Introduction
Virtual training is no longer at its peak, as it was in 2020-2021, but it remains highly prevalent. 📈 Over 25% of all corporate training is taking place virtually. In other words, the days of being a corporate trainer who cannot deliver effective training virtually are long gone.
For organizations that use Office 365, Microsoft Teams serves as a readily accessible and well-equipped platform. 💻 It may not have all the virtual classroom tools that Class.com, LearnCube, or Adobe Connect offer. However, Microsoft Teams offers a suite of tools that can drive significant engagement in virtual training sessions.
In this post, we’ll unpack the top five features that Microsoft Teams offers for virtual training.
Microsoft Teams Training PowerPoint Live
The cornerstone of many virtual trainings is sharing a PowerPoint presentation. 📊 Unlike many other virtual meeting platforms, with Teams, you don’t need to share the open PowerPoint from your desktop. As long as you store your PowerPoint on SharePoint or OneDrive, you can instantly share it using the ‘PowerPoint Live’ feature. Doing this allows you to access presenter view and facilitator notes, streamlining the process and sparing you from the hassle and clutter of desktop applications. ✨
The participant experience is largely unchanged when you do this. However, the presenter’s experience is a different story. 🧑🏫 When using the ‘PowerPoint Live’ feature, it makes it much easier to access a variety of use facilitator tools. Things like the laser pointer, a pen, a highlighter, and an eraser. You can even translate the deck into nineteen different languages. 🗣️
Microsoft Teams Training Whiteboards
Another great shareable feature is the Microsoft Whiteboard. 💡 This tool can be a very engaging way to facilitate an activity or an ice breaker. With several pre-made templates to choose from, you can get a whiteboard set up quickly and easily. If you can’t find what you want in templates, you can also create your own. You can even save what you made as a template to use again and again. 🔄
Participants can interact with the whiteboard simultaneously. ✍️ They can add their own comments, emojis, scribbles, and a variety of other things. Overall, it is a great way to engage participants. For more about the virtual whiteboard, check this out.
Microsoft Teams Training Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams are perfect for group activities that mimic in-person small group interactions. 🧑🤝🧑 And, it’s one of the easiest and most intuitive features that Microsoft Teams offers.
Opening breakout rooms is simple. ✅ All you have to do is choose the number of rooms you want and click “create them”. There are a few options for automatic or manual room assignments. Along with an option to allow participants to choose which room they want to go to. 🚪
Once the rooms are open and participants are in, you have a couple of new options. 🔔 You can send an announcement that will display on all participants’ screens. You can then close the rooms to finish the experience, bringing everyone back to the main room. Overall, very simple and intuitive. ✨
Microsoft Teams Training Reactions
Microsoft Teams also offers two different ways for participants to provide spontaneous feedback through reactions. 💬 Encouraging reactions in your sessions provides participants with an outlet for engaging with the speaker and the content without disturbing the flow of the training. For this reason, it’s a great best practice. ⭐
Simple thumbs up, heart, clapping hands, laughing, and surprised emojis are available for everyone at all times. 🙌 Clicking them will display the emoji for a few seconds on the participant’s video block in the meeting, allowing everyone to see it.
The other type of reactions that you can do on a Mac with Teams are background effects. Refer to the image below for instructions on enabling or disabling them. These reactions add animations to your background. Animations like fireworks, thumbs up or down, confetti, and balloons. 🎈 They can be a fun and engaging way to interact with the group. They can also be distracting, so use them sparingly. 🤫
Microsoft Teams Training Chat and Apps
The fifth feature that all presenters should have a deep knowledge of is the meeting chat. 📱 In the chat, there are several tools for interaction. Beyond traditional text and emojis, it also supports GIFs and customizable stickers. 🖼️ GIFs are an excellent way for participants to express themselves without slowing down the training. Just like emojis, they offer a quick reaction to what is happening in the training. 🚀 The difference is that the reaction is in the chat, not in the video blocks.
Stickers are more work than GIFs and emojis to share. 🎨 First, you must find the sticker you want and fill out the captions. Those captions are then layered on top of the image and posted in the chat. While they may not be ideal for quick reactions, they are great for activities and icebreakers. So get creative with them.
Conclusion
Engaging participants in a virtual training environment can be challenging. 🧠 Still, with Microsoft Teams’ diverse capabilities—ranging from whiteboards and breakout rooms to interactive chat features—you can create a compelling and interactive learning experience.
Remember to vary your engagement approach. 🔄 Avoid using the same methods repeatedly, one after another. Instead, try to use a different engagement method every eight to fifteen minutes. Doing this will drive enough active involvement to maintain your participant’s attention. 👀 However, it won’t be so frequent that it impedes the flow of the content. Additionally, it will give you ample opportunity to vary the engagement method. 💡
Until next time.
When you’re ready, here are some ways I can help:
Corporate Trainer Workshops
Need to upskill your team on a specific live or virtual training topic? I’ll work with you to identify the needs of your team and facilitate a hands-on, workshop. Where you need it. When you need it. How you need it.
Consultation and Coaching
Need advice on a training project, your development process, or leading a training team? How about landing your next facilitator job? I’ll consult with you and help you be successful.
Custom Instructor-Led Training Development
Transforming your learning objectives into engaging and effective instructor-led trainings. Virtual or live, from development to train-the-trainers, we have your training needs covered.
