On the 2nd anniversary of “the great disruption”, I thought it would be interesting to take a
moment to reflect on what we have learned and where we are going in year three of the shift to virtual learning.
It was two years ago this week that everything changed. I was in Arizona having just completed what was to be the last in-person business simulation-based training program for quite some time wondering if we would get home before they shut down all commercial flights. By the following week, all the in-person training sessions we had scheduled started to convert to virtual. For us, the conversion was flawless as we had started to build all of our assets for virtual delivery more than 2 years prior to the pandemic. Since those first few months, a lot has changed, and the industry has evolved tremendously. Here is one person’s perspective of the 5 things we have learned about virtual learning over the last 2 years:
1) You can train a lot more people for the same budget
Wow is travel, lodging, food, and miscellaneous costs for training expensive! Within the first few months of the pandemic, many of the clients we work with were realizing that all that money they had budgeted for travel could actually be used for more training. “Special” programs that were limited to just a select few could be opened up to many more participants and all of a sudden skills and performance were improving throughout the corporation.
2) It is easier to create organizational transformation
As we all knew, creating organizational transformation 25 people at a time takes a long time. In the new reality of virtual learning, organizational transformation can happen much quicker and much more effectively. During the past two years, I had a chance to work on the best project I’ve ever worked on in my career, a global coaching simulation for a top 5 pharmaceutical company, that is changing the culture of the company in a fraction of the time it would have taken in more traditional in-person, stand-up training programs.
3) Virtual Learning is psychologically safer
One of the biggest learnings for me was hearing from women participants and under-represented participants sharing how much more they enjoy virtual simulation sessions because they feel safer in a learning environment where they don’t feel others talk over them or make them feel uncomfortable in breakout rooms or social settings.
4) Work-Learning-Life Balance
Now that things have settled in, it is easier for people to control their schedules. Without commutes and travel time, learners have much more control over their work-learning-life balance. The integration of virtual training assets and elements such as self-paced simulations enable learners to build their own schedules to make sure they get their work done, their learning done, and enjoy an enhanced quality of life.
5) People miss people connections
Despite all the great benefits like being able to train more people, easier organizational transformation, enhanced psychological safety, and a better work-learning-life balance, people still miss networking with other people. Slowly but surely, we are seeing some of that come back in what is sure to be a blended solution where maybe 50-75% of the learning can happen virtually, and then 50%-25% can be done in person where people can make those much-needed connections.
In summary, the past two years have been the most chaotic, challenging, and amazing time many of us in the Talent Development industry has ever experienced. The changes are here for good, and it will be very difficult to go backward. The five key learnings identified here should be a guide to the next few years as things continue to evolve and expand.
