks and proactively train them for the future. Microlearning provides employees with applicable knowledge and skills based on their immediate needs. Think of these 5-minute videos as chunks of “micro knowledge.”

If a sales rep is constantly on the move, they may not think to carve out a whole hour, or even half an hour, for training. Using bite sized modules, training sessions are no longer time consuming, but concise.

Let’s talk about why you need to incorporate microtraining into your blended learning program today.

 

Why Microlearning?

Microlearning breaks down complex topics into specific, actionable objectives. We’ve discussed before how, in an age of distraction, the attention span of most people is less than a goldfish. Tragic that we’re losing to a glass-bowl-bound fish, but I digress. We can’t create more time, but we can use the time we do have more efficiently.

If you want to read about some microlearning examples in action, read about our partnership with NextWorth. We helped them develop bite sized training videos and accomplish a double-digit increase in used, electronic trade-in accuracy.

In a previous blog, we listed some of the primary benefits of e learning. Now, it’s time to dive into why microtraining is such an impactful tool by exploring the benefits of microlearning.

Benefits of Microlearning

 

1. Mobile Access

With the digital age comes a wealth of opportunity and modes of communication. Microtraining uses a variety of modalities to communicate new material to employees on different devices. The mobility makes microlearning exceptionally effective. Employees are empowered to access training wherever they are, whenever they can—before a meeting, waiting for the bus, or in between phone calls. Training has never been so accessible and agile.

2. Limited Distractions

Technology is a catch 22—mobility is no doubt a significant strength, but it can also be a major weakness. Smartphones are one of the biggest productivity killers in the workplace according to a study by Careerbuilder. But, we have good news! Since microtraining only takes minutes to complete, there is less time for distraction. Think of all of the notifications you typically receive in 30-minutes vs 5-minutes. Laser-focused microlearning courses keep employees both concentrated and engaged.

3. Higher Engagement

Did you know that 65% of people learn best by watching? Even marketing experts use micro-videos in digital advertisements because they are more engaging. The same reasoning applies to employee training. Guo, Kim, & Rubin’s research shows that shorter videos are statistically more engaging than longer ones. They recommend segmenting longer learning videos into shorter chunks (less than 6 minutes). In fact, the shortest videos (0-3 minutes) resulted in the highest engagement. Sound familiar? That’s microlearning at it’s finest.

4. Just-in-time Learning

One of the primary advantages of microlearning is that learners can complete courses “just-in-time” without a moment’s notice. Employees are able to train on just what they need to know, right when they need it most. The benefits of microlearning for sales training are compelling. The just-in-time training provided by microlearning is particularly beneficial for the busy sales rep. They can easily start a new course and receive comprehensive knowledge minutes before a pitch or call.

5. Actionable Content

Microlearning fosters behavioral changes, as all learning should, with immediate application. Whether an employee faces a challenge in or out of the office, microtraining provides them with the necessary resources they need in a pinch. In addition, microlearning is personalized for a custom learner experience. A unique course path provides a more efficient training, so learners are ready to go, right after they complete it.

In short, start using bite sized learning to better inform and apply employees’ learning and development initiatives at work. Listen to our webinar, 25 training tips in 25 minutes, for a mix of training techniques.

 

Ready, Set, Train

At Unboxed Training and Technology, we developed ReadySet—an off-the-shelf eLearning system for the modern learner. Streamline your employee training by narrowing in on one key skill with microlearning. ReadySet courses are challenging enough to engage employees but short enough to support retention.

Use ReadySet as a just-in-time training for new employees, or equip your current employee with action-oriented course content.  Contact us to learn more about microlearning and microtraining techniques for success—ReadySet Sell, Lead, Secure, or Respect and adopt microlearning today!

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How to Track Employee Training

by | Sep 27, 2019 | 7 min read, Employee Training, LMS, Most Recent

Human capital is by far the most valuable asset to most any business. Although an intangible asset, people are a critical component to a business functioning at optimum capacity. People are part of the profit equation, and to make money, you have to spend money. Employees impact customer satisfaction, sales goals, ongoing innovation, company culture, etc. But, in most cases, employees are only as good as they are trained to be. Employee training is an opportunity for businesses to increase the value of their human capital. An employee training tracker is a key component to the training equation because it helps you identify if your employee training is directly increasing employee performance.

Furthermore, investing in employee training is important for the long term growth and success of a healthy business. So you’re probably thinking, “I agree, but how do I know if what I’m investing in is paying off?” We see where you’re coming from. Implementing an employee training plan usually starts with a learning management system (LMS).

Let’s talk about how an LMS transforms and tracks employee training today…

Employee Training Tracking Software

Training employees and tracking their progress is essential to properly evaluate what’s working, what information is not being retained, and what may need to change. To put things in perspective, up to 40% of employees who don’t receive adequate job training quit within the first year. Onboarding is no cheap investment, so when a new hire is made, that employee needs to be set up for success with well-defined job training.

Spoke® LMS

 

Spoke logo

Time for practical advice: The best way to track employee training is with an LMS.  Employee training tracking software, provided by an LMS, helps you collect, deliver, and track your company’s training content. Spoke® LMS is an award-winning, social LMS for the mobile workforce utilizing gamification to engage employees in training.

 

Assessment Builder

To understand the ROI of training, it needs to be accurately tracked. Tests, quizzes, and assessments are all ways for administrators and employees to identify areas for improvement. Spoke’s Assessment Builder is a useful, employee training tracker for both learners and admins to evaluate knowledge retention. 

Easily create assessments, track progress, and note trends to refine your training over time. Additionally, employees have the ability to test out of courses they have mastered to spend more time training on topics they don’t know as well. Gain insights on how effective your training is by retrieving granular data on specific questions or administer surveys for a broader view.

spoke assessment example questions

Assessments are fully customizable and can be required before or after a training. A pre-assessment is a good way to draw a baseline for comparing employees’ results, post-training. Using a tool like Assessment Builder as an employee training tracker is a great way to start evaluating your internal training efforts. The more you measure, the more you know.

Spoke® Reports

Keep track of your team’s overall results or review individual learner data with Spoke® Reports. Robust reporting helps you identify coaching opportunities for learners who have skill gaps and empower teams that need additional training resources. Filter reports by team, region, job code, and organizational hierarchy.

Spoke LMS reporting features

Dial in on course completions, user activity, and course activities. Practical, performance evaluations have never been so easy. Measure ROI with visual, interactive reports and go beyond the basics to discover metrics like social participation and learner engagement.

To grow your business you have to know your business. Access real-time, interactive dashboards, stunning user transcripts, and optional, business intelligence reports. Spoke is completely customizable to fit your business’ branding too, so you get all the credit for employee training satisfaction (don’t worry, we won’t Unbox your secret).

 

The Kirkpatrick Model

Dig a bit deeper into tracking employee training with the Kirkpatrick Model, which identifies four levels of learning evaluation:

kirkpatrick model four levels learning

At Unboxed Training & Technology, we use the Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate the effectiveness of employee training. Tracking employee training can be an elusive topic, but the four levels of learning can be used as guidelines to evaluate employees with some help from Spoke® LMS.

Reaction: Spoke® Surveys

The first level, “Reaction,” is meant to measure the learner’s experience with the training after they have completed a course. Practically speaking, this would look like administering a survey at the end of a training to gauge the employee’s experience. Some example questions could be:

  • How did you like the training? 
  • What did you like about it?
  • Did you enjoy the learning experience?
  • How do you feel post-training?
  • Were you satisfied with the virtual instructor?

Learning: Spoke® Assessments

The second level, “Learning,” tests the employee’s new knowledge to determine the retention of what was learned. A pre-assessment and post-assessment should be administered to properly gauge the level of comprehension.

  • Pre-assessment: ask questions related to the training topic.
  • Post-assessment: ask topical or scenario-based questions directly after the training to test knowledge retention.
    • What new topics did they learn?
    • How well did they acquire this new knowledge?
    • Are they confident in their abilities to execute the job’s task.
  • Compare results.

Behavior: Practical Application

The third level, “Behavior,” is where the post-training application is played out. Interviews and scenario-based assessments are helpful tools when analyzing the effectiveness of training 3-6 months later. Tests and quizzes are not as effective at this level because behavior changes don’t play out on paper. Changes in behavior occur at different times for everyone and typically require a personal follow up at a later date. 

Results: Key Performance Indicators

Positive results are the goal of any employee training initiative. The success of training is seen over time by measuring company sales goals, team efficiency, individual task completion, customer satisfaction, product quality, faster turnaround times, etc. Identify specific, key performance indicators (KPI) to track, measure, and evaluate. Use those KPI’s to determine how successful the training proved to be over a particular time frame. Review the results at an appointed time or during the employee’s end-of-year evaluation.

 

Tell Me More About Spoke® LMS

Every business is unique, but so is every employee. Training should be custom fit to meet the needs of your business and the learning needs of employees. Do you have an employee training tracker to measure results? Is your training doing the job? Are you ready to start making employee training trackable and more impactful? Request a demo of Spoke® or attend an upcoming Spoke® webinar. Our Spokes-people are on standby to show you how Spoke® can help you train better teams today.

Sources: Kurt, S. “Kirkpatrick Model: Four Levels of Learning Evaluation,” in Educational Technology, October 24, 2016. Retrieved from https://educationaltechnology.net/kirkpatrick-model-four-levels-learning-evaluation/

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Training Video Production, Humanized

by | Sep 15, 2019 | Downloads, Employee Training

Conquer Training Video Production

Learn what to expect during pre-production, production, and post-production when you partner with Unboxed by downloading our free guide.

Download Free Guide

As a kid I wanted to be Alfred Hitchcock. As a graduate student I won a screenwriting award. Today, as the Director of Content Strategy at Unboxed, I’ve had the honor of being part of a team that’s produced hundreds of microlearning videos for our clients.

You’ll often hear me say, “Use as much video as possible!” However, over the years I’ve observed how corporate training video production intimidates most people in the market for it. They have justifiable concerns about production costs, timelines, actors, branding, and quality.

In an effort to make the production process a little more human-friendly, we created the Training Video Production, Humanized guide. The guide covers enough video terminology to make you dangerous, plus what you can expect during pre-production, production, and post-production.

 

Video Works

Before you read any further, you need to know why training videos work—and why it’s such a worthwhile investment of your time and money. Here are a few helpful stats:

  • At least 65% of people learn by seeing.
  • As we discuss in the article Employee Training Videos—What Style is Right for You: Cisco projects 82% of all Internet traffic will be video by 2021; An estimated 75% of the workforce will be Millennials by 2025—and Millennials are some of the heaviest consumers of video as a medium.
  • Entering the workforce on the heels of Millennials is Gen Z, and 70% of Gen Zers watch more than two hours of YouTube each day.
  • Video-based training programs can deliver impressive results—like 70% completion rates for training considered optional. (I mean, who takes optional training?! People who like videos, that’s who.)

 

Training Video Production: Things to Know Up Front

So, let’s go ahead and assume we’re creating microlearning training videos, not feature-length films. This has positive implications when it comes to your training video production costs. For training to be considered microlearning, it should be 5 minutes or fewer (we usually target 2-3 minutes) and focus on a single topic. Your microlearning video could be live action, animation, or a combination of both.

To feel comfortable throughout the training video production process, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with a little bit of terminology. Let’s start with the people you’ll meet.

 

People You’ll Meet

In most cases, the higher the fidelity and complexity of the video, the more team members are involved. Higher-fidelity training videos often involve sophisticated lighting setups, professional actors, additional sound and camera equipment, and extra crew. In our frequent participation in the 48 Hour Film Project, we’ve seen how the absence of the right equipment—particularly lighting and sound—can significantly reduce the impact of your content. Sometimes an iPhone just won’t cut it.

The Training Video Production, Humanized guide outlines the roles involved in a typical Unboxed training video shoot. Some of our corporate training video productions require more hands on deck, while some require less.

Here’s a sample of the people you’ll meet. Download the guide to meet the whole team.

 

Training Video Production Humanized - People you'll meet on set

 

What to Expect During Pre-Production

We can break training video production down into three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. In a nutshell, pre-production includes all of the up-front scripting, storyboarding, casting, and planning. Your Content Strategist and Producer will handle most of the heavy lifting during this phase, and they’ll be asking for your feedback and approval along the way.

 

Pre-Production FAQs

Will we get to see what the actors look like to make sure they reflect the diversity and tone of our organization? Yes! We’ll work closely with you to understand the right demographics and find talented actors that represent your company well.

What if I can’t afford professional actors? In our experience, professional actors deliver the best result and keep your content evergreen. However, if you’d prefer to use your own employees, we can share some best practices with you to set them up for success.

Will we get to recommend locations? Absolutely! In addition to that, we’ll also let you know if we can achieve the right look near our Richmond headquarters. If our crew doesn’t travel far, we can save you money.

Who should plan to be there on shoot day? We’d love to invite at least one subject-matter-expert (SME) on set with us. This person can be a great resource on shoot day and help ensure scenes are true-to-life.

 

What to Expect During Production

If you’ve never been on set during a training video production, you’re in for a treat. It’s exciting to see all of the scripting, casting, and planning come together. It’s also busy—the Unboxed team is efficient and works hard to capture a lot of footage in a day. Wear comfortable shoes!

You’ll enjoy watching our Directors in action as they coach talent and keep things moving from one scene to the next. They’ll check in with you often and make sure you’re satisfied with what’s being captured.

 

Production FAQs

What should I wear to the shoot? We recommend wearing something casual or business casual. You want to make sure you’re comfortable. Pay special attention to footwear! Flats typically work best.

What is my role on set? We love having clients on set because you can make sure each scene is a realistic portrayal of your organization. You’ll have the opportunity to consult with our directors to make sure they’re giving the talent the right direction according to your brand and subject matter expertise. Keep us honest and confirm we’re doing a great job.

 

Other Terms You’ll Hear

MOS. Lower thirds. Slate. Camera speed.

There are plenty of other video production terms where these came from. While you’re on set, the Unboxed team will be more than happy to go over any questions you have about what something means or why we’re capturing footage a certain way.

 

What to Expect During Post-Production

In the post-production phase, we create your final training video. Our Director of Photography sits in a dark room for three straight days, wearing headphones and moving pixels around. He only breaks for lunch.

Just kidding. Post-production can actually be very collaborative, as our Content Strategist, DP, and Producer work together to agree on the best shots, make smart editing decisions, and keep the project on budget. By the time you see the first cut, it’s already been through at least one round of internal review.

 

Post-Production FAQs

What’s my role during post-production review? We’ll send you the first cut of the video and ask for your feedback or approval. At this stage in the production process, we can still edit music, transitions, and text on screen, and if necessary, we can also look into alternate takes and shots.

How many rounds of review do I get? Your training video production budget includes one first cut review. Once we get your feedback on the first cut, our editor makes any changes you requested and delivers your final, polished video.

I have late feedback from an important stakeholder. What should I do? Talk to us! It happens, and our goal is to deliver training you’re happy with. Help us understand the request, and let us come back with a recommendation in case it impacts scope and timeline.

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

When it comes to corporate training video production, gone are the days of talking heads. With so many training video styles available, video is one of the best ways to engage your learners. Sure, production planning takes work, but it’s exciting and fun, and in the end you’ll have training you’re proud to show off. With the right team in place, shooting video doesn’t need to be intimidating—or a hassle.

And now that you know what to expect during the corporate training video production process, find the right partner who can help you decide which type of video treatment is right for you, estimate costs, and deliver better results. We’d love to tell you more about our custom training solutions.

Conquer Training Video Production

Learn what to expect during pre-production, production, and post-production when you partner with Unboxed by downloading our free guide.

Download Free Guide

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Humanizing the Virtual Classroom: Using Tools to Drive Real-Time Connection

by | Aug 1, 2019 | 5 min read, Employee Training, Most Recent

Every day more companies make the switch to virtual classrooms to save time and money on things like airfare, lodging, and meals. While the shift to virtual eliminates these expenses, some worry it comes at the cost of face-to-face, real-time human connection, but it doesn’t have to.

You can have a similar level of interaction in a virtual classroom using software like Adobe Connect or WebEx Training Center, but you have to use them wisely for your training to be effective. According to ATD, 80 percent of online presenters use fewer than 25% of the interactive features available in these type of platforms. This somewhat disconcerting statistic is how virtual classrooms got the reputation of being less human. Because let’s face it, learners don’t like to be talked at, they like to be engaged.

 

Tools to Use in a Virtual Classroom

Here are the tools you can use to create a sense of human connection and boost engagement in your virtual classroom.

Foster Personal Connections with Webcams

To help boost that face-to-face connection, have the facilitator use their webcam to introduce themselves at the beginning of the session. To boost credibility, start out with who they are, an explanation of their role, and how long they’ve been with the company. Then, dive into something more fun. Have them share a joke, their greatest success, or an anecdote about the training topic.

Using the webcam functionality builds trust, drives connection, and humanizes the facilitator.

Then, take it to the next level by asking any guest presenters, or even learners, to use their webcams too. If it’s a smaller training session, you could use the webcams for the duration. If it’s a larger group, use it strategically when someone needs to share something with everyone in attendance.

 

Encourage Groupwork in Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms allow you to divide participants into smaller groups and give them their own private virtual space to collaborate on an assigned activity. The word private here is key. Think about an in-person session where there are multiple groups in a classroom. Each group can hear the chatter from the others and may be inclined to copy their answers rather than come up with their own.

The independent thinking that virtual group work requires boosts participation, engagement, and retention.

In a virtual classroom, the option to copy other groups disappears, pushing your learners to come up with their own unique answers. Once the activity’s time is up, just pull everyone back in the main room and have each group share what they discussed. You’ll be surprised by what each group is able to come up with.

 

Garner Participation with Polls

Polls are a great way to build human connection. Just send out a question, set a timer, and wait for the responses to start pouring in. As you close a poll, it’ll generate group-wide results you can share with your learners. From there, invite the group to discuss their reaction to the results. This open conversation helps learners forge connections with each other, but also form a sense of belonging in the larger group.

You can ask all sorts of questions with this functionality. One of our favorites is using the polls to gauge comfort level with some of the training topics. Use the poll to check comprehension of a topic you just taught or start the session by sending out a poll to gauge how much learners know about a topic upfront. That way you know what content to review and what you can skim over if everyone’s already got it down.

 

Gauge Emotion with Emojis

We use emojis on our phones every day to show people how we feel. Maybe we’re sending the cry-laughing face in response to a joke or a heart to someone we love. The same principle applies here, but it has powerful learning implications.

At the beginning of a session, give a few emojis a designated purpose. For example, in WebEx you can use the green check and the red “X” for a variety of purposes. It could be how they respond when you pose a True/False question (check for “true”, “x” for “false”), based on comprehension (check means they understand, “x” means they don’t), and so much more. Emojis provide powerful, yet fun, visual cues for how people are feeling.

 

Facilitate Conversation Through Chat

Use the chat functionality to send a message to individuals, all participants, or just the session leader. Again, this comes in handy when someone has a question or needs help, but learners can also use it to submit responses.

Say you want your sales leaders in attendance to share the greatest opportunity for their respective sales teams – why not ask them to send in their responses via chat? If a response comes in and you want to hear more about it, just call on that learner, unmute their line, and ask them to tell you more. By engaging with the responses you see, you’re bridging the gap and forming a human connection by acknowledging someone’s point of view.

When you’re building out instruction for a virtual classroom, keep all of these tools in mind and do your best to use as many of these interactions as possible. Whether it’s chat, webcams, polls, or emojis, these little touch points go a long way to making your virtual classroom feel more authentic, and most importantly, more human.

 

Need help?

If you need a hand with the writing or strategy piece of your virtual training, reach out to us. We geek out over this sort of stuff and would love to partner with you.

 

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