Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019 - 22

Juxtapose these findings to another
statistic Huggett noted - that 91%
of learners across all demographics
said collaboration is a key to learning
success - and we begin to see some of
the obstacles trainers are facing today.
Consider ILT, which remains the most
popular method of delivery for sales
trainers. Virtual instructor-led training
(VILT) could very well produce the same
results. In fact, Training Industry's "State
of Sales Training Market" report found
that 82.9% of sales trainers surveyed
are using VILT. But this modality is not
without limitations.
Training Industry's "The Anatomy of the
Modern Learning System" established
four quadrants to understand learners'
preferences (See Figure 1 on page 23):
1| Useful but Underused
2| Useful and Often Used
3| Unsure and Not Often Used
4| Less Useful but Often Used
This report found that while learners
believe ILT is useful and often used,
they consider VILT to be less useful but
often used. In addition, fewer than half
of 252 learners surveyed believed the
training they received (in any modality)
over the past 12 months "was very
effective at positively impacting their
job performance."
What can we attribute these research
findings to? For one, despite
improvements to the technology, the
challenges have not changed much
over the years. Ed Satter's Training
Industry article "4 Common Challenges
Faced by Virtual Instructors" confirms
this reality, citing the following
challenges in virtual instruction:
* Being Unable to Read Non-verbal
Cues: In-person "instructors can see
learners' faces, notice non-verbal cues
and gauge their level of engagement."
It is exponentially more difficult do
so in learning platforms with talking
heads, and it's impossible in platforms
without video.

| 22

Collaboration is key for learners' success.
Based on a survey of 5,600 employees, Google provides the following
recommendations for creating effective virtual meeting experiences
for both attendees and facilitators:
* Engage and connect; work to
minimize distractions.

* Pay attention to each other's facial
expressions and body language.

* Build rapport by taking the time to
get to know learners.

* Choose a technology platform that
delivers optimal levels of productivity.

* Fewer Tools: In-person settings allow
instructors to use multiple tools -
writing on a whiteboard, responding to
polls or surveys, asking and answering
questions, using props, and more
- enabling them to shift gears if
necessary. Traditional virtual platforms
do not support this level of interaction.
* Distracted Learners: We've all been
there - attending a virtual meeting
and multitasking. How many of us
have checked an e-mail during a virtual
meeting or put the platform on pause
while we made coffee? There are
numerous ways learners can become
distracted during a virtual meeting, the
primary one being that they are not
fully engaged in the first place. It is far
too easy to check out mentally, as they
assume they will get the gist of the
information being presented.
* Gaining Learners' Confidence:
It is challenging enough to gain
learners' confidence during inperson training, even with personal
interactions and lively discussion.
Traditional virtual programs do not
allow for relationship-building.
Google also reinforces these challenges.
In a study of 5,600 employees, Veronica
Gilrane, manager of Google's People
Innovation Lab (PiLab), sought to
understand the challenges of working
together remotely. In Google's 2019
Distributed Work Playbook, she reported
that the biggest issue remote workers
faced was a lack of connectivity.
Another critical element of successful
training is measurement. While many
learning leaders have historically
used the Kirkpatrick Model to assess

training outcomes, Kirkpatrick Partners
updated the methodology as "The
New World Kirkpatrick Model," which
includes several new criteria, including
engagement. With the rise of virtual
platforms, L&D professionals must
measure engagement with the delivery
system as well as with the content.

New Technologies Enter
the Market
Over the past several years, changes
in the training market have meant that
training organizations must do more
with less - while still ensuring return
on investment (ROI). And, as virtual
platforms are becoming staples in the
training landscape, it's even more critical
that learning professionals choose
the platform that can best meet their
objectives. Whether they plan to replace
ILT or augment it, they must find a platform
that can both effectively deliver their
content and keep learners engaged.
While the market of virtual platforms
continues to expand, trainers are
also trying new technologies, such as
gamification and artificial intelligence
(AI), to engage their target audiences. It
is clear that the future of virtual training
technologies will be the combination of
virtual technology with the collaboration,
engagement and multi-modality of inperson meetings. The integration of
a live studio production with remote
participants can better serve training
initiatives, as turning the technology
over to professionals enables instructors
to focus on presenting their content. It
also allows them to see trainees "lifesize," which can improve interaction

https://www2.trainingindustry.com/state-of-the-sales-training-market https://www2.trainingindustry.com/state-of-the-sales-training-market http://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/Portals/0/Resources/White%20Papers/Introduction%20to%20the%20Kirkpatrick%20New%20World%20Model.pdf http://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/Portals/0/Resources/White%20Papers/Introduction%20to%20the%20Kirkpatrick%20New%20World%20Model.pdf https://www.trainingindustry.com/research-report-anatomy-of-the-modern-learning-system/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/research-report-anatomy-of-the-modern-learning-system/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/articles/e-learning/4-common-challenges-faced-by-virtual-instructors/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/articles/e-learning/4-common-challenges-faced-by-virtual-instructors/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/wiki/measurement-and-analytics/the-kirkpatrick-model/

Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019