10 Best Practices for Virtual Instructor-Led Training

In today's dynamic and dispersed business landscape, virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has gained significant popularity in recent years, becoming an integral part of corporate training programs. But what is it, and why is it so important? What are the virtual instructor-led training best practices? Let’s find the answer!

What Is Virtual Instructor-Led Training?

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT), as the name suggests, is a training method that utilizes technology to deliver live instructor-led training sessions in a virtual environment. Unlike traditional classroom-based training, VILT eliminates geographical barriers, allowing participants to engage with instructors and fellow learners anywhere in the world. This flexibility has revolutionized how companies train their employees, partners, and customers.

VILT has emerged as one of the fastest-growing methods of online learning. Organizations often integrate VILT into their overall training strategy to provide professional development, skills training, and employee onboarding.

However, to ensure a successful VILT experience, careful planning and execution are required to ensure learners can engage with the material and fully achieve their learning objectives. Here are some key reasons to implement the best practices for virtual instructor-led training (VILT)  to ensure that VILT is effective:

• By incorporating the best practices, you can make the VILT sessions more engaging and participatory, bringing learners into the learning process and encouraging active participation. You can include interactive activities, polls, breakout sessions, and real-time feedback mechanisms to keep learners connected and motivated.
• Virtual instructor-led training best practices promote active learning strategies, interactive activities, and clear communication, improving knowledge retention, skill development, and overall learning outcomes.
• By implementing virtual instructor-led training best practices, you can expect a higher return on investment (ROI) from your training initiatives. This is because you can optimize training delivery, ensuring learners gain the necessary skills and knowledge to improve their performance and contribute to organizational goals.
• Effective strategies for VILT success provide a framework for continuous improvement and innovation in training delivery. By tracking learner feedback, evaluating training outcomes, and incorporating new technologies,  you can refine your VILT programs to achieve even better results.

10 Best Practices for Virtual Instructor-Led Training

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has become an increasingly popular method of delivering training due to its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to reach a wide audience. 

However, to create a good VILT experience, you need to adopt best practices that enhance engagement, promote interaction, and maximize learning outcomes. Here, we have listed the top 10 virtual instructor-led training best practices that would help you organize the virtual-led training program.

1. Choose the Right Technology

When embarking on your virtual teaching journey, selecting the right web conferencing platform is crucial. After all, it is the foundation upon which you will build your virtual classroom. There are several factors that you need to consider while choosing the technology for the training program. These factors may include the number of participants, features and functionality, ease of use and accessibility, integration with existing tools, and security and reliability.

Popular options for virtual instructor-led training best practices include Cisco Webex Training Center, Adobe Connect, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, and the ubiquitous Zoom.

You can adopt the following practices for an effective training program:

• Define training needs and requirements
• Pilot testing and evaluation
• User training and support
• Ongoing feedback and improvement
• Stay updated with technology advancement

2. Defeat Distraction

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) participants may not feel the same social pressure to stay focused as they do in in-person workshops. This can challenge instructors, as participants may be more likely to get distracted by their daily web browsing habits. The average user only spends 15 seconds on a webpage, so there is a risk that VILT participants will switch tabs or check their email during a session.

To overcome this challenge, you can leverage the benefits of best practices for virtual instructor-led training (VILT). You can adopt the following practices to keep the employees engaged:

• Incorporate a mix of presentation methods like lectures, videos, demonstrations, case studies, and hands-on exercises to cater to different learning styles and preferences.
• Encourage participants to actively participate in the learning process by asking questions, providing insights, and engaging in discussions. 
• Consider incorporating gamification elements into the VILT session to motivate and engage participants.
• Schedule regular breaks throughout the training session to allow participants to step away, stretch, and refocus.

3. Encourage Participation

Encouraging active participation in virtual instructor-led training (VILT) is essential for maximizing the learning experience and achieving training objectives. Here are some proven ways to increase attendance during VILT sessions: 

• Break up lectures and presentations with interactive activities such as polls, quizzes, breakout room discussions, and hands-on exercises. These activities stimulate learner engagement, promote peer interaction, and provide immediate feedback.  
• Leverage collaborative tools like whiteboards, shared documents, and online discussion forums to facilitate teamwork and knowledge sharing. These tools encourage learners to work together, share ideas, and contribute to the learning process.
• Instead of relying on simple yes-or-no questions, pose open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking and discussion. This approach stimulates deeper engagement and allows learners to share their perspectives and experiences.
• Remind participants to actively listen to their peers' contributions actively, ask clarifying questions, and build upon each other's ideas. 

4. Deliver Targeted Modules

Keeping the training program short and focused on one topic at a time is one of the best practices for virtual instructor-led training (VILT). By tailoring training modules to specific job roles, skill levels, and learning objectives, you can create a more engaging and effective learning environment. 

Here are some key strategies for delivering targeted modules for VILT:

• Conduct a thorough needs assessment to identify the specific knowledge, skills, and competencies learners need to acquire. 
• Structure training content into bite-sized modules that focus on specific learning objectives. 
• Each module should have a clear objective, like teaching a specific skill or imparting a chunk of knowledge. Avoid the temptation to cram everything into one session. Remember, quality over quantity!
• Remember to incorporate virtual and conventional breaks even in these shorter sessions. Breakout rooms can be used for interactive activities and discussions. 
• Implement adaptive learning technologies that can adjust the content and delivery of training modules based on individual learner performance and preferences.

5. Emphasize Value

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has emerged as a valuable tool for organizations to provide effective and engaging training experiences for their employees, partners, and customers. By leveraging the power of technology and experienced instructors, VILT offers numerous benefits that can enhance learning outcomes, improve employee performance, and contribute to organizational success.

But before organizing a successful training program, you need to clearly define the learning objectives and the target audience, choose experienced and engaging instructors, create engaging and interactive content, choose a reliable and user-friendly VILT platform, and foster a collaborative learning environment.  

6. Evaluate Learner Understanding

For a successful virtual training program, evaluating the learners’ understanding is another virtual instructor-led training best practice. It will help you measure if your learners grasp the concepts and your training achieves its goals. But how could you do this? You can:

• Throw quick questions between the topics to check if your learners are paying attention.
• Use the annotation tools to provide real-time feedback on presentations or documents.
• Create polls to gather real-time insights.
• Ask participants to summarize key points or topics in a short chat message.

By incorporating these assessment techniques into your VILT sessions, you can effectively monitor your learners' progress and identify areas that need further explanation.

7. Refrain from Adding More Seats

Just because you can pack your virtual training sessions with a ton of participants doesn't mean you should. In fact, doing so might just turn your training into a snooze fest.

Virtual training, like its in-person counterpart, is all about interaction and engagement. And with too many participants, that becomes a lot harder to achieve. The virtual instructor, who's supposed to be the guiding light, gets overwhelmed, and the participants feel lost in the crowd.

Instead, keep your virtual training groups small, ideally 25 participants or less. This virtual instructor-led training best practice creates a more intimate setting where everyone feels comfortable participating, asking questions, and sharing their thoughts.

Considerations for limiting VILT seats:

• Limit class size
• Offer multiple sessions
• Prioritize quality over quantity
• Utilize technology

8. Establish the Basis

Just like a traditional classroom setting, virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has its own set of etiquette norms, and it's best to establish these guidelines at the beginning of a session to ensure a smooth and productive learning experience. Here are some key ground rules to convey to your learners:

• Keep your microphone muted to avoid background noise and distractions unless you actively contribute to the discussion.
• Engaging participants in virtual ILT to utilize the chat function to ask questions if they occur throughout the course ensures that questions are answered promptly and everyone can contribute.
• Encourage participants to keep their cameras on and display their names so that everyone can feel connected and engaged.
• Not everyone is tech-savvy, so providing a brief overview of the video conferencing tool's features is helpful. This can include navigating the chat, raising hands, sharing screens, and using breakout rooms.
• Design engaging and effective training that may include content structure and instructional methods. 

These best practices for virtual instructor-led training (VILT) make the session more engaging. 

9. Have Fun

While imparting knowledge is the primary goal of training, it doesn't have to be a monotonous affair. Add a touch of fun and originality to your training sessions to keep your learners interested and ready to learn.

A touch of humor can go a long way in making training more enjoyable. Sprinkle your sessions with relevant jokes, anecdotes, or light-hearted banter to keep your learners' spirits high. Here are some practices for fun VILT sessions:

• Start sessions with icebreakers or warm-up exercises to set a positive tone, break down barriers, and encourage participant interaction.
• Incorporate interactive games, quizzes, or simulations related to the training content to make learning more engaging and participatory.
• Share humorous tales or lighthearted moments related to the training topic to add humor and create a more enjoyable atmosphere.
• Encourage creativity and problem-solving by incorporating hands-on activities, challenges, or design exercises that allow participants to apply their learning concepts.
• Acknowledge and reward participants' contributions, achievements, and active participation to foster a sense of accomplishment and motivation.

10. Consider Outsourcing

When it comes to virtual instructor-led training (VILT), keeping the program on track can be challenging. That's where outsourcing comes in handy. By conducting your VILT program through an experienced trainer and employing effective strategies for VILT success, you are not just handing over the key but tapping into a wealth of expertise. These seasoned professionals know the ins and outs of classroom-based and online training, ensuring your VILT program delivers quality and learner engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion!

VILT can be an effective way to train your employees, but only if done correctly. By following these virtual instructor-led training best practices, you can create engaging, effective and successful VILT courses to help your participants achieve their learning goals. EdStellar is a leading platform in providing virtual-led training. To understand VILT better, contact us today.