Happy Wednesday everyone! Let's begin our Tip of the Week discussion! The professional education industry experienced a rapid shift from in-person to virtual training models due to the pandemic. While businesses were shuttered and employees were working from home, virtual events became the dominant form of employee training. With virtual training normalized, hotels and venues, especially those that are having trouble maintaining staffing levels or have high turnover, can quickly and easily run training for your staff.
Increase attendance, engagement, participation, and retention with these virtual training hosting tips.
Open with energy
Kick-off virtual training with a charismatic and energetic host. Walk attendees through the training agenda, review virtual meeting etiquette, and spend a few minutes guiding users through the software. Point out helpful menus, icons, and resource buttons.
Promote participation
Encourage virtual training attendees to participate throughout the session using their cameras and microphone. Include a fun event icebreaker to raise energy levels, reduce tension, and enable attendees to test their video connection quickly.
Avoid copy-heavy content
Mix up content styles to keep things fresh. Include live video feed, pre-recorded video content, high-quality images, an interactive project board, and bold slides to capture attendee attention and keep it.
Embrace gamification
Host live challenges or contests and encourage trainees to participate. Promote engagement by offering prizes, perks, or reward points trainees can redeem for swag later.
Schedule short breakouts for high-quality group discussions
Incorporate five to ten-minute breakout sessions into your virtual training agenda. Organize trainees into small groups and send them into private chat rooms to discuss training topics, complete activities, or problem-solve as a team.
Enable trainee interaction
Include interactive elements like a live message board or virtual photo booth. During the event, check in with trainees regularly. Encourage them to ask questions, discuss challenges, and share "aha" moments in a message board or virtual chat room.
Deliver surprise gifts or swag
Schedule gifts, activity packages, or snack boxes for delivery before the event. If you're hosting an all-day or multi-day training, send a care package with coffee or a coffee mug, health snacks, cozy socks, and fidget toys.
Track engagement during the event
Keep attention and engagement levels high by incorporating live polling Live polling tools allow audience members to connect with the material and interact during the training.
Include a Q&A session
In every virtual training event, set aside time for a Q&A session. Encourage attendees to take notes and write down questions throughout the session. Ensure that hosts are available to attend and answer questions during this time.
Encourage post-event engagement
A trainer's job doesn't end when a virtual training session does. Confirm that you're available to answer attendee questions, discuss topics of interest, and provide additional assistance to anyone who requests it.
Questions for you:
- How often do you host virtual training sessions at your organization?
#CventTip
#ManagingVirtualEvents
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Megha Jetley
Manager
Cvent Marketing Department
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