Employees have spoken, and loudly: The virtual and hybrid workplaces are here to stay. Or they will quit. And that has a big impact on leadership development, and how we create a successful virtual classroom experience.
For example, in a recent LinkedIn poll of 200 HR professionals, nearly half of you said that you intended to invest most in live virtual learning experiences in 2022. Meanwhile, a quarter of you said that you were going to stick with in-person classrooms, and another 24 percent said you're going more in the direction of self-directed learning.
Above all, however, is the clear need for leadership development to go on. There's too much riding on leaders as they navigate skyrocketing turnover, supply chain shortages, massive business strategy shifts, and so much more. And for those who find themselves leading virtual teams for the long haul, they may need new skills they haven’t had to rely on before.
This good news is that DDI research and client experience has shown that virtual classroom training can be just as effective at changing behavior as in-person classroom training. But those “just as good” results aren’t automatic just because you uploaded slides into your chosen technology platform. Not all virtual classroom solutions are created equal. What’s more, creating a successful virtual classroom experience depends upon multiple factors.
To be by your side, we would like to share what we’ve learned during more than a decade of helping our clients deliver a successful virtual classroom experience. This includes the pitfalls we have encountered and the best ways to avoid them.
What to watch out for
To use virtual classroom training to develop the skills your leaders most need now, watch out for the following:
1. Suitability
Virtual classroom is a wonderful way to deliver training. But it’s not always the right solution. For example, if the purpose of the training is to provide a large amount of complex information, providing this information in written form might be a better way to go.
It all comes down to what you are trying to accomplish. Therefore, before you move forward with a virtual classroom, you should ask yourself these questions:
- Do we have a good reason for using virtual classroom?
- Is interactivity involved, or could it be covered by an email or short document?
- What are the outcomes we are looking to achieve?
If, and only if, you can clearly answer these questions, will you be able to take the first step toward ensuring a successful virtual classroom experience.
2. Interactivity
The best thing about the virtual classroom is how it allows participants—regardless of their physical locations—to interact with one another. Given advances in technology, most virtual meeting platforms now have voice and video conferencing capabilities, as well as real-time chat. DDI’s virtual classroom solution also includes on-screen annotation tools, polling questions, and virtual breakout rooms that accommodate small group discussion, brainstorming, and skill practice.
While this functionality is robust, you probably want to do a reality check to determine if this level of interactivity is a necessity for your learning design. If you don’t need so much digital interactivity, then pause and ask yourself if you might be better off just preparing a webinar.
3. Variety
While a virtual classroom delivery can be immersive (see the point above), don’t assume it’s sufficient as a standalone modality. Remember, a virtual classroom is a substitute for a physical classroom; but it doesn’t take the place of all the elements that define good training design. Pre-work, self-assessments, course journals, job aids, follow-up activities, and other materials can increase the course’s impact. What the right mix will be for any course goes back to the course’s purpose and objectives.
4. Minimal technical glitches
While the content and delivery design will go a long way toward determining a successful virtual classroom experience, the technology matters a great deal, too. That means the capability of the virtual classroom platform you are using. But it also means the ability to properly use the technology and to avoid preventable technical mishaps.
The best way to avoid this? Based on our experience, we suggest having a producer for every course who can drive the platform and support learners with any technical concerns. Doing this frees up the facilitator to focus on the transfer of learning.
5. A skilled facilitator
As mentioned above, a course delivered via virtual classroom can be just as effective as one in a physical classroom. But while the learning can be the same for participants, a virtual classroom course represents a different experience for facilitators. That’s because it presents a different set of challenges. The technology is part of it, but just as important is the absence of real-time feedback. The body language and facial cues that help a facilitator track the level of participant engagement and understanding are either harder to detect or, if video isn’t being used, absent entirely.
Every good facilitator understands the importance of practice. But when delivering a class via virtual classroom, practice is even more important to ensure an impactful delivery and make the most of the various features of the virtual classroom platform. That’s why we recommend that facilitators practice beforehand and ask for regular feedback (How is my pace? What can I clarify? Can you all see the slides?).
Results are grounded in planning
I hope these five areas of focus for creating a successful virtual classroom experience have not intimidated you. It is entirely possible to be effective in executing virtual classroom sessions, but the more planning you put in place, the better behavior change returns you will receive.
DDI has delivered thousands of virtual classroom sessions to many global organizations and we regularly get encouraging feedback:
- “While e-learning is common in [our organization], I can tell you that the virtual classroom approach that we applied was viewed as especially exciting and interesting,” she said. “It was really a great evolution of the traditional e-learning.” –HR Leader, Global Organization
- “I have been leading virtually for the last 11 years, so thought I had little to learn in this front. However, DDI’s program made me aware of some issues that I was not paying close enough attention to. As one example, I learned that it is not enough to simply trust your virtually-led colleagues; I have to make the effort to demonstrate and show them that I trust them.” –First-level manager, Software Company
These are uncertain times, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bring excitement and positive evolution. Enable your organization to drive their long-term strategies by having ready-now leaders with the most critical skills. That is what is needed. And, I invite you to remove any barriers to how this is executed by exploring the virtual classroom option.
I wish you lots of luck and if you need help creating a successful virtual classroom experience, get in touch.
Learn how major companies have successfully made the switch to virtual classroom in our webinar. You can also download our Ultimate Guide to Virtual Leadership for more tips - both for HR and your leaders.
Verity Creedy is a Director in DDI’s Product Management team. Usually living in London, Verity is currently based in our U.S. Headquarters. When she’s not identifying future frontline leader product needs, Verity can be found sweating in spin classes, eating various types of sweet pastries, and telling people about her adoration for Taylor Swift. If you have any frontline leader product ideas, pastry favorites, or Swifty news, send them to verity.creedy@ddiworld.com
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