Written by Using interactivity and drama in training over Teams
Let’s face it – most webinars are dull and boring. A monotonous voice runs through endless PowerPoint slides. There’s no chance to join in. For nearly 20 years, Nelson Training has used face-to-face, interactive, drama-based training to make training a fun and enjoyable experience whilst getting serious learning points across. Covid-19 changed everything. So we experimented in interactive drama-based training using Zoom or Teams. Post Covid, we made this an option for our Dignity at Work (Managing Bullying & Harassment), Equality & Diversity, Complaint Handling, Absence Management and Performance Management Courses. Of course, we still offer all our training face-to-face but there are benefits to using the virtual approach. Many people work from home these days, some work from different locations and even different countries and continents. Of course, there are also no travel costs or difficulties in getting a venue.
So – how do we get the same value out of an online training experience as we do with face-to-face training?
The main problem with the webinar format is the limited scope for interaction between delegates and trainer. Nelson Training have been working with a major NHS Trust and several UK Government Departments to find ways of getting as close to a face-to-face experience using Zoom.
Using interactive drama in Teams
Drama-based training typically involves actors creating a scenario. Delegates then interact with the actors, in role, to question their actions and suggest how they might handle things better.
To make this happen during a drama-based Zoom or Teams training session, we film the scenarios in advance. We then upload these onto PowerPoint Live to run them, so that there are no upload or download problems during the training itself (a good tip from Microsoft – thank you). The actors, live and in role, then take part in the session. Delegates are able to interact with them as they would in a face-to-face session.
The use of breakout rooms in Teams is particularly effective in helping delegates discuss amongst themselves points they would wish to raise with the actors. This is a key benefit of the on-line approach. The ability to move people to and from breakout rooms instantly is something we can never do in the real world.
Adding polls, quizzes, wordclouds and Q&As
We use Mentimeter (mentimeter.com) to get real-time input from delegates with live polls, quizzes, word clouds and Q&As using the app that works within Teams. This works extremely effectively.
Delegates are able to question the facilitator at any time unlike in a webinar when questioning is limited. Again, the use of breakout rooms for small groups to discuss learning points raised is particularly effective with the facilitator able to visit each room in turn.
We use Mentimeter to poll delegates at the end to gauge how well they have felt interactive drama-based training had worked. The response has been extremely favourable. Some even prefer it to live training and find it easier to have the confidence to join in during an online session.
Brilliant! I preferred it to face to face. The huddles were great. I got to know my team 100%. Fantastic.
Convenient at any time not having to travel to training. Don’t think too much was lost by not being face to face. Good use of menti to make it intyeractive and role play well included