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10 tips to deliver an engaging online training

 

Online training content creators are not the only profession that would constantly search for ways of creating engaging content. Almost all profession demands a content that adds value, authors, journalists, lecturers, and writers just to mention a few must create relevant and interactive content for distant learners or traditional face-to-face training.

However, in the effort of engaging online learners, companies or institution will need more than great content. Sure, you must apply some teaching styles or techniques to couple with the course materials for interactive presentation. Without effective presentation, even your most thoughtful content would fail to engage your learners.

Besides, delivering online training would be overwhelming, especially when you aren’t sure of what to do for an engaging and interactive presentation. But you need not worry. For you, we have curated and explained some of the best techniques to use for a productive and engaging online training process.

First, let’s find out more about online training.

What is online training? 

It is a web-based teaching program on the computer network that completely depends on the internet. It’s also known as computer-based training, which is anywhere, anytime program

Businesses and organizations or learning institutions may use online training to improve workers or participants’ productivity, among other reasons. But, it would be best if the training strategy is effective and cost-effective

Some training may be texts only, while others involve various multimedia elements such as audio, videos, graphics, and web links, among other elements.

Here are some of the advantages that come with online training

Easy mobility and accessibility

With the internet available, your learners can access the training at whichever location of their choice. And since it allows anywhere any time access, it means they would follow the training even if they happened to have missed a lesson.

And how’s that?

Online-based learning would come with provisions that allow downloading of items. That means your learners can download notes and assignments and replay the training videos whenever they want.

Efficiency

Online training offers trainers an efficient way of delivering their content to the learners. For instance, there are various multimedia to use, videos, audios, graphics, PDFs, all at the disposal of the instructors. This also ensures students are well resourced beyond traditional textbooks.

In addition to the above points, online training allows for live interactions. Learners also have the chance for real-time questions and answers, among other advantages of online training.

Here are a few anticipated challenges you are bound to face during online training.

Challenges of online training

Technological reliance

One major challenge of conducting online training is technical issues. Connection, bandwidth, software, and hardware problems can interfere with the delivery process. For instance, when there is a breakdown in your connection or hardware, it means you would have to cancel or reschedule your lesson.

Besides the limitation of technology, online training requires instructors who are experienced with online training methodologies. It lacks face-to-face interactions, among others.

Now, let’s get into the actual show!

With your knowledge of what online training is, benefits, and challenges to expect, it would be best if you’re well conversant with tips for conducting engaging online training.

Lucky for you, everything is here!

10 tips to deliver an engaging online training

Designing online training content and delivery might be challenging. But if done well, it will open an opportunity for productive and engaging activity.

Here is what you need to do;

Understand you audience

Understanding your audience is central to any practical training. Thus you must find out ahead of time why your participants are attending the activity in the first place.

Among other things to consider are:

Demographic composition and subject matter expertise

You can never make people happy and engaged if you don’t know what makes them.

Therefore, please find out how many people you'll be training and what topics plus their level of knowledge.

Attitude, language, and culture

You must find out what drives the performance of your audience before you start trying to engage them. Also, please find out how motivated the audiences are so that you underestimate them.

In addition, find out if your participants have collaborative or competitive cultures. Remember, the main aim of knowing your audience is to help build an engaging online training with the proper requirements and content.

Practice and Prepare Well

Adequate preparation is key to the success of everything you do; engaging online training is included. To provide a positive experience and maximize your time well, you have to be fully prepared so that you don't take much of your time in the future reworking your content.

Here are what you can do to enhance your preparation;

·         Take time and build your content

·         Structure your training content and visualize its length

·         Identify the training goal and shape your course around the goal

·         When you intend to use videos, ensure your practice the script

Ensure a brief learning module

Not everyone would have an abundance of time at their disposal, plus different people have an extra level of attention span. Therefore, if you want your learners to pay attention and be engaged for the entire session. You must ensure you keep the content clear, concise, and easily digestible.

Also, people are easily distracted, especially when they have to sit for long hours on a particular lesson. That means, if your course requires greater time allocation, you’ll have to break the content into several short classes to boost your learners' engagement.

Additionally, you can encourage frequent breaks. For any learning process to work best, engaging online training included; you must ensure you allow breaks in between the lessons. The gaps allow the learners to synthesize and retain information learned.

Incorporate various multimedia elements

You must consider which types of learning essentials are in line with your goals. Besides, your content structure may not work for every individual you teach.

Thus, take advantage of different learning styles and acknowledge that diverse learners absorb information differently. Ensure you incorporate pictures, videos, animations, and texts, whichever brings your points home.

Pictures and videos would make your content delivery more exciting and engaging.

And how’s that?

Videos and images ensure more processing and memory recall. Sure, the auditory and visual nature of the videos will allow your learners to process information naturally.

Besides, when you make the videos and images accessible, your learners can watch them several times to improve their mastery of the course work. Keep in mind that most of the information that sticks into your mind is visual.

Deploy engaging scenarios

Suppose you are to get your participant's full attention and engagement. In that case, I suggest you tie your content to real-world applications.

Let me explain.

Most people would pay attention when they realize how the treating content relates to or solve their problems. Therefore, depending on the topics, you must ensure you provide scenarios that mimic real-world applications. That leaves your learners thinking of questions and seeing the value of what they are learning.

Also, it would help if you incorporated scenarios that create connections. Everybody needs to feel connected to something or someone. So, even if your learners may not connect with whatever life application they want in the real world, they should relate with them professionally.

Create a learning community

The best way of learning something is to teach it.

By definition, therefore, a learning community is a group of individuals with common academic objectives. They work collaboratively to achieve their assigned goals.

To ensure engaging online training, you must, therefore, encourage collaboration and give your students the chance to teach.

How best can you do that?

Bring social learning into online practice by grouping your learners and assigning them specific tasks which they must do as a group. Through team projects, students get a platform to engage themselves and share concepts while answering your assignment.

Besides learning from each other, the group creates a sense of accountability, and most importantly, they won't feel isolated. They can see each other on the screen, depending on the software you use.

Make your presentation more dynamic

By all means, ensure you can bring your presentations to life.

Here are the answers to your anticipated question of how.

Depending on the software you are using, ensure you can add motion like zooming in and out or using a spatial relationship to present information.

Also, suppose you have slides; you can level up your presentation by creating a voice-over to help guide your students through the content.

Find a way to trigger your learners’ curiosity

One’s engagement level would increase when they’re curious about something. Therefore you need to provide your students with some content or assignment that captures their attention. When they get curious about what they see, their interest would increases and thus their engagement.

You can capture your student’s attention by having well-chosen visual aids, contrasts, and making comparisons, among other things that learners pay attention to.

Give your students’ opportunity to assess what they have learned

You can be good trainers, but when you pile more contents on your learners without giving them the chance to digest what you have taught, I bet you'll fail in your training goal.

Therefore, ensure you give your students ample time to digest the content. You can also provide them with summaries and periodic assessments or overviews.

Lastly,

Reiterate

To have effective, engaging online training, you must always ensure you find out what the participants think of the session. Therefore, checks reports and asks for the learners’ feedback, and continuously revises the suggestions for improvements. And finally, thank them for their time and participation. Make them feel appreciated.

Conclusion

It takes a lot to create engaging online training. You must first know your audiences, plan and prepare the content, incorporate different learning elements, and prepare a dynamic presentation. Also, you have, ensure a brief learning session with engaging scenarios and finally, appreciate your learners for their participation.