8 Live Event Ideas That Can Help You Boost Learner Participation In Online Training
Live events offer you the opportunity to interact with your audience and make the online training experience more memorable. They also give corporate learners the chance to share their own insights with peers and ask questions in real time.
It takes an innovative idea to hold their attention and build the excitement, though. Here are 8 live event ideas to increase learner participation and get corporate learners actively involved in the online training process.
1. Topic-Centered Q&A Sessions
Q&A sessions give corporate learners the ability to address concerns and improve comprehension as quickly as possible. They can clarify any confusions they have about the subject matter or ask questions about key ideas of concepts they still struggle with.
Live Q&A events are also great opportunities to get to know their managers, online instructors, and peers. To save time, invite participants to submit their questions early in the online training course. This also gives the host time to reflect on the topic and formulate a concise response.
2. Product Demos And Online Training Tutorials
This is particularly useful for sales online training, as corporate learners can broaden their product knowledge and explore the benefits firsthand. For example, the host might open up the new device to show the inner workings or demonstrate how to use the software that’s just been launched.
You can even showcase the add-on services that your organization is now offering. This also gives employees the opportunity to ask questions about the new product line and discuss the key selling points.
3. Introduce A Real-World Example Or Case Study
Frame your online training with a real-world example or case study to put everything into context. Corporate learners can see how the ideas relate to challenges they encounter in real life, as well as the benefits of actively participating in the online training experience.
For example, absorbing the key takeaways will allow them to improve task performance or build a vital skill that they need to overcome an everyday obstacle. Real-world examples also serve another crucial purpose, which is to connect with corporate learners on an emotional level, especially if they contain relatable characters and situations that resonate with them.
4. Host An Online Training Gameshow
Nothing promotes learner participation like the opportunity to win rewards. It doesn’t necessarily need to be monetary incentives or gift cards. Even earning a special eLearning badge or in-course points can motivate corporate learners.
Play the part of the game show host and quiz your corporate learners on the essentials. Those who actively engage and answer correctly make it to the final round, where they have a chance to win the grand prize and the recognition of their peers.
Just make sure to set the ground rules in advance so that everyone knows the expectations. For instance, they only get one guess and must use only their pre-existing knowledge to respond, instead of scouring the Internet for the correct information.
5. Move It To Social Media
Instead of using a video conferencing tool, you can also opt for a social media event on your platform of choice. Invite corporate learners to the social media discussion a few days in advance so that they can mark it on their calendars.
You should also provide them the general topic and guidelines. For instance, you’ll be talking about the latest company policies and employees are free to share their thoughts and opinions, as long as they respect the viewpoints of others and give everyone the chance to participate.
6. Interactive Interviews
This is a spin-off of the Q&A session we mentioned earlier. However, interactive interviews involve a keynote speaker that corporate learners are already familiar with, such as a Subject Matter Expert or CEO who offers a unique perspective.
Corporate learners can either submit their questions in advance or ask them in real time, depending on the host’s preferences. You might even consider an interview series where you feature a new guest host every month. That way corporate learners can look forward to notable speakers who share similar interests or professional backgrounds.
7. Online Training Feedback Follow-Ups
Host an evaluation live event after you’ve concluded your online training course to get direct feedback from your corporate learners. Invite them to share their honest opinions about the online training experience, including the online training course’s core strengths and areas for improvement.
You’re able to use this data to fine-tune future online training courses and offer your corporate learners supplemental online training resources. For example, an online training tutorial or simulation they need to improve their proficiency or microlearning online training resources to help them bridge personal skill gaps.
8. Let Corporate Learners Guest-Host Their Own Online Training Activities
Instead of planning the live event yourself or inviting a Subject Matter Expert, empower corporate learners to host their own virtual events. They can use a video conferencing tool, social media site, or online discussion board to share their knowledge and experiences.
To be an effective host, they must organize every aspect of the webinar, from the topics they’ll cover to the companion online training resources and activities. Corporate learners have to take charge and determine what their peers need to take from the online training experience. Thus, they improve their own knowledge retention and reinforce key concepts. The guest hosts need to have a firm grasp of the subject matter in order to summarize it.
Use these 8 tips to host live and other online training events to boost learner participation. The secret is to get your employees involved as early as possible. They need to have a sense of ownership and know that their opinions matter, which is why it’s also wise to host a pre-launch event to gather their input and then use it to improve your eLearning course design.
The secret is to get your employees involved as early as possible.Share on
Aren’t you still totally convinced about the usefulness of online training events? Read the article 7 Reasons To Host An Online Training Event to discover 7 convincing arguments for why your next training event should be online.
