114 BYOD: Interact and Engage: Activities for Spectacular Live Online Events
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 26
Salon 2
Whether it’s an online meeting, a presentation via webinar, or live online training, engagement is the main question on everyone’s mind: Will it be worth my time to attend, or will it be an opportunity to check email instead? Online meeting technology is powerful and has made it easy to connect with people from anywhere in the world at any time, yet L&D professionals often still struggle with getting everyone to interact. Interaction is the answer to successful engagement, and using the features of the platform is the answer to interaction. However, the features alone do not engage the participants. It is what you choose to do with those features that will make the difference in your next virtual training, webinar, or meeting.
During this session, you will learn what you can do to be successful in the virtual environment and avoid having everyone ask for a recording or a copy of the slides five minutes into your next virtual event. You’ll analyze the activities demonstrated and brainstorm where the techniques could be applied to your virtual training programs. You’ll explore the specific challenges of managing the technology, and brainstorm solutions to the engagement problems you are likely to experience with your live online attendees when technical problems arise. Activities are the key to your success. Through them you’ll learn to manage the technology, get attendees to actively engage, and help presenters have a great time too!
In this session, you will learn:
- How engaging live online meetings, webinars, and training events build virtual team engagement
- How to determine the appropriate level of interaction to create effective live online events
- About specific engagement techniques to apply to your own activity design
- How to use a checklist of platform features to optimize the investment in your virtual meeting technology
Audience:
Designers, managers, trainers, and presenters
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect, WebEx, Zoom, GoToTraining, and other platforms
Technology required:
Attendees must be able to join an Adobe Connect session. They can test that in advance here: https://helpx.adobe.com/adobe-connect/using/connection-test-connect-meeting.html
Kassy LaBorie
Founder & Principal Consultant
Kassy LaBorie Consulting
Kassy LaBorie is the founder and principal consultant at Kassy LaBorie Consulting. She is a professional speaker, author, facilitator, and instructional designer who specializes in virtual engagement for learning and development professionals and business owners who get to use web conferencing technology to connect with people around the globe. In her previous role at Dale Carnegie & Associates, she was the director of virtual training services, a corporate consultancy that partnered with organizations to help them develop, design, and develop successful online training strategies. Kassy is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She's known for believing that "being online is certainly equal to, and in some cases, better than, being in-person!"
211 Recovering from Virtual Classroom Disasters
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 26
Salon 13
Disasters happen when teaching in a virtual classroom: connections fail, audio echoes, and files crash. In order to get the problem(s) solved and get the session back on time and on track, you’ll need more than a good idea. You’ll need a plan.
In this session, you’ll find out about the lessons learned from 20+ years of experience preparing, supporting, crashing, and recovering from thousands of hours in virtual classrooms. You’ll learn the ins, the outs, and the agonies of running online events. You’ll walk away with strategies for how to fix virtual classroom disasters as they happen, as well as techniques that can help prevent them from happening in the first place.
In this session, you will learn:
- About what happened in real-life VC disasters (the names have been changed to protect the innocent)
- How we solved these disasters in the moment
- How the plan for future sessions got updated as a result
- What you can do develop a deep, appropriately-placed paranoia that will help guide your planning decisions
Audience:
Designers, managers, online event producers, facilitators
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classroom technologies
Karen Hyder
Online Event Producer and Speaker Coach
Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting
Karen Hyder, online event producer and speaker coach at Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting, has been teaching about technology since 1991, when she delivered instructor-led software courses for Logical Operations. She was promoted to director of trainer development, helping trainers improve skills and earn certifications. In 1999 she created a course for trainers using virtual classrooms, and helped launch The eLearning Guild Online Forums in 2004. She continues to host The Guild’s Best of DemoFest, and was honored with the Guild’s Guild Master Award. Currently, Karen provides coaching and production support for a series of online courses at Hearing First, a not-for-profit that serves audiology professionals earning CEUs.
310 Make Virtual Learning Relevant: Using Scenarios in the Virtual Classroom
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 26
Salon 3
Adult learning principles state that adults learn best when content is relevant. So why do most virtual classroom lessons rely on lectures and slides? One of the most effective ways to ensure learning sticks is by getting learners involved, and scenario-based learning design does just that. Join this session to discover ideas for producing appropriate scenarios that resonate with your learners in the virtual classroom.
You only have so much time to dedicate to formal learning—every moment needs to be impactful and relevant. Unfortunately, virtual classroom sessions tend to focus on getting as much content out there as possible and leaving it up to the learners to figure out how to make it all work. This session will explore how to design three types of scenario-based activities in the virtual classroom: problem-based learning, predictive learning, and play-based learning. You’ll leave with detailed examples of each, and a template to walk you through seven steps for constructing scenarios in your virtual classroom design.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the role of scenario-based learning in modern workplace learning
- How scenario-based learning supports adult learning theory
- Techniques for implementing three types of scenario-based learning in the virtual classroom
- Seven steps for constructing scenarios
Audience:
Designers
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classrooms
Jennifer Hofmann Dye
Founder and President
InSync Training
Jennifer Hofmann Dye is founder and president of InSync Training. She specializes in the design and delivery of engaging, innovative, and effective modern blended learning. Jennifer has written and contributed to a number of well-received and highly-regarded books including The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Facilitating Successful Live Online Courses, Meetings, and Events and Live and Online!: Tips, Techniques, and Ready to Use Activities for the Virtual Classroom. Her latest book, Blended Learning (ATD, 2018), introduces a new instructional design model that addresses the needs of the modern workplace and modern learners.
510 Digital Literacy Skills for Virtual Trainers, Presenters, and Facilitators
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 14
The virtual environment is rapidly changing and participant expectations are high. Are you keeping up with new ways to communicate and connect with your remote audience? Are you presenting yourself as a virtual professional? For example, do you know when to turn on your webcam, and when to leave it off? And does your virtual voice convey the tone and meaning that it needs to get your point across? Are you preparing enough for your online events to avoid technical meltdowns? These important items seem subtle yet they are often overlooked, and can make or break your virtual presentations.
In this session you will learn answers to each of the above questions, and more! Specifically, you will learn five key skills of digital literacy: smooth video, quality audio, advance preparation, audience engagement, and mobile mastery. You'll learn how to communicate virtually and hear practical tips such as when to turn on the webcam and when to leave it off, and how to make your audio sound crystal clear. You'll learn what exactly to include in pre-session communication and calendar invites, how to engage a remote audience using platform tools, and presentation tips for remote users who join live events by mobile device. You'll leave with a list of ready-to-use action items that can be immediately applied to your next virtual event.
In this session, you will learn how to:
- Assess your current "digital literacy" as a virtual presenter, trainer, or facilitator
- Use virtual platform tools to engage remote audiences
- Present yourself professionally, with clear audio and video
- Create an action plan to increase your credibility in virtual events
Audience:
Designers, managers, facilitators, virtual trainers
Technology discussed in this session:
Common virtual collaboration platforms, such as Skype, Adobe Connect, WebEx, GoTo, and Zoom
Cindy Huggett
Principal Consultant
Cindy Huggett Consulting
As a leading industry expert and 20+ year pioneer of virtual training, Cindy Huggett, CPTD, has vast experience delivering engaging learning solutions via the virtual and hybrid classroom. She's the author of six acclaimed books on the subject, including The Facilitator's Guide to Immersive, Blended and Hybrid Learning. She is a past member of the ATD global board of directors and was one of the first to earn the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP now CPTD) credential. She holds a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Triangle Business Journal 30- Under-30 Award Winner.
711 Creating Engaging Virtual Training Using Zoom
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
Zoom is one of the newest and fastest-growing virtual classroom platforms on the market today. If you are using it, or thinking of using it, you are not alone! But are you effectively using its tools and features to capture your remote audience’s attention? If you are like most virtual class designers or facilitators, you want your participants to be more involved in their learning and more engaged in the virtual classroom. Zoom provides the tools for interactivity, if you know where to find them and how to use them.
In this session, you will get hands-on experience using Zoom as a virtual classroom platform. You’ll see firsthand how to create an engaging environment for learning. You will gain new ideas and a fresh perspective on using Zoom’s tools and features. In addition, you’ll get ideas for creating interactivity and engagement in your virtual classes. And you’ll participate in several examples of activities that have been successfully transferred from in-person classes to the virtual classroom. You’ll leave with several ready-made activities that you can immediately put to use in your next virtual class.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to open your virtual classes with immediate engagement
- How to recognize Zoom’s tools that can be used for activity
- How to increase participant interaction using Zoom’s tools
- How to apply ready-to-use activities to your own virtual classes
Audience:
Designers and facilitators
Technology discussed in this session:
Zoom
Cindy Huggett
Principal Consultant
Cindy Huggett Consulting
As a leading industry expert and 20+ year pioneer of virtual training, Cindy Huggett, CPTD, has vast experience delivering engaging learning solutions via the virtual and hybrid classroom. She's the author of six acclaimed books on the subject, including The Facilitator's Guide to Immersive, Blended and Hybrid Learning. She is a past member of the ATD global board of directors and was one of the first to earn the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP now CPTD) credential. She holds a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Triangle Business Journal 30- Under-30 Award Winner.