In today’s rapidly evolving corporate landscape, virtual training sessions have become an essential tool for organizations to equip their employees with the necessary skills and knowledge. 😊 However, there’s a common misconception among participants that virtual training sessions are mere lectures to be passively endured. 🎧 This is in part, due to the fact that many non-learning professionals will develop a PowerPoint deck with a forty-five-minute script that they will read while they go through the slides and call it training. Just how wrong that is will have to be a topic for another day. 😄 What I am concerned with today is how to drum up participation for well-crafted virtual training that is filled with discussions, activities, breakout rooms, and purposeful points of engagement. 🌟 Even with all that preparation and thoughtful development, engagement can fall flat if we don’t properly set expectations. 😞

By establishing the expectation of interactivity from the outset, you lay the foundation for an enriching and productive learning experience. Participants need to know that their active participation is not only encouraged but that it’s crucial to their learning and the overall success of the training session. 🤝

Active learning promotes retention. Studies have shown that active participation and engagement during training improve information retention and application. 📚 Encouraging participants to interact enhances their ability to comprehend and apply the concepts taught, resulting in more desirable learning outcomes. 🧠

Collaboration drives innovation. Interactive virtual training sessions foster collaboration among participants. By encouraging open discussions, group activities, and sharing of ideas, you create an environment that promotes innovation, problem-solving, and peer-to-peer learning. 🌐💡

Active engagement in a training session enhances motivation and accountability. When actively engaged, participants feel a sense of ownership over their learning journey. This is something that adults need to learn productively. Setting the expectation for interactivity inspires participants to take responsibility for their development and stay motivated throughout the training session. 💪🎯

1. Pre-training communication: Send a well-crafted email or message to participants before the session, outlining the interactive nature of the training. Emphasize some of the benefits of active engagement and encourage them to come prepared to participate actively. 📩✉️
2. Clearly define participation guidelines: During the introduction of the virtual training session, clearly explain the guidelines for active participation. Set high-level expectations for the types of engagement they will encounter during the session. If you have break-out rooms or Miro board activities, for example, give them the heads up while going through the agenda. 📝📋
3. Set the tone with icebreakers: Begin the session with icebreaker activities or warm-up exercises that encourage participants to introduce themselves, share their expectations, or discuss relevant experiences. This helps create a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere right from the start, setting the stage for ongoing interaction. ❄️🌟
4. Utilize interactive tools: Incorporate interactive tools such as live polls, breakout rooms, chat features, and virtual whiteboards to encourage participation. These tools allow participants to actively contribute, collaborate, and share their thoughts, fostering a dynamic learning environment. 📊🖥️
5. Encourage peer learning: Promote the idea that participants can learn from one another. Encourage group discussions, case studies, and activities facilitating knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer learning. This approach reinforces engagement and builds a sense of camaraderie among participants. 🤝📚
6. Foster continuous conversation: Throughout the virtual training session, regularly solicit conversation from participants. This can be in the form of verbal check-ins. By actively seeking their input, you show participants that their opinions matter and their engagement is valued. Questions like “What questions do you have about that?” or “What are your initial reactions to what we just covered?” can often spark a full-blown exchange of ideas. When asking these questions, don’t forget about the power of the pause. ⏰🗣️

Setting clear expectations for interactivity before and during virtual training sessions is crucial in the virtual classroom. When done correctly, you encourage participation, create an engaging learning environment, and increase the impact of your training programs. When communicating these expectations, I try to communicate them and all the other training details seven times in seven different ways. That might be an informational email, followed up by a post in Slack, adding the same information in the calendar invite for the training, posting it in the LMS, and sharing it verbally at the start of the training. There are five methods right there! Interactive training sessions can transform passive participants into active contributors, and communicating expectations early and often will help you get there. 🚀💡