With the increasing use of virtual and hybrid learning environments, facilitators must have the skills and strategies to create engaging and dynamic learning experiences. Some tips include using interactive tools and platforms, creating opportunities for collaboration and discussion, and designing relevant content tailored to the audience’s needs. Additionally, facilitators must be able to communicate effectively and manage group dynamics, especially in hybrid learning environments where learners may be in different locations. Facilitators can use these tips and strategies to create a successful and dynamic virtual and hybrid learning environment.
Barb Potter, Owner and Chief Learning Officer of Virtual Training Pros, in conversation with Nolan Hout, Senior Vice President at Infopro Learning, shares tips on engaging virtual and hybrid learners through skilled facilitation. The podcast benefits anyone who leads team meetings, manages a team, or presents to a group. Barb emphasizes the importance of understanding your audience and designing the learning content for their needs. There may be many situations where the facilitators need to familiarize themselves with the audience; that is where a hybrid approach can be useful. She also highlights the importance of authenticity and comedy to engage learners.
Listen to the podcast to learn more:
Question:
What are some of the most significant lessons you have learned along the way?
Expert profile:
Barb Potter
Barb Potter is an award-winning Learning and Development Consultant with over 15 years of L&D experience. She specializes in designing virtual training programs, writing curriculum, and creating engaging learning experiences. Barb holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Finance and Marketing Management, with a minor in Technical Writing from Virginia Tech. She is also certified in PMP® Certification Training, Instructional Design, and Gamification. Barb enjoys exploring the ocean and posting ocean pics on Instagram in her free time.
Nolan Hout
Nolan Hout is the Senior Vice President at Infopro Learning. He has over a decade of experience in the L&D industry, helping global organizations unlock the potential of their workforce. Nolan is results-driven, investing most of his time in finding ways to identify and improve the performance of learning programs through the lens of return on investment. He is passionate about networking with people in the learning and training community. He is also an avid outdoorsman and fly fisherman, spending most of his free time on rivers across the Pacific Northwest.
An excerpt of the discussion follows:
Nolan:
Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to the Learning and Development podcast brought to you by Infopro Learning.
My name is Nolan Hout, and I will be your host for today’s episode.
I assure you that you are in for a treat as we discuss effectively engaging virtual and hybrid learners through skilled facilitation. Although we focus on facilitators, this podcast benefits anyone who leads team meetings, manages a team, or occasionally presents to a group.
Our special guest for today’s episode is Barb Potter, a resourceful and award-winning virtual training consultant with over 15 years of experience. Barb runs her consulting practice and is open to exploring new opportunities. She is known for her contagious energy and enthusiasm, and I’m excited to introduce her to you without further delay.
Hello, Barb, and a warm welcome to our podcast.
Barb:
Hi, Nolan; I am so happy to be here.
Nolan:
Well, thank you. We’re happy to have you.
Before delving into any particular topic or imparting useful information, one aspect we consistently prioritize discussing in this podcast is how professionals such as yourself have advanced their careers in learning and development. Interestingly, this is the most captivating segment of the podcast for many listeners.
What inspired you to pursue a career in learning and development? Could you share your journey and trajectory in the industry, including how you have advanced your career over the years?
Barb:
My career path has been quite interesting. Initially, I began my career in database administration, leading various teams in Informix, Sybase, and Oracle. Although it may sound tedious and highly technical, I felt unfulfilled coding in a cubicle and was drawn to the training space. I started conducting lunch-and-learning and assisting my colleagues with their training needs. After taking some time off for personal reasons, getting married and having a baby, I wanted to explore new opportunities and decided to avoid my previous work.
I committed to exploring a prospect for enhancing my professional skills, even though I was still determining how to define it. Eventually, I secured a position with a conference production firm looking to expand into online events and needed someone to organize their conferences. This was before the pandemic, before the widespread adoption of video conferencing platforms like Zoom. I successfully coordinated conferences for the company and established a web seminar department utilizing Webex.
I enlisted subject matter experts from the industry and managed that operation for several years. However, with the onset of COVID, I began to expand my reach by venturing into consulting. I recognized a demand for companies to learn about virtual training, production, and event planning and how to make the most of the virtual environment. I have been working in this capacity for approximately three years. In both instances, my shift in focus was precipitated by significant life events.
Nolan:
What motivated your transition to learning and development? Was it just a desire to leave your previous job or something more specific that attracted you to this field? What’s fulfilling about training others, and what drives you to assist people in enhancing their abilities?
Barb:
I believe you’re correct. Initially, I didn’t realize where my career was heading, and it wasn’t necessarily because I no longer wanted to be a DBA. My job involved much technical coding and working with machines rather than people. However, I eventually discovered that my true calling lies in developing others, and over time, I realized this by taking the Strengths Finder quiz from Gallup. According to the results, my primary strength is developing others, which feeds my soul. Nothing brings me greater joy than witnessing someone else learn something new or transition into a new career. As a result, I’ve helped countless individuals launch their careers through the various programs I’ve overseen, which will always be a source of pride for me. Watching others experience those “aha moments” and grow as individuals is why I’m so passionate about my work.
I am extremely fond of it and could happily continue doing it for the remainder of my life. Even in my retirement, I intend to remain involved with an organization or as a volunteer, particularly in a development program, as the rewards it brings me are immeasurable.
Nolan:
What inspired you to take the courageous step of establishing your own business in learning and development, knowing that it can be a difficult decision to make, especially since many professionals in this field usually rely on traditional learning methods at the start of their careers?
Barb:
Nolan, I was laid off during the pandemic and received a generous severance package. This allowed me time to evaluate my options, but COVID arrived. I was relieved to move on from my previous job and had already begun looking for other opportunities. However, I was hesitant to jump into consulting due to limited bandwidth. But after receiving the severance package and enduring the pandemic, I realized that this was the perfect time to pursue consulting since many people were struggling with it. It was like an epiphany.
It was given to me as a gift, but it’s insensitive to say that the pandemic was a gift to anyone. Nevertheless, we are trying to find a silver lining amidst the chaos. I don’t want to say it was a positive occurrence, but it did happen. I realized I had the skills to assist people at that moment, so I organized events for my friends and family. Since I had experience in event planning, my network began to reach out to me for assistance. I provided support and aid for people who needed help getting started or completing their projects.
Nolan:
If you’re learning about Barb for the first time, let me tell you that her desire to help others is deeply ingrained in her personality. Before the podcast started, she mentioned that she had created a bunch of free virtual backgrounds, which you can find on the virtualtrainingpros.com website under the “virtual backgrounds” tab. These cool backgrounds can be used for Teams, Zoom meetings and more.
Contact her if you want a custom background because she loves helping people. It’s amazing how Barb’s passion for helping others is connected to her expertise in learning and development. Barb’s passion for helping others do their best is evident, and one of her areas of expertise is how to engage people through facilitation, especially in virtual and hybrid settings. This is what we wanted to discuss today.
After benefiting from your consultations and meeting various individuals you have coached and guided in transitioning their training programs to hybrid and virtual, I would like to ask about the valuable insights you have gained.
What are some of the most significant lessons you have learned along the way?
Barb:
First and foremost, it’s crucial to acknowledge that virtual engagement requires intentional design. It would be best to do more than transfer your in-person meeting agenda and content to a virtual setting and expect it to be impactful. To effectively design your virtual sessions, especially in training, it’s important to begin with, energizers and connection-building activities. Incorporating frequent activities and setting expectations for engagement is also essential. In contrast to in-person meetings, where you can easily scan the room and provide support, it takes more work to do so virtually.
Therefore, engaging with participants is important to gauge their engagement level actively. One strategy is to list participants and check them off as they speak, ensuring everyone is included in different activities. Another useful strategy is establishing breakout rooms early in the session to encourage small group discussions where people feel more comfortable opening up. It’s helpful to start with a connecting activity that prompts thought-provoking questions and can be impactful, sometimes leading to emotional responses.
For example, you could ask a simple question like “What is your favorite hobby?” which can easily spark a connection between people in the room. Alternatively, you could ask a more complex question like “How has the pandemic affected you?” and everyone would have a story to share. During COVID, there have been numerous instances where I’ve been on video calls with people in the comfort of their own homes, and they’ve become emotionally invested in the conversation. Once they’re invested, you don’t need to prompt them to share because the problem becomes that they may overshare and reveal more than they intended to.
It’s a give-and-take dynamic where you always aim to establish clear rules and expectations before starting a task, similar to how athletes huddle before a game. This helps to create a group connection and support system. I motivate my team in my sessions by sharing humorous stories during preparation. By reaching the live event, we’ve already built-up engagement. When trainers complain about low engagement in their sessions, I ask them to consider whether their approach might need adjustment.
After playfully provoking them, we proceed to have a discussion. More than greeting everyone and expecting enthusiastic participation during a session is required. It’s important to pose thought-provoking questions and ensure everyone is comfortable and at ease. This requires some groundwork beforehand. By doing so, you can ensure that everyone is firing on all cylinders by the time the session begins.
Barb and Nolan’s exploration of effective facilitation techniques for engaging virtual and hybrid learners involved combining technology, interactive activities, and clear communication to create an interactive and engaging learner experience. Other questions asked during the podcast are:
- How can you create psychological safety in a group setting, particularly when individuals may feel uncomfortable with certain tasks or actions, but engagement is necessary for the job?
- What are some effective strategies for keeping people engaged during a meeting or session beyond the first five minutes?
- How can you structure an unstructured meeting or session to ensure everyone stays engaged and on track?
- What is the role of good content and design in learning and development programs? Can effective training programs have good content but need better design, and can subject matter experts create engaging content without design expertise?
- How long can someone effectively engage as a learner, and what factors can impact their engagement over time?