We’ve all been on training sessions that have not been particularly engaging, you know the ones where your mind begins to wander, eyes become heavy and you’re only twenty minutes in.

Keeping learners engaged is a challenge for all trainers, but particularly when it comes to remote training as it can be harder to read body language and gauge audience enjoyment when you are not in the same physical location.

Improving learner engagement not only makes the whole training experience better for the learners and trainer but engaged learners will achieve better learning outcomes. So, how can you keep learners engaged?

Start as you mean to go on

Consider how you start the session as this will help set the tone for the entire session. You want to aim to grab the learners attention immediately. Greet your attendees with warmth and enthusiasm, check your audio feed is working and then think about how you will pique their interest.

Suggestions include presenting shocking or surprising facts or perhaps starting the session with a challenge that stimulates their thinking.

Involve and interact

Actively encourage participation in session; be aware of distractions, keep an eye on your attendees body language and take steps to draw people in. Explain that they may be asked questions, given control of mouse or asked to demonstrate throughout to check knowledge.

Introduce varied and meaningful interaction every 3-5 minutes. Where possible, use a variety of visual material such as words, photos, graphs, charts, video, give control, webcam, demonstrations, screenshots, knowledge checks, questioning, polls, tick/cross, raise hand, chat and breakout rooms.

Vary your content

People learn and process information differently, there is no one size fits all when it comes to learning or training but varying the types of content you use can help keep learners engaged and improve their learning outcomes.

If you are covering a complex subject it can sometimes be easier for people to understand if it is delivered to them in a video or animation, something that is visually stimulating and memorable rather than a plain text document. The content may be identical, but the way it is delivered can make the world of difference.

Make it personal

Training sessions can often feel as if the trainer is working from a script with little or no deviation from the presentation. Making the session more personal by asking attendees to share their experiences or by going slightly off-topic briefly can help the session feel more natural and can help keep learners engaged.

Get in touch with us to discuss your remote training requirements and discover how iTrain can deliver tailored training sessions to your team.