Cynthia Clay's Blog

Preparation and Practice in the Hybrid World

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Recently I delivered a Train-the-Trainer workshop for an enthusiastic group of five facilitators working for a new client who has licensed our NetSpeed Leadership program (for new supervisors and managers). I enjoyed the experience because I love to learn, explore, and try out new solutions.

We decided that we would conduct the TTT workshop virtually rather than having me travel onsite. No problem, I'm very comfortable in the virtual classroom. I prepared two sessions, each two and a half hours long, and led them on two consecutive days. The trainers met together in a conference room in Louisiana and I attended virtually from Seattle. I was on web camera in an Adobe Connect meeting. They were not. They were dialed in on one phone bridge which was broadcast so we could all hear each other. If we'd had more time to prepare before the first two virtual sessions, I would have made sure that they could be on camera too. It was awkward for me to train such a small group for five hours but not be able to see them. Lesson learned. I knew we needed to do it differently for the final step in the process.

In our trainer certification workshops, we ask trainers to deliver a 30-minute training segment (a trainback) from one of our programs. They engage their colleagues and receive feedback on their delivery. When we are certifying trainers to deliver in the face-to-face classroom, one of our Master Trainers is usually onsite to work with them and give feedback. But in this situation, we wanted to accomplish the same result without anyone of us travelling to them.

Our client set up a video camera in the training room that could be focused both on the front of the room where each trainer would present, as well as turned to record the trainers when they were giving feedback. We hooked the video camera up so that it could be played through Adobe Connect. That way I could be on web camera and they could see me. And I would be able to conduct the trainback session remotely. They displayed the Adobe Connect meeting room with the presenter's PowerPoint slide deck on the screen behind them. Each presenter used the forward and back keys to keep us on the right slide in their presentation. I quickly realized that I needed to freeze my camera when the trainer was presenting. My image was right over their shoulder looking down on them from the projection screen. That was distracting for everyone, including me!

When I wanted to add my two cents as a participant in the trainback session, I would unfreeze my camera and raise my hand. After 30 minutes of delivery time, each trainer then received 15 minutes of feedback from their colleagues. At that point, we turned the camera to face the conference room, so all the trainers could be seen in the video pod in Adobe Connect, with me on camera as well. While it wasn't a perfect solution (I would hear what they were saying a split second before their lips would move which was a tad bit disconcerting), it was a successful hybrid experience.

One of the keys to success of this hybrid session was that we conducted a dry run the day before the trainback experience and tested everything we could think of. Do you see a theme to this newsletter? Our motto in the face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid classrooms is, "Leave nothing to chance." If you ever think to yourself, "What could possibly go wrong?" remember that the technology gremlins are a clever bunch. Don't give them a chance to get the upper hand!

Ebook Download:

For useful tips on facilitating in the virtual classroom, download our complimentary ebook, You've Got This! Tips for Better Virtual Facilitation.  Packed with tips and insights to help you transform your virtual classroom delivery to engaging, interactive learning that makes multi-tasking impossible, this ebook contains a selection of articles on how to bring your best facilitation skills to the challenge of leading interactive, engaging online training as well as facilitating productive, effective virtual meetings.

No matter what web conference platform you use, you’ll find the mindset and the tactical tools described here will help you get better results in your next web event.

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 9:13 am