Strategies to boost employee engagement in virtual learning environments

Many classroom-based programs and training events were compelled to shift online quickly due to COVID -19 despite web and virtual training programs being around for years. This prompted the adoption of remote working worldwide.

However, remote working has significantly altered the training landscape as well. Having your audience relate to your content is more difficult now because the only method left is through virtual training environments. Moreover, employees now want training that goes beyond static PPTs and zoom meetings as they understand that they must develop new skills to help them succeed in the workplace of the future since a large portion of the globe is moving toward innovative and emerging business models that will be important even after COVID-19 ends. This calls on L&D professionals and instructors to devise employee engagement strategies that will assist them to acquire the knowledge and abilities they need to succeed.

So how can we increase engagement now when the training is conducted remotely in a virtual setting, and there is no chance for social interaction?

Businesses and L&D professionals must adhere to several crucial best practices in order to improve employee engagement in virtual training environments. They can achieve this by:

1.“Gamifying” their training

Everyone is aware of how addicting video games can be. Corporations can reap the benefits by gamifying their online learning experiences. Gamification could potentially hold the key to getting your employees to show the kind of enthusiasm they’ll need to show to thrive in the online training environment.

For instance, many businesses present badges to staff members who successfully finish training courses. Employees can add badges to their email signatures or social media pages. The people who log the most training hours in a given year may even receive special rewards from some organizations, like trophies or limited-edition goods.

The appropriate gamification strategy will enhance the learning process and engage learners, which will help them retain information better.

2. Creating bite-sized training chunks through “Microlearning”

“Smaller is better.” With online training, it can be challenging to maintain the learners’ interest, so you need to develop information that is simple to understand. Microlearning offers to break down information into tiny chunks of knowledge that workers can delve into and out of as their schedules allow. This kind of training materials might include audio, video, assessments, quizzes, games, and more.

For instance, before they meet a customer, sales teams in an organization can take a few minutes to review a quick learning nugget on sales strategies, sales pitches, new items, or dispute resolution. They are clearer and more confident when they meet the consumer. This leads to better engagement.

Microlearning can increase employee focus and allow them to use the knowledge they learn instantly, assuring real firsthand experience.

3. “Personalizing” and keeping the training “relevant”

Online training that is one-size-fits-all is doomed to failure. Your workers’ backgrounds, education, and skill sets are highly diverse as they enter the virtual classrooms. Any online training must consider these distinctions and create a curriculum that is unique to each of its participants.

Apart from creating a personalized learning path, the training content needs to be relevant too. Simply said, theories and notions that don’t directly apply to your workers’ day-to-day work life won’t get you results.

4. Using “Interactivity” as the key

Employee training offered online doesn’t have to be stagnant. We’ve come a long way from the days of consistent, asynchronous products that frequently seemed impersonal and uninteresting. Nobody likes to sit through an extended lecture; therefore, interactivity is essential for a virtual classroom.

Learners will remain interested and get better results if multimedia training sessions are prepared with meaningful interactive activities and training exercises. One should think about including exercises, online role-playing tasks and activities, and Q&A sessions where your employees could ask questions and speak their minds.

5. Establishing “communication”

Communication is essential to boosting and maintaining online training participation and engagement. To inspire your audience, communication should flow easily. Even while it might seem obvious in person, having two-way communication is crucial even when conducting an online meeting. How will employees’ have constructive conversations with instructors and each other if their mics and cameras are off?

Include interaction and engagement in the curriculum by inviting the participation of the learners. Discuss and communicate the particular advantages of your training, from its immediate use in routine activities to prospective future improvements in career prospects with your employees. Employees are more likely to participate actively if the aim and objectives are clearly explained to them.

Conclusion

Corporate virtual training is not a trend that will soon go out of style; it will continue to be useful even when it is safe to hold traditional classroom training sessions once again. Both instructors and employees widely acknowledge online learning’s efficiency in transferring crucial professional skills. Several strategies ensure employee engagement in the modern online learning and training environment.

While some people worry that online learning doesn’t involve them as much as in-person instruction, leaders in learning and development, HR experts, managers, and others may learn from their achievements, failures, and other people’s experiences and best practices as they may utilize a variety of techniques to keep their staff members engaged, interested, and involved while they learn. So, what tactics are you adopting to encourage employee engagement in your online training programs?

Read more: Blended learning and its models – Way to enhance the learning experience.