Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013 - (Page 29)

• Flying Solo: Some trainers think they can fly that virtual plane solo. Of course, many have both the presentation skills and the technical skills to play either the role of presenter or the role of host/producer. But trying to fill both roles simultaneously virtually guarantees that when problems arise, your learners will be stuck listening to you troubleshoot with that one technology-challenged learner instead of getting on with the course. Stan experienced all of these mistakes in his first webinar. MOJO MAKERS Here’s how to avoid these problems and transfer your mojo to the virtual classroom: • It’s Visual: Recognize that web conferencing is a visual medium. Instead of displaying six slides and talking endlessly over each information-packed slide, find compelling visual images that evoke emotional responses in your learners. Break apart busy slides and reveal one key point on each slide as you convey your message. It’s the best way to keep learners’ attention. • Tell a Story: Stories are the communication vehicle for delivering your most critical messages. Do you want them to remember your key points? Then introduce each concept with a relevant, memorable story. Or better yet, give your learners the opportunity to share a few stories of their own, either by speaking aloud or typing in chat. • I Really Like You: Webinar participants love attention and appreciate hearing their names spoken aloud. So get to know them through chat comments and emoticons. Invite people to unmute their phone lines and elaborate on chat messages. Get people to agree or disagree with stimulating statements (green check or red “X”). Praise their contributions and start to notice the individuals attending your session. Your job is to make the web workshop a personal experience for every learner. • Engage Continuously: A great rule of thumb is to engage your learners every three minutes with a poll, a request for input, or an opportunity to contribute in chat. Use all of the interaction tools in your web conferencing platform to keep your learners actively participating. Just make sure that the continuous engagement is essential to the purpose of the web workshop. • Hit Them with a Problem: Learners love juicy problems that require them to think, make suggestions, offer ideas, and resolve issues. Tee up a case question with the critical background information. Then let your learners do the heavy lifting as they weigh in on the solution. Your job is to reinforce and validate their brilliant responses. • Facilitate Learning: Perhaps the best mojo maker is to change your mental model from “sage on the stage” to TAKEAWAYS MOJO CRUSHERS Avoid these errors in your next webinar: • Talking Head Syndrome: Deliver a one-way lecture. • No Side Talking: Turn off the chat feature. • Freeze Frame: Display a still photo of yourself. • Hold Your Questions: Only conducting Q&A at the end. • It’s Scripted: Read your notes out loud. • On Screen Teleprompter: Put full sentences on slides. • Flying Solo: Deliver without a host/producer. MOJO MAKERS Activate your mojo with these best practices: • It’s Visual: Use graphics to convey information. • Tell a Story: Make key points memorable. • I Really Like You: Get to know and appreciate your learners. • Engage Continuously: Interact every three minutes. • Hit Them With a Problem: Pose challenging case studies. • Facilitate Learning: Spark participation with great questions. “guide on the side.” Transfer the questioning techniques of great facilitators to the virtual classroom. See your role as posing the kind of thoughtful questions that allow your learners to think, share and shine. The more you facilitate collaboration and discovery learning, the more effective you will be in this virtual learning environment. Capitalize on the interaction tools to engage your learners. Facilitate learning instead of lapsing into a lecture. As you change your mental model about webinars, you’ll discover that you really can bring your mojo to the virtual classroom. Cynthia Clay is CEO of NetSpeed Learning Solutions and author of “Great Webinars: How to Create Interactive Learning that is Captivating, Informative and Fun.” Email Cynthia. Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2013 / A Training Industry, Inc. magazine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ 29 http://www.netspeedlearning.com/ http://www.netspeedlearning.com/ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013

From Where I Sit: The Sustainability of MOOCs
Table of Contents
Ad Index
Guest Editor: Top Five Learning Technologies to Watch
We Need to Support Learning, Not Manage It
Supercharge Your Next Leadership Initiative
Boomers & the Technology Gap
Technologies to Manage Information Overload
It's Time to Invest in the 'Performance Zone'
Inroducing Simulation into Learning Technologies: Examining the Key Considerations
The Evolution of the LMS
Bringing Your Mojo to the Virtual Classroom
Merging Social Learning and Technology to Achieve Business Outcomes
Optimizing Workforce Learning and Performance
Badges: Bridging the Higher Education and Workforce Gap
Integrating Video into Training
Tools for Supporting Sales Coaching
Tweet Suite
Company News

Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013