Virtual Training

19Media and Visuals

I have no doubt that you've sat through a virtual training or online presentation that was excruciating. A voice droning on and on over heavily bullet-pointed, hard-to-read slides.

Thinking back, it's probably hard to remember anything you learned—but you know that it was boring. Somewhere in the middle, you quit paying attention and started playing on your phone. Sadly, this is exactly how many virtual presentations are formatted and delivered. And this is what learners expect.

In the last chapter you learned that knowledge transfers when learners:

1. See the concept on-screen.
2. Hear the instructor describe the concept.
3. Discuss it in collaborative breakout discussions with other learners.
4. Do it through role-plays and real-life practice.

(Notice how I layered this concept.) Since the learning process begins with seeing, at the heart of virtual instructor-led training (VILT) course design are impactful, engaging, easy-to-consume on-screen visuals that capture attention and pull learners in.

The good news is you can easily develop engaging and memorable virtual training presentations that wow learners and keep them engaged. You just need to be intentional and follow a few important rules.

This begins with a focus on developing slides for an on-screen environment.  You must consider various devices, how visuals appear on-screen, and potentially fleeting bandwidth. The objective, of course, is to deliver the best possible learning experience while keeping participants ...