How long should a virtual classroom session be? Half an hour, all day? How many people, six? 15? It's a challenge to know what is right. Often people ask me how many people should be in a virtual classroom. I recommend as few people as possible and the Lightbulb Moment virtual classroom courses I run... Continue Reading →
Virtual classroom session structure
A lot of us know about how to plan, design and deliver a face to face training session. But what about a virtual classroom session? Here's a quick overview that might give you some ideas: Always teach the basic tools people need to interact, one at a time, as you need them. Usually this is... Continue Reading →
What is digital body language?
I'm interested in how people communicate and connect when they aren't face to face or even communicating in real time, perhaps through an asynchronous forum or community such as Slack or Yammer. Lori Niles-Hoffman, who is a Data Driven Learning Strategist, has experienced "the seismic shift from classroom to digital" in her career and... Continue Reading →
Facilitator Guide for live online classroom
**UPDATE** This document has been updated as of May 2020 to reflect my refreshed design. This is a free Lightbulb Moment resource - a blank facilitator guide, session plan, lesson plan (or whatever name you want to use!) that you may wish to use as a starting point for your live online sessions, virtual classrooms... Continue Reading →
L&D passion 2020 survey
A few podcasts and interviews I've done this year, along with my 2020 work during the Covid-19 pandemic, has allowed me some reflection on my vision, values and passion - as an individual, a professional and a business-person. In 2019 I asked people via social media what makes them passionate about L&D, and wrote a... Continue Reading →
Don’t waste your live online session – interact with your audience
I'm attending, and have been attending, lots of live online virtual conferences and seminars this year, as so many others have. What I'm finding especially frustrating today is that so many speakers aren't adapting to what live online sessions offer. I'm in sessions where it's just listening to people, there's an empty, lonely chat window... Continue Reading →
The tilt to VILT
Virtual Instructor Led Training is on the rise. No surprise there. But what’s interesting is that the prediction for forward growth takes it's starting point as November 2020, rather than benchmarking future figures against pre-Covid stats. According to a MarketWatch report, the global virtual classroom market size is predicted to see a nearly 10% Compound... Continue Reading →
Disabling webinar chat – what your audience really thinks
A webinar catches your eye, you register, add it to the calendar and look forward to it. On the day you login, keen to hear from the speakers but also to learn from other people. Hey, you might even be able to encourage others or pass on a nugget from your own experience. Except that... Continue Reading →
Change of mindset: will online work and learning become the new normal?
Coronavirus is not only a tragic health issue and causing misery to thousands of people and their families, but it’s also disrupting businesses all around the world. From supply chain management and manufacturing, to the stock market and travel industries. In this blog post I look at the effects of this on corporate work, conferences... Continue Reading →
One big moment of teaching need
I feel negative, upset and like a failure. I've come home early from a Sunday afternoon class that should have been fun, interesting and a safe place to learn a new skill. Instead, I've wasted my money and my time. I'm annoyed with myself because I can't do the drawing we were learning, but I'm... Continue Reading →