25
jan
5 Tips for Keeping Virtual Learners Engaged | HRDQ-U

5 Tips for Keeping Virtual Learners Engaged

Posted by Experiential Learning, Learning, Virtual LearningNo Comments

By Keith Keating

Teachers affect eternity, no one can tell where their influence stops. Henry Adams

In early 2020, much of the world shifted from in-person to virtual overnight, some struggled more than others. A silent agreement seemed to exist that we were in the situation together and we needed to stabilize.  But as time passed, stability was no longer sufficient. In order to thrive in this new environment, we had to relearn much of what we knew and how we approached our work. Learning was not immune to the change and seemingly accelerated in its evolution. The classroom and desk, iconic images representing education, suddenly and without warning were replaced with headsets and laptops. The stable environments where we learned, and the time and space allotted to our growth and development dissipated but our need to learn continued. As learning became a byproduct of the new virtual world, the feedback and messaging became “virtual learning does not work”. The challenge, however, is not with virtual learning, it is with those of us who design, develop, and deliver the virtual learning – we are the ones who determine whether or not virtual learning is successful.  And it can be successful.

One of the biggest reasons that virtual environments are not successful is the lack of engagement. In the virtual environment we tend to drop the activities that we did in person, possibly due to the restriction of time or maybe the lack of online design experience. But here is the reality: engagement and interactivity is the most important aspect of virtual learning that must be included to create a successful virtual learning environment. We cannot be delivering asynchronously to our learners, especially now. When we are together in a live virtual environment, the content and the opportunity to learn needs to be synchronous. It needs to be engaging, interactive, and it needs to have energy. Our learners are filled with distractions, probably more now than ever before. There is a lot going on in their lives and we are fighting for that attention. But attention alone isn’t the only reason engagement is important in a virtual setting, the other reason is the social component. In the virtual learning environment, we need to leverage the opportunity to create social connections for our students. Our session might be their only time that day to connect with someone else. They may be alone most of the time, some may not have friends they can see or may not have family around. When we are connected in a virtual learning environment, for some of us, this is our only connection. Take advantage of that opportunity, establish and create opportunities to build those social connections.

Icebreakers and Energizers

The tone of your session and the success is set from the very beginning. Establishing a connection, building trust, and creating an engaging environment at the open of the session can set us up for success and prime the learners to be involved. It’s equally as important to keep that energy level consistent throughout your session. Icebreakers are a great tool to use at the beginning of your session and energizers are a great tool to use throughout your session, especially after breaks or lunch to pull the learners back in and get them excited and energized to move forward.  Icebreakers and energizers can be used interchangeably – the only real difference is we call “icebreakers” the activity at the beginning of the session to break the ice and get learners connected while energizers are the activities we use throughout the session to keep learners engaged, give their brains a rest from content, and keep the energy level high. Here are some of my favorite icebreaker activities:

5 Icebreaker & Energizer Ideas

The Object of Me

Give learners 1 or 2 minutes to quickly find an item, wherever they are, that best represents them. Pick someone by name to share their object and pick someone else to guess what that object says about them. Continue the activity until everyone has shared. This is a great activity to learn more about your colleagues or fellow learners. Here’s an example to show how everyone can participate regardless of where they’re located. Recently, someone asked me to participate, and I wasn’t at home, I was in a new environment but I had just finished having breakfast. I didn’t know what could possibly represent me. And then I looked down at my plate, and I had a little piece of avocado left. And I realized I can use that, it represents me. It’s healthy, and it’s organic, and it has a little bit of good fat.

Remember Me

Find an image online, maybe one that is intricate and filled with many details.  Show the image to the learners for 15 to 20 seconds. Ask everyone to look at the picture and try and memorize as much as they can. And then after that 20 seconds, take the photo away and allow everybody to share what they saw. It’s a simple fun activity because there’s always going to be something a little bit different that each person sees. It helps us learn a little bit more about the way our learners think.

Optical Illusion

Find a fun optical illusion picture and ask learners to describe what they see. But remember – there are no wrong answers in optical illusion photos. If that is what they are seeing, that is their reality.

Virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Another fun one I have been using, both with adults and children is Rock, Paper, Scissors. take a few minutes, get everybody on camera, and do a tournament of rock paper scissors. It’s a really fun, old-fashioned way to get people engaged. If you have a large group, you could utilize the breakout rooms to have tournaments. Take the winner from the breakout rooms and have a final tournament in the main room. Those who are “playing” in the tournament can keep their cameras on and those who are not can turn theirs off. This helps to easily identify who is playing.

Game Play

Games can be a great way to keep learners engaged and give them a mental break from content to reenergize. Here are some options:

  • Search online for Trivia games
  • Play 2 Truths and a Lie
  • Play charades on camera
  • Pick a popular song and find a version on YouTube that is played backwards and have learners guess

Best Practices

Ask yourself this question – when you are in a virtual setting, what is the time limit for you before you start to zone out? Maybe you pick up your phone, maybe you switch the screen…how many minutes has it taken you before that has happened? For me, it’s about five minutes. That’s my attention span when I’m not being engaged or my attention isn’t required. Whatever your answer is, that should be the baseline of how often we should be building in interactions. If we are getting bored at five minutes or seven minutes, most likely so are our participants. Practicing empathy in the virtual environment is critical for success.

3 – 5 minutes. This is the best practice for creating frequent interactions every 3 to 5 minutes. And it does not need to be a complicated activity, it can be a simple call for their attention back to the screen. For this to work though, level-set with your students at the very beginning of the session, let them know it’s going to be interactive. For example, I have a rules of the road slide that I use that covers my expectation for the conduct in the session. I clearly say this class requires your participation and you may be called upon. By letting them know that upfront this is happening, I’m setting the stage so that I can call on them, preferably by name, so that they are staying engaged. And that’s not in a rude or negative way. Using their name is another tip to make them feel recognized and validated,

Take into consideration the number of people in your session. The larger the group, the more challenging the activities become as more time will be required.  If a session is over 20 people, consider utilizing breakout rooms for longer energizers or icebreakers.  Groups over 20 are going to be designed for much differently than groups under 20 or even  5 people are going to be designed differently for 10 or 15 people. For example, open microphone discussions are going to be more challenging, the more people that you have. Even chat can be more challenging when you have over 20 people. So you want to be deliberate and intentional when designing and consider the size of your audience.

In addition to icebreakers and energizers, we can use nonverbal communications to create engagement opportunities in the virtual classroom. It could be as simple as asking a question and having students type the answer in chat or click on the agree or disagree / thumbs up or thumbs down button. Nonverbal communications tools are available regardless of the platform being used and are very powerful ways for our students to continue to engage with us. When we talk about engagements needing to be every 3 to 5 minutes, it does not have to be a full blown activity that requires you to stop teaching, it could be as simple as clicking the agree or disagree button. The idea is just to create some sort of engagement or interaction that draws them back into that virtual environment so that we can get their attention.

Remember to consider your learners in everything that we do. The most important thing that we need in this world right now is empathy, not just for our learners, but for every human being. Design and deliver with our learner in mind will help to keep them engaged and lead to successful virtual learning experiences.

This blog post comes from the webinar Optimizing Virtual Learning.

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21
jan
HRDQU Webinars | Optimistic Leadership in the Age of Uncertainty

Optimistic Leadership in the Age of Uncertainty

Posted by LeadershipNo Comments

By Devin C. Hughes

People thrive on positive reinforcement — nothing feels better than receiving a compliment for a job well done.

What about those little day-to-day tasks that keep things flowing smoothly, though? Those are often forgotten in the shuffle, but the reality is, these deserve acknowledgment just as much as the big accomplishments.

What does this have to do with anything? Well…

Tell them and mean it

Your job for the rest of 2021 is to get into the habit of showing appreciation (authentically) to your co-workers. This will require you to actively seek out things that they are doing well. If your assistant does a stellar job, tell them so! Did your boss nail that difficult negotiation? Let them know it was awesome!

Do you work remotely or have perhaps the toughest job of all — stay-at-home parent?

No problem! Show gratitude to the front desk person or the folks in the mailroom, or the helpful sales clerk that went the extra mile. These verbal reinforcements not only give them a little boost they may have needed, but you will actively be showing your gratitude for a job well done, whatever that may be.

Make it a habit

When you get in the habit of acknowledging these positive acts, you, yourself, will find that you feel better about your life and how full it is, rather than focusing on the things you don’t have. There’s something to be said for the power of positive thoughts and actions.

Try to show your gratitude toward your co-workers at least two or three times a week. After a week, you’ll find you’re doing it more and more without even thinking about it.

That’s the power of gratitude. It’s self-perpetuating. It’s an acquired taste but one that they will get used to.

On a side note, Be spontaneous and have a little fun

Everyone wants to have fun at work—even though everyone defines “fun” a little differently. Fun happens when people feel well-connected with a team where there’s mutual respect, open communication, acceptance of who people are, and everyone’s collaborating and working toward the same goal. When teams are working well together, it makes it easier to be spontaneous and have some fun – whether it’s a last-minute Football Friday party after a project launch, or a brief pause in the afternoon to tell stories and have a few laughs over topics that have nothing to do about work.

Sometimes we all need a break from the seriousness of business.

Some Ways to Show Employees How Much You Really Care and be an Optimistic Leader

Boss for the day

Let an employee be “Boss for the Day” and proclaim a jeans day, potluck or make a speech at a team meeting.

Lunch with the Boss

Take your employees out to lunch and let them choose the location. Do your best to keep work-related discussions to a minimum. Take this time to get to know more about what your employee’s interests and hobbies are beyond their work lives.

Impromptu time off

Spontaneous late arrival or early departure days are always a motivator. For example, send a quick email that says, “It’s a beautiful afternoon. Go enjoy it.”

Time off coupons

Give out coupons for 15 minutes of time off as a spot award. Employees can collect them to add up to leaving an hour early one day or coming in late one day.

Work-from-home day

Remember significant events in your employees’ personal lives, such as a child starting kindergarten, and give them a work-from-home day so they can participate without worrying about coming into the office on time.

Indoor food truck (when you are back in the office)

On a hot day, have the leadership team go around the office with a cart handing out ice cream (e.g., Klondike bars, ice cream sandwiches, etc.). On a cold day, have them push around a “Cocoa Cart,” serving hot chocolate to the team.

Cookies for a cause

For an employee who’s an active volunteer, have specially shaped cookies made and delivered with a thank you card. The shapes should reflect the cause the employee cares about. For instance, if the employee volunteers with military veterans, the cookies might be in the shapes of stars and flags.

Winter fun in the office

Put on a season of “Summer Fun” from Valentine’s Day to Labor Day where everyone is in for a drawing of a sleep-in day, long lunch, or early release. Each week winners are announced, and everyone usually “wins” something twice per summer.

This blog is from the webinar The Optimistic Leader | Managing Stress and Building Resilience During Uncertain Times.

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15
jan

Want to Beat the Competition? Aim for the Heart.

Posted by Creativity & InnovationNo Comments

By Lenn Millbower, The Mouse Man™

Walt Disney was not your typical CEO. He didn’t attend business school; didn’t have an MBA, and had no use for highfalutin management theories. He certainly didn’t know anything about the now-common practice of developing organizational vision and mission statements. If he had known, and given his disdain for bureaucracy, he would likely have refused to engage in the practice. Freed of management theory, Walt aimed, not for logic, but for emotion. For that, he needed something different … something we will, for clarity, call Purpose.

The difference between vision/mission and Purpose is emotion. Vision/mission statements are logical. They aim for the head. Purpose is emotional. It aims for the heart. Where vision/mission articulate goals and tactics for achieving those goals, Purpose defines the essence of an organization: Why it exists, who it exists for and how it makes the world a better place.

In my book, Care Like a Mouse (Theme Park Press), I explain that companies who aim for the head engender little enthusiasm. People buy their products if the price is right, the location is convenient, the need is immediate, or their habits are ingrained. There is little love there.

Companies that aim for the heart have passionate customers who follow them on social media, join their fan clubs, buy their products and rave about those products to others. Product, of course, matters. But it is Purpose, not product, that drives success. Highly successful companies know this. They lead with Purpose.

Apple is an excellent example of a purpose-focused company. Although it appears to be technology-driven, it has a distinctly human focus. Apple harnesses technology to serve human lifestyle needs in simple, seamless and integrated ways.

Southwest Airlines is another example. It wears its heart on its sleeve: literally. Their stock market symbol is LUV. Their logo is a heart. The entire organization is people-centered. Flight officers and attendants have fun, pitch in to help each other and deliver a relaxed atmosphere for passengers. Southwest Airline’s business may be transportation, but they connect people with each other, both internally through people-focused behaviors and externally by making plane travel as hassle-free and engaging as possible.

Hamilton Health Care System, a self-contained health care provider in Georgia, and one of my clients, knew intuitively why they served. As with most health care professionals, Hamilton’s people entered the health care field because they wanted to help others. But it wasn’t until Hamilton specified their Purpose that their HCAHPS scores (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) rose. The result of a clearly stated Purpose was an increase in patient satisfaction that led to enhanced local reputation and higher reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.

Lowes Foods, a 100-plus Carolina-based grocery chain I worked extensively with, offers another example. They are local and proud of it. Their billboards champion their ‘locally grown’ connection. Their stores are reminiscent of a small Carolina town farmer’s market. They showcase local products whenever possible. They host in-store cooking and nutrition classes. They support local events. They treat you like a neighbor. When you shop at Lowes, you are visiting friends who will help you plan the perfect meal.

And Walt Disney is, of course, the ultimate example. Walt was very clear on his Purposes: creating happiness. He even called Disneyland “the happiest place on earth.” Everything the Disney organization did was aligned with the goal of creating happiness.

When an organization is clear about its Purpose, as Disney is, and articulates that Purpose clearly to its people, individual, departmental and corporate actions become focused. And, if that Purpose is perceived as desirable, talented people want to work there, investors want to invest there, and customers want to purchase there.

At Disney, the need to deliver happiness was codified into a sentence. “We create happiness by delivering the finest in family entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.” For ease in comprehension, and to tighten focus for front line service personnel, and to make training more effective, the sentence was shortened into a three-word Purpose Statement: “We create happiness.”

“We create happiness” is inculcated into every aspect of a Disney cast member’s career. It is taught in orientation and on-the-job training, reinforced in performance reviews and in recognition and promotional opportunities, stated in meetings and happiness success stories are shared and celebrated at every Disney event and celebration.

Purpose is, in summary, simple, concise, emotional and profoundly human. It delivers that emotional hook that guides leaders, motivates employees and turns customers into life-long fans. It is also the magical ingredient that makes it so easy for Disney to outperform the competition. Your organization can beat the competition too. Harness Purpose and aim for the heart and you can beat the competition too.

This blog post comes from the webinar Mousify Your Culture for Mickey Inspired Success.

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8
jan

Convert Classroom Activities to Engaging Virtual Activities

Posted by Leadership, Virtual LearningNo Comments

by Cindy Huggett, CPTD

You may be wondering…. Can you really do anything in a virtual classroom? Can it be as effective as an in-person learning experience? Can you engage a remote audience? The answer to all of these questions is “yes”, and more!

You may be thinking, but what about experiential exercises? What about hands-on technical topics? Or about simulated role plays? The answer to all of these is “yes.”

The reason for the positive answers to these questions comes from three key decisions when setting up your virtual training. First, to get creative with your program design. Next, to choose the right online platform for your program’s needs. And third, to upskill your facilitators for virtual delivery. With the right tools and the right mindsets, you can do anything in a virtual classroom.

Let’s take a closer look at getting creative with the program design and tools, using two examples.

Example 1: Icebreakers

The start of any training program typically includes introductions. In a traditional in-person class, participants may take turns introducing themselves in small groups, or if it’s just a few attendees, to the large group. Often a “fun” icebreaker element is added in, to help participants get comfortable with each other and to set the stage for interaction.

When transferring this activity to the online classroom, it’s tempting to skip over the introductions and jump into the content. But don’t make this mistake… it’s even more important to create a social environment in a virtual classroom and to set the stage for interaction. It’s also easy to do using simple platform tools.

You can invite introductions in chat, and then use poll questions to find out what everyone has in common. Or you could place everyone into small breakout groups at the start of the event for a quick, 5-minute introductory conversation. Or, have a discussion question on screen and do a ‘round-robin’ to have each person answer it via status indicators or a quick verbal response. What all of these methods have in common is that everyone gets involved in a social experience, right at the start of the event.

Example 2: Case Studies and Role Plays

Case studies and role plays are common methods used in traditional training classes. They simulate real-world scenarios and help participants apply lessons learned back on the job. There are several methods to replicate these activities in a virtual classroom, ranging from simple to complex.

One easy way is to post a case study description on screen and ask participants to discuss it verbally or via chat. Alternatively, you could provide the case study details in an electronic handout and use breakout rooms for small group discussion. Collaborative whiteboards allow for group note taking and brainstorming, if the case study calls for that.

If you’re creative with the program design, and the case study has enough depth, you could invite the small groups to work collaboratively together, returning to the virtual classroom after an extended period of time. This technique is especially useful if the training curriculum is a series of virtual classes, and the same group works together throughout.

For role plays, a ‘fishbowl” style activity allows two attendees (such as the facilitator and a participant volunteer) to demonstrate a technique. To get everyone involved, you could offer a paired chat discussion by assigning each participant to a partner and allowing them to privately chat with each other for discussion. Or make use of the platform’s breakout room feature to place partners or trios into a private room for practice. Just be sure they have clear instructions and timeframes, along with directions on how to ask for help when needed.

For more information

Converting classroom activities to virtual ones involves creativity and consideration of how to maximize the platform tools. A combination of both elements will lead to your success in the virtual classroom.

This blog post comes from the webinar Convert Classroom Activities to Engaging Virtual Activities.

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