Is it time to step out of our comfort zone?
We saw a post from the formidable Dave Lewis a few weeks ago that has stuck with us. He recounted a scenario where a participant had been unable to attend a skills training session at short notice, and was disappointed (outraged was the word he actually used!) that the session wasn’t recorded. Dave’s opinion was that this response might suggest that training has become something that we passively consume – something that we watch at a time of our choosing, likely when also making tea or multi-tasking our responsibilities.
As a skills training provider this is a genuine concern for us, and can often cause a dilemma for our clients.
Dave’s description of ‘real’ skills training:
“Real training is live.
It is messy, interactive, slightly uncomfortable.
It deals with your challenges, your objections, your market, your examples.
It flexes to the people in the room rather than to the slide deck.”
95% of the skills training that we deliver takes place in a physical environment, with participants in the same room, interacting with both the trainer and each other. The feedback is always the same: “it was great to get away from my desk and engage with the session”; “I learnt a lot from the other participants”; “I found the small group exercises particularly insightful”. When people are in the same space, our trainers can look participants directly in the eye (and vice versa!) which gains trust and breaks down barriers more quickly than a virtual ice-breaker exercise ever will. We really enjoy the honest and frank discussions that come up both in the training room as during the breaks. For us, this method of training is dynamic, energising and highly collaborative, and this creates performance-driven discussions and the opportunity to apply learnings immediately in the ‘real world’.
However, there remains a crucial place for virtual training sessions (and the COVID epidemic offered learning providers and consumers a great opportunity to get to know and become comfortable with the virtual development platform). The virtual platform is invaluable:
- When teams are based across different locations and time zones
- When sessions are short and trainer-led
- To reduce costs and increase offerings
- To ensure maximum accessibility
- To reduce carbon footprint
But, alongside these clear benefits, come some hefty challenges. Distractions are rife – even with the best will in the world there are many factors vying to distract us from absorbing and owning the development. Discussion, collaboration and practice all become more limited. Engagement, as well as trust, is reduced in the two-dimensional environment.
For this reason, virtual skills development must not simply be an easy alternative, it is a craft in itself. And the attention paid to creating a lasting in-person skills session becomes even more crucial when offering development in the virtual space. Sessions must be tight, highly-structured, and short. Trainer engagement and credibility is vital. Audience participation must feel obvious and necessary. Tech should work seamlessly, and support rather than hinder progress. Forward actions must be captured and reinforced. Essentially, the criteria for a successful virtual learning session are no different from those in a physical format, but the margins for participant progress are much slimmer, and include many more variables.
As for recording the session, well this must be earned! As a baseline requirement, make sure to:
- Set objectives prior to observing the session
- Check in with learning support and managers to talk through development and forward actions post-session
- Revisit objectives and actions regularly to check for progress
Our challenge to all progressive organisations: get your people to step out of the virtual comfort zone. Show up to an in-person skills training session engaged and ready to learn. We’re willing to bet that it will be transformational!
If you’d like to try an ICC development session (virtual or in-person!), check out the options here.
