Elevate Virtual Trainings through Creativity and Connection
Elevate Virtual Trainings through Creativity and Connection
What you’ll learn
Skills you’ll gain
Are you flustered or frustrated by the challenges of facilitating virtually? You don’t have the benefit of a “captive audience,” isolated from external distractions. You can’t use body language to read the room. Virtual trainings don’t have to be inferior or lack connection! In this course, facilitator and virtual experience designer Melissa Dinwiddie shares her knowledge on how to make an experience memorable and engaging, and shows you simple and effective techniques for taking your virtual trainings to the next level. Melissa starts by sharing how (and why) to connect before your content officially starts. She then walks you through a range of options for connecting throughout your training session; how to scale learner connections using breakout rooms; and how to elevate your sessions by getting physical. After this course, you’ll be ready to make your virtual trainings more engaging and memorable than you ever thought possible.
Syllabus
Download syllabus-
1
Start with connection Too often we develop trainings without considering the role connection plays in the ability to absorb the content. 2m
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2
Set the tone If you aren’t mindful about engaging with your learners as soon as they log on, chances are they're already disengaging before your session even starts. 2m
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3
Question activities One of the best ways to engage people is simply by asking a question. 2m
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4
Trivia activities Everyone loves trivia! 2m
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5
Word clouds and polls People love responding to polls, and they have the advantage of being interactive, which sets a tone for your interactive session. 3m
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6
Annotation activities Zoom's annotation tools offer a great way to get participants to interact with the screen. 2m
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1
Leverage micro-engagements So you've used "unofficial starts" to connect before your session, but it's important to connect during the session too. 3m
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2
Connect with physical cues If your participants are sharing their webcams, this can provide a great opportunity to connect throughout the training. 2m
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3
Engage with visuals If your participants aren't sharing their cameras or if you're teaching a webinar, there are still ways that you can have your participants engage throughout the training. 3m
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4
Integrate polls and scales Polls and scales can be a great way to assess how your learners are feeling throughout the training. 2m
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Get physical With virtual trainings, it’s easy for everyone to get stuck at their desks. 2m
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2
Use your space Help get your learners away from their screens! 3m
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3
Integrate movement activities Sometimes you need a brain break. 4m
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1
Incorporate breakout rooms Many facilitators are reluctant to use breakout rooms, but breakout rooms can be a great tool to scale connection during your virtual trainings. 2m
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Overcome participant objections Not everyone likes being sent into breakout rooms. 3m
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3
Evaluate your approach As you design your sessions, there are two different meta approaches to consider for the activities you use. 3m
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4
Prepare your participants When you open up breakout rooms, it can be disconcerting for participants, who feel like they're being sent into the void. 2m
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5
Break out room activities It's a superpower to master the art of using breakout rooms to enhance creativity and connection in virtual trainings. 3m
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6
Debrief after activities One of the most important elements of any training is the debriefing after an activity, especially if you've just sent people off into breakout rooms. 2m
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1
Elevate your trainings Thank you for watching this course! 1m
Certificate
Certificate of Completion
Awarded upon successful completion of the course.
Instructor
Melissa Dinwiddie
Melissa leverages her background as a professional artist, Juilliard-trained dancer, jazz singer-songwriter, and improviser, to help senior leaders become more bold, resilient, and innovative, and build cultures of thriving innovation. She's had the privilege of catalyzing transformation at organizations like Google, Meta, and Uber, and is known for designing memorable experiences that clients rave about because they strengthen connection, communication, and creativity while having fun. Melissa holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley, a M.Soc.Sci from the University of Birmingham, England, and is author of The Creative Sandbox Way™, which Chris Guillebeau called "an adventure packaged as a book."
Melissa Dinwiddie
Innovation Strategist and Keynote Speaker
Accreditations
Link to awards
How GoSkills helped Chris
I got the promotion largely because of the skills I could develop, thanks to the GoSkills courses I took. I set aside at least 30 minutes daily to invest in myself and my professional growth. Seeing how much this has helped me become a more efficient employee is a big motivation.
