Running virtual instructor-led training (VILT) and struggling with engagement? You’re not alone.
Let’s face it: virtual training is just different.
You’re not in the same room. Participants are multi-tasking. No one wants to come off mute. Every pause to give someone an opportunity to share feels like an eternity.
We recently hosted a Roundtable conversation to talk about what people are doing to make VILT more engaging. Here’s what our participants shared:
1. Set the Tone from the Start
If we want engagement, we need to seed the idea early on. Consider adding interactive elements earlier into your training, such as chat participants or an activity. You could also introduce ground rules, like having cameras on during a session to encourage active participation.
2. Incorporate Hands-On Activities
Depending on the topic of your VILT, you might use screen sharing or demo environments for live walkthroughs or problem-solving exercises.
If screen sharing doesn’t quite work, you might incorporate case studies or scenarios learners can work through. Learners could discuss in breakout groups or review answer keys to compare their thoughts to your solutions.
3. Break Up the Lecture
As much as we might hope we’re as fun to listen to as a standup comedian, there’s a solid chance our content is a bit less entertaining. Of course, there are ways to liven up the content! But you can also add moments for reflection, questions, or discussion, or leave an intentional pause to give learners time to process. A piece of advice that was given to me was to take a sip of water! It makes the pause seem shorter. 😀
4. Use Polls and Real-Time Engagement Tools
An easy way to engage learners during virtual training is to include polls, quizzes, or quick surveys to capture attention and feedback. Tools like Kahoot or interactive Q&A features in your hosting platform make for dynamic participation.
5. Gamify the Experience
You could also gamify your education experience to increase engagement. Add friendly competition by splitting learners into teams or using point-based systems. You could also reward engagement with points that can be redeemed for prizes or recognition. Pay attention to what you see marketing folks doing on webinars—they’re often experimenting with ways to keep people engaged as well!
6. Follow Up to Reinforce Learning
Don’t let the learning stop during the training! One participant has a thorough follow-up process to reinforce concepts introduced during training. They use email nudges or post-training resources (e.g., microlearning videos) to keep the material fresh and top of mind. They also schedule follow-ups 30–60 days after training to check on progress and action items. Honestly, this is a great practice even outside of VILT!
Thanks to Dan Braithwaite, Ed Fritz, and Julie Woods-Robinson for some of these ideas! We all get better when we learn from each other. 🤝
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