An online event in this case is a training course, multi-day retreat or extended learning program. I am not referring to self-paced, evergreen programs. I’m talking about events that you host online and you are engaged in two-way communication with your audience in real-time.
In 1993 I began my career as a trainer. I trained 40 hours a week. One week in the classroom doing training, and the next week coaching skill development on-the-job. For the next 15 years I continued to hone my skills as a classroom trainer. The audience grew. The venues grew. And the content shifted.
Over time I learned how to create experiences that allowed my audience to internalize the content and effect lasting change.
Then technology began to make virtual learning possible. There was a lot of discussion and controversy in the early years of “e-learning” as to whether it could be effective or not. I was definitely in the “not” camp. I had witnessed the tremendous value that comes from live interaction and the community that forms during live events. I was not willing to lose that.
But technology was evolving and my audience was now spreading across the world. It was time to embrace the possibilities and figure out how to make virtual training work.
Flash forward to today. We have so many amazing ways to connect virtually, we can practically do anything that we can do in the classroom. And if we know how to leverage these tools, we can create experiences that equal the impact of a live learning event.
And yet, in order to create lasting impact, we must still apply the same rules of engagement. These myths are as much about you as a facilitator and host as the processes and design you use to deliver your content.
Myths:
Your audience will not tolerate more than 60 minutes on a virtual event.
This is probably the most common myth I hear from event hosts. When audiences are engaged and gaining valuable knowledge, they will stay. They will stay all day. And come back the next day. I’ve attended 3 and 4 day programs that left me feeling energized.
What your guests will not tolerate is a boring, uninspired and non-engaging program. Regardless of length.
Apply good instructional design techniques to keep your participants active and involved in the learning process.
As the Facilitator, you should be doing most of the talking
When I led a group of trainers and facilitators I would always joke with them and say, “If you’re sitting in the back of the room drinking coffee and the room is a buzz with talking and energy, you’re doing a great job.”
The job of a great educator is to help students discover the answers they need. Discovery happens when they talk to others, share ideas, test theories and teach each other.
We have the ability to make this interaction happen in the virtual classroom. It requires us to be willing to recognize that we are not the only experts in the room.
You can do it on your own
Last week I hosted an event with over 200 participants. It was not a learning event, but it was very interactive. I do professional event production, so I figured I should have this down. Right? I learned a valuable lesson that day. I will never again host a virtual event with more than 50 people without having additional support.
The same holds true for designing a learning event. If teaching or instructional design is not your business, get help making sure you’re creating a program that your participants will be willing to not only sit through, but gain the knowledge, skills and abilities you set out to teach them.
I used to hold a very strong bias toward in-person events. I think it’s inevitable given the years I spent there. But I will tell your with certainty that hosted virtual events can be every bit as effect at creating lasting change for your audience.
Designing a successful learning experience is about creating a space for your audience to become what you know they are capable of. That happens when you provide the means for them to engage and discover. And you’re there to support them.
You deserve to feel confident in knowing that the knowledge and skills you deliver have lasting impact on your participants. I want to help you make that happen.
Many instructional designers want to work with you in a very formal academic way. The whole experience feels corporate and unnatural. Because you’re a creative entrepreneur. You think differently. You have unique ideas that don’t fit in those boxes and you don’t have the patience to work through conventional processes. You want to design your program in a way that feels natural for you and honors the relationship that you’ve built with your audience. You want to design a program you feel natural facilitating.
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