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5 Best Practices for Live Learning and Training

While self-paced, DIY learning paths are appropriate for some subjects, there is no substitute for live learning conducted by a skilled professional. There's simply no alternative for the dynamics and interactions that may occur when everyone interacts with the same content at the same time, whether they're sitting next to one another in a conference room or virtually from all over the world. The more engaging setting of live learning and training is ideal for management and soft skills training, especially for those requiring interpersonal communication abilities. Exercises that allow participants to practice with others benefit learners greatly.

Live learning and training take place in real time, allowing learners to interact with both the instructor and one another. This interactive dimension is far more fascinating than others. It offers real-time feedback, practice and role-playing activities, and opportunities for human engagement. When live learning and training are transferred from the actual classroom to the virtual realm, new opportunities emerge. Remote learners from anywhere can now participate in interactive activities without incurring the price and disruption of travel.  What does it take to provide engaging live learning and training? This post will explain how to engage learners, how to give and receive feedback, and best practices for optimizing your virtual classroom. We will also discuss what needs to happen outside of the classroom. Learning and development leaders must calculate the return on investment (ROI) for live learning and training programs, troubleshoot and solve difficulties, and evaluate providers.

5 Best Practices for Providing Live Learning and Training

1. Setting up an effective live learning and training environment

The primary function of your training environment is to facilitate and promote learning. However, that ecosystem goes beyond the physical and technological bounds. It also includes the behaviors and attitudes of both the learners and the instructor. The following are a few factors to consider when designing the learning environment.

Prepare your place.
Test that technology works smoothly and as expected before the start of class for virtual learners, including providing instructions on how to test their setup at least a day before the live class begins. Virtual instructors require a calm environment with adequate lighting, a headset/earbuds, or a room with excellent acoustics. Virtual learners are frequently asked to keep their cameras turned on in order to accurately replicate an in-person learning environment. Virtual teachers should be familiar with operating the virtual classroom or have a tech expert on hand to resolve inquiries and concerns without disrupting the flow of the lesson.

Create live learning and training norms.

One of the unique aspects of live learning and training is that the learners become a community throughout their time together, even if only temporarily. Agreement on basic principles enables varied groups to come together; therefore, setting the rules of the road is an important step. Norms may include expectations for keeping devices turned off, break duration, how to contribute (raising a hand in person and utilizing the raised hand symbol online), and completion of homework outside of class. The instructor will define some rules, such as break time, while the students can jointly decide how structured or unstructured the break-out conversations are.

Set goals and clarify expectations for benefits and outcomes.

Recreating the training objectives and abilities that the learner should have by the end of the program is a wonderful place to start. It allows teachers to discover more about why participants are taking live learning and training, as well as their previous knowledge base. For example, encouraging participants to reflect on their personal "why" is beneficial—the why for a manager with a difficult direct report is clear. Even a simple "why," such as "I am meeting my manager's expectations" or "I can contribute my personal experiences to the class," might help each student focus on their own intrinsic motivation.

2. Involving Learners in Live Learning and Training

It's no secret that human attention spans are decreasing at an alarming rate. This makes it vital to maintain learners' attention regardless of the venue. You can engage learners regardless of medium by combining community development, quick pacing, and some fundamental tips. To engage students during live learning and training, teachers can:

Every 7 to 10 minutes, rotate among different activities.
This is not to say that all teachings or topics must be delivered in 7 to 10 minutes; rather, the activity shifts. For example, after five minutes of a PowerPoint lecture, transition to an exercise. It may be anything like "spend five minutes using this coding technique and come up with one question," as well as "break into small groups and apply this technique to a given case study." Changing gears keeps individuals interested by giving many access points for various learners.

Incorporate some introspective and individualized activities.
This could be having students write for five minutes or giving three bullet points about how they hope their job will be influenced by this training. Something that requires the student to think explicitly about what they will gain from the training and makes the classroom materials more memorable. The trainee who writes down five things they will do the next time they feel overwhelmed and posts it near their workstation is more likely to follow those tactics and give the "Managing Workplace Stress" course a higher rating than the coworker who went but did not make it personal.

Make social bonds.

It can be difficult to create a true community in a training course. However, there are always possibilities to build social bonds. Discussions in which one trainee brings up a problem and the class works together to apply a certain method or framework to the problem while being directed by the teacher have a greater impact than reading a prepackaged case study. Real-world settings and relevant people are typically more interesting and memorable to learners who do not enjoy the classroom learning experience. Don't forget that live training provides an opportunity to network. Try to set aside some time for this. Even internal training can help you connect with others in related departments, which can give further immeasurable benefits.

3. Giving and receiving effective feedback

Most of us do better with feedback. Learners require feedback to ensure that they have understood and integrated the knowledge. Instructors need to know if their curriculum is reaching the students. Live learning and training offer unparalleled opportunities for organic, integrated feedback.

Use all of your feedback options.
Emojis, such as a thumbs up for accurate answers or great questions, may be used in a virtual class, as well as spoken feedback, such as "Great question!" or "Insightful answer!" The idea is to generate the energy for an effective back-and-forth discussion. It also provides motivation and psychological safety for participants to ask clarifying questions and contribute to the discussion. On the receiving end of the equation, instructors can solicit feedback vocally, with a show of hands, via chat, emojis, or virtual classroom voting buttons. Examples include:

On a scale of 1 to 5, how sure are you that you could successfully apply what we've just learned in your job?
Should we go over more examples of how to use them, or should we go on to troubleshooting?
How's your pace going? Is it too fast, slow, or just right?

Use regular questioning and ungraded evaluations.
Many students believe that they comprehend the content. However, when asked to apply the new skills, they realize they do not understand them as well as they anticipated. Giving learners the option of privately self-assessing their progress, as well as frequent Q&A, allows them to check for gaps in their comprehension.

Extend your input outside the classroom.
When learners return to their jobs, the rubber hits the road. Asking learners to evaluate the impact of training immediately at the end, one week, month, or quarter later, should give you an idea of how "sticky" the training was. Hone, for example, uses a post-class survey to solicit rapid feedback from students. Then, 30 days after completing a program, participants receive a more in-depth examination to gather feedback and measure the effectiveness of their training.

Learner feedback may also alter over time if they discover that they require additional role-playing or practice, or that the strategy did not address a prevalent complication. Where applicable, give students continued access to professors for questions and troubleshooting in order to solidify further connections made in class.

4. Measuring ROI of Live Learning and Training Programs

Every line item in the learning and development budget is under pressure. Most courses include a feedback survey to verify that the training is effective.

5. Addressing Common Live Learning and Training Engagement Challenges

The most effective teachers have a diverse set of engagement abilities to draw from. Furthermore, they have often seen how resolving engagement challenges has a major impact on outcomes.

Technology-related obstacles
Whether the "smart room" does not detect the projector or students are unsure how to use the chat capabilities, technological issues can disrupt the flow of the class and make it difficult to recapture everyone's attention. Pre-test everything. Arrive early to ensure everything is operational. Log in early to assist anyone who is experiencing difficulty. Depending on the instructor's technological knowledge and the size of the class, consider having a tech specialist on hand to assist. While you get that smart room online, keep a breakout session or other learning activity on hand for in-person seminars.

Distractions from digital sources
Phones, smart watches, tablets, and computers are all devices that might distract students from their studies. Participants may place their phones in a basket or agree with their classmates to mute and refrain from using their devices. Some online programs require learners to have their cameras turned on.

Off-topic temptations:
No content exists in a vacuum, and there are countless opportunities to veer off topic. Instructors must employ a few tactics to guarantee that they complete all tasks before the session finishes. First, assign someone to keep track of all off-topic queries, ideas, and inspiration in a parking lot. They are not lost, but can be overlooked until the primary topic is covered. Validating your over-contributors' valuable lived experiences and emphasizing the need to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard can also help things flow more smoothly.

Lack of psychological safety
Part of what encourages engagement is a sense of safety, knowing that their contributions will not be unfairly condemned, that their ideas will be recognized, and that they can express themselves freely without fear of political or personal repercussions. The training leader's primary responsibility is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable, heard, and included.

Checklist: Best Practices for Providing Effective Live Learning and Training Programs

Create a checklist or roadmap for L&D professionals to use while developing and delivering live learning and training programs.
Set up and prepare a physical area, with an emphasis on minimizing distractions.

Get familiar with virtual classroom technology or in-person technology.
Send an email before class to ensure that everyone is aware of what to anticipate and can test their system and handle any issues before the session begins.

Pay attention to your lighting, background, and acoustics when conducting virtual live learning to ensure that nothing distracts from the material or makes it difficult for participants to see or hear.
Log in or arrive early to greet students and resolve any login issues.

Consider assigning a technical assistant to help the instructor focus on teaching.
Establish conventions early on so that everyone understands what is expected in terms of device use, break duration, contributions, assignments, and so on.

Incorporate contemplative moments to let students connect with their personal "why" for attending the class and tap into intrinsic motivation.
Pace lessons to vary the action every 7 to 10 minutes.

Include various modalities, such as PowerPoint presentations, small breakout groups, example activities, and role-playing, to ensure that there is a place for every type of learner.
Make time to establish social relationships and facilitate networking.

Use frequently asked questions and ungraded self-assessments.
Ask clarifying questions to ensure knowledge and that the speed is appropriate.
Extend feedback beyond the classroom and collect input weeks and months later to better evaluate its influence over time.

Set clear expectations and deal with digital distractions right away.
Manage off-topic temptations to keep everything on track and cover all the necessary content.

To engage students, work to create a psychologically secure environment.

Obstacles to Learning Online

There is a wealth of favorable information concerning online education, including some obvious benefits. However, the majority of students continue to choose traditional classes; why is this? There are still numerous significant disadvantages to online education as compared to conventional classroom education.

1. A lack of accreditation.
   Few online classes are accredited by established universities, which is vital for individuals seeking a new career or to enhance their resume / CV. However, this is rapidly changing, with prominent sites now issuing their own certificates of completion (FutureLearn and Coursera), and employers beginning to regard students who have finished online courses as a plus, even without certification.

2. You must be self-disciplined
   Online courses typically involve deadlines for homework, quizzes, lecture comments, and so on. The issue is that you lack the time management and organizational skills required to keep on top of your work, allocate an adequate amount of time to accomplish each activity, and balance your coursework against other responsibilities in your life. Students who procrastinate find online courses difficult to navigate and complete.

3. Lower retention and completion rates
   Because online courses and training programs are inexpensive, there is no motivation to complete them, and huge course sites have observed that very few students complete them. Aside from the cost, just a few of these online courses are accredited, which reduces the incentive for completion. Some students may just need to learn about specific topics in the course and so never intend to complete the entire thing, but this is not the case for the vast majority of students.

4. Need solid time management abilities.
   To complete online courses, you must have the self-discipline to set up time for study. It means you must make online learning a priority and not allow other activities to interfere.

5. Misses the social aspect of traditional classes.
   The social aspect of regular sessions is crucial for learning and developing soft skills. Getting stuck on a problem and asking classmates, group work, and other group-based activities all help learners learn more efficiently and give a collaborative environment akin to that of a firm workspace. It's difficult to replicate this social aspect with online learning.

Conclusion

Live learning and training have several advantages over asynchronous and self-paced choices. Greater possibilities to ask questions, practice, and role-play while receiving fast feedback as part of a learning community are only the beginning.

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