Understanding how COVID-19 changed the training model for large organizations
Latitude CG collaborated with Brandon Hall Group to conduct research on the effect COVID-19 has had on the extended enterprise training environment.
Once the pandemic set in, organizations quickly shifted to using virtual-meeting platforms extensively to keep people together.
Soon, everyone found themselves in endless Zoom or Microsoft Teams meetings. Training was no different.
These tools seemed like an easy solution to the problems presented by everyone working from home. However, during the Information Exchanges, it became clear that this was likely not the best approach.
All of the organizations that adopted these platforms for training found that their traditional approach to instructor-led training and content did not translate well to virtual-meeting platforms.
| Traditional instructor led training sessions do not work on virtual-meeting platforms. Learners need more frequent and shorter sessions, as well as the ability to deploy their new skills immediately. |
The breakdown was not in the meeting platforms themselves, but the failure to adapt the content and the training approach. There was a common arc to leveraging virtual-meeting platforms.
First, the trainers would simply present their in-person material. Then they would realize they needed to adapt the scheduling that was used for ILT.
People did not want to be in virtual meetings for as long as they may have been in a class. Longform, multiday, multisession programs had to be broken up and adapted to fit the new model.
Shorter blocks, limited to a maximum of two hours, were much preferred. This also meant extending multiday sessions over the course of weeks, which led to higher engagement among learners.
The final evolutionary phase was a rebuild of the content to mesh better with the virtual tool to be more effective. Many trainers created on-demand videos rather than delivering the content synchronously in a meeting platform. This enabled meeting time to be devoted to more collaborative learning and coaching.
The experiences of the organizations participating in the Information Exchanges mirror those of the companies surveyed by Brandon Hall Group.
In April 2020, the most common formats for replacing ILT were meeting tools, virtual classrooms and webinars. As the pandemic continued, the use of those platforms fell, while eLearning, microlearning and videos increased.
A PDF version of this series installment can be accessed here.
Look out for part 5 in The Covid Interruption Series posting soon to the Connection Blog.
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