How to run large-scale training via Microsoft Teams
For a virtual open day, I recently had to organise training for over 200 academics and marketing colleagues.
Yikes.
Specifically, it was for the use of gotowebinar – an enterprise-level application used for hosting live events, and in our case, subject talks.
However, running a webinar is complicated. And I needed to design training that was for people who were not only anxious about adopting a new technology, but having to do so in the spotlight of a virtual open day.
How would I approach this and not leave anyone behind?
Here’s the approach I took for delivering training via Microsoft Teams.
Offer multiple training sessions
For efficiency, it might make sense to offer one large training session – digital is not subject to room capacity, right?
Trust me, go down this route and you will have a bad time.
The larger your session, the harder it is to manage and bring your audience along with you.
With smaller sessions of around 30 people, you can ensure you answer all questions and complete your training on time.
Also, it reduces the chance of distractions from people leaving their mic on or accidentally requesting control of your screen.
Distractions happen and in the heat of presenting can be very hard to manage.
Limit the number of attendees to give them a better training experience.
Provide guidance
When you invite people to your session, provide training documentation.
They don’t have to look over this beforehand, but it’s useful for them to reference during or after the session.
Sharing guidance in multiple formats helps knowledge stick.
Don’t record your session
This may raise some eyebrows amongst your attendees, but don’t record your training.
A recorded training session for a live audience is not the same as an edited training video.
Your live session will have all the pauses, interruptions and tangents you would expect of human conversation.
This is not what people expect of a training video.
While going over a part of the training for a second time may have helped the audience you had when live, it won’t for a recorded audience.
A training video can be paused and re-watched, so going over old ground just bloats the content and makes it harder to navigate.
Additionally, the straightforward recording of a live session won’t benefit from annotations, zoom-ins and the clear scripting of an edited video.
Have a moderator and outline how to ask questions
To keep the training flowing and avoid distractions, have a moderator to manage incoming questions.
If you are on your own, you will have to stop and interpret questions, as well as deliver the presentation.
This is extremely challenging.
Your moderator can be 100% focused on the meeting chat, identify themes and pose questions to you directly.
They can also see which attendees have their hands up, take note and ensure their concerns are addressed at an appropriate time.
Screen share at the right resolution
When screen sharing, be aware that some of your attendees will be using laptops and phone screens to view your content.
So, if you are sharing from a large desktop monitor, content will appear small and hard to decipher to some viewers.
To avoid this, adjust the resolution settings or the scale and layout options of your machine.
The bigger the better.
Stop regularly
When providing training digitally, you lose the benefit of being able to read your audience:
Blank faces = slow down.
Nodding and taking notes = on track.
Smiles and applause = exceeding expectations.
To address this, stop regularly and ask your moderator to share any questions that have come in.
Addressing your audience regularly will keep them on side and ensure nobody is left behind.
It’s also polite.
Have a Q&A at the end
Even though you’ve provided guidance.
Even though you’ve provided the best digital training session anyone has ever experienced.
You should still do a Q&A.
This will handle any questions for wider discussion that have been held back, as well as help ease people into the closing of the training session.
Offer follow-up practice sessions
As part of the digital training package, you should offer your attendees a chance to try out the application they have received training for.
Let them know how to access the platform and the level of support you or your colleagues will offer going forward.
Giving your attendees a chance to use the application themselves in a safe environment will go a long way in relieving anxieties for the big day.
Tell people how they can get support
Before you sign off, let your attendees know who they can get in touch with for further support.
Realistically, you won’t be able to provide support to everyone across all sessions, so make sure your trainees know who to contact with any follow-up questions.
Take the time to train others in your department on the use of the application so that help can be received from many people.
The key to digital training is to be sympathetic to your attendees’ needs.
It’s tough to follow a screen share for more than 20 minutes, so be sure to check in regularly with those viewing to help them along.
Your goal should be to reduce anxiety and share knowledge.
And only by anticipating the needs of your audience will you achieve this, have your training stick and the adoption of your application go off with relatively few hitches.
