As a trainer, coach, or consultant, you want to support your participants sustainably in their success. With the blended learning method, you are on a good path. We will show you why media diversity in online support is so helpful – and that implementing digital media today is child's play!
"Why should I use digital media in training?"
This question arises first for me when I think about the overarching term "digital media": Isn’t that just modern nonsense? In the past, purely analog training worked well too. So why not continue as before?
The world is changing, and digitalization has long become the norm. One clear reason for using digital media is: Your customers will demand it more and more. This is a compelling reason to at least engage with the topic of digital media and digital training.
However, purely presenting yourself outwardly is not a good motivator: After all, you want to make your training really effective and not just deliver a nice show. Therefore, the second and better reason for using digital media is: It supports sustainable training.
4 reasons why digital media make your training more sustainable
1. Fun
Those who enjoy learning stay engaged. As simple as it sounds – fun in learning is a crucial point, especially for adults. In classes with children, the topic of fun is always present. However, adults also learn significantly better when they enjoy it! It is no coincidence that quiz shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? are a perennial favorite in German living rooms.
2. Variety
A point closely related to fun: Monotonous learning is boring and motivation drops quickly, especially in the self-learning phase. Different media, on the other hand, bring momentum and variety to your training. Those who have watched a video three times in the online phase look forward to a different method the fourth time – for example, a visual prompt.
3. Proximity
The third reason why digital media make your training more sustainable: Especially with "selfie" videos, you create a proximity in online support that would not be possible with simple texts. With short videos and also through surveys or small quizzes, your participant feels personally accompanied by you – and not just participating in an E-Learning from a test tube!
4. Media training
A fourth benefit is media training, which your participants automatically engage in during the online phase. Sooner or later, the point will come when you can no longer personally answer questions and problems. In the long term, every participant must learn to develop solutions independently.
This is exactly where using different media helps: For example, use external videos or incorporate articles from websites that you trust. This way, your participant will also know afterwards how and where to inform themselves.
Check out this entertaining video by Joe Sabia and test how a short video changes your feeling while reading this article:
Media with Blended Learning: Modern technology makes it simply possible
As you can see in the video, the idea of storytelling for knowledge transfer has not changed. New media continually enable new forms of learning. With the blended learning method, you hit the nerve of the times: Instead of thoughtlessly jumping on the trendsetter E-Learning, you use each format exactly as it works best.
Do not forego the important personal encounter with your participants, but use modern techniques and media for sustainable support! Just like trainer Nicole Mast (www.menschtraining.de), who used to think little of E-Learning. Nowadays, with blended learning, she has not only found a method that fits her approach but has also realized that modern technology is not rocket science:
The technology has become better, simpler, and more reliable. (…) I can create videos or podcasts – this was already possible several years ago, but not in the quality I can now offer as a trainer.
Tip: Read more about Nicole's experience with blended learning in our interview "I used to be skeptical about E-Learning".
Spending time with her daughter has shown Nicole Mast how important digital media are for learning now and will increasingly be in the future. Young people are already learning a lot through YouTube videos and are utilizing the breadth of the Internet for their research. Your role as a trainer, consultant, or coach will increasingly become that of a curator, consuming, selecting, and preparing various sources for your participants.
Examples: How to use media in your online support
Now I have presented some reasons why you should use various digital media in your online support. How you can concretely envision this implementation, I want to show you through some examples.
Example Video
The video is the classic and a perennial favorite among digital media – even in blended learning. The aforementioned proximity between you and your participants can be particularly well generated with the medium of (selfie) video:
1. Example video in blended learning: Setting the mood before the next face-to-face event using a selfie video and displayed basic information.
But you can also successfully incorporate videos from others, such as from well-known speakers or scientists, into your online support. Try not to see these as competition, but as a valuable addition to your training! In the end, you will appear much more professional if you also refer to other individuals:
2. Example video in blended learning: Introduction to a new concept using a TED Talk video by the founder.
Example Image
Are you wondering why you should use a still image when you could also use a video? Variety is key! A single image can be very helpful for completely new methods in online support. For example, have your participants list all associations they have with an image in the comment section through a brainstorming session.
Or you can simply use the image medium for formal matters and show your participants how the next seminar will take place or what they should bring.
Example image in blended learning: Engaging through an association task. This way, your participants become active and exchange ideas in the comment section.
Example Text
A text may seem dry compared to the other media, but the same applies: variety provides fun in learning and strengthens sustainability. Additionally, you can use texts in your online support in various ways. For example, share a short story, upload a PDF with instructions, or summarize the key points from the last seminar.
You can certainly use a text in an in-person training session. However, this is probably not the suitable place for this medium: Reading takes time and concentration, which everyone needs for themselves – and which is therefore better utilized in the self-learning phase than in the seminar.
Example text in blended learning: Embed a PDF in your online support and briefly explain it with additional text. You can also offer your PDF for download.
Example Quiz
A quiz or also a survey or test are great ways to bring variety and fun into your blended learning. Moreover, you gain valuable insights for further learning units through the answers.
Tip: Do not limit yourself with the quiz medium to the classic happy sheet! While you can certainly ask your participants after your training how they felt about blended learning, a short quiz can also help you identify any difficulties and take corrective actions in good time. Your customers will be thrilled!
More detailed tips on the quiz topic can be found in the article Quiz, Survey, Test: How to succeed in an interactive online support
Example quiz in blended learning: Casually check on what has been learned so far. You can use the evaluations for upcoming events and online impulses.
In addition to the media just presented, you can naturally incorporate more into your blended learning – for example, by linking to a podcast or uploading an audio file directly. I have shown you how you can use each medium through a few examples.
You can find even more methods in our rocket pack, the card game for blended learning. Learn more about the rocket pack and how the 40 cards with 40 methods for blended learning can help you!
