As a trainer, coach, or consultant, you want to support your participants towards success in a sustainable way. With the blended learning method, you are on a good path to achieve this. We will show you why multimedia 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 first arises in my mind when I think about the umbrella term "digital media": Is it not just modern frippery? After all, exclusively analog training worked well in the past. So why not continue as before?

The world is changing, and digitization has long become the norm. A primary reason for using digital media is therefore obvious: Your clients will increasingly demand it. This is a compelling reason to at least engage with the topic of digital media and digital training.

However, pure external presentation is not a good impulse giver: After all, you want to make your training truly 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 that sounds – enjoyment in learning is a crucial point, especially for adults. In classes with children, the topic of fun is constantly present. However, adults also learn significantly better when they are having fun! 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 the topic of fun: Monotonous learning is boring, and motivation quickly decreases, especially in the self-learning phase. Different media, on the other hand, bring momentum and variety to your training. After watching a video three times in the online phase, participants look forward to a different method on the fourth time – for example, a picture 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. Through short videos, as well as through surveys or small quizzes, your participant feels personally guided 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 partake in during the online phase. After all, sooner or later, there will be a point where you can no longer personally answer questions and problems. In the long run, every participant needs to learn to develop solutions independently.

This is precisely where the use of various media helps: For example, use external videos or include articles from websites you trust. This way, your participant will also know how and where to find information after completing the training.

Check out this entertaining video by Joe Sabia and test how a short video changes your feelings while reading this article:

Media with Blended Learning: Modern technology makes it easy

As you can see in the video, the idea of storytelling for knowledge transfer has not changed. New media continuously 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.

Don’t miss out on 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 previously didn't think much of E-Learning. Meanwhile, she has found in blended learning not just a method that aligns with her approach, but has also realized that modern technology isn’t witchcraft:

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 offer today as a trainer.

Tip: Read more about Nicole's experience with blended learning in our interview, "I was once skeptical about E-Learning".

Engaging with her daughter has shown Nicole Mast how important digital media are in learning now and will become even more so in the future. Young people today learn a tremendous amount from YouTube videos and utilize the full range of the Internet for their research. Your role as a trainer, consultant, or coach increasingly becomes a curator, selecting and processing various sources for your participants.

Examples: How to use media in your online support

Now I have presented several reasons why you should use various digital media in your online support. I want to show you how you can concretely envision this implementation using some examples.

Example Video

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 created with the (selfie) video medium:

1. Example Video in Blended Learning: Getting into the mood before the next face-to-face event with the help of a selfie video and displayed basic information.

But you can also effectively incorporate videos from others, such as well-known speakers or scientists, into your online support. Try to see these not as competitors but as valuable complements to your training! In the end, you will come across as much more professional when you also refer to other people:

2. Example Video in Blended Learning: Introduction to a new concept using a TED Talk video from the founder.

Example Image

Are you wondering why you should use a still image when you could just use a video? The mix is what matters! A single image can be very helpful in online support for entirely new methods. For example, let your participants list all their associations related to an image in the comments section in the form of a brainstorming session.

Or you simply use the image medium for formal matters and show your participants how the next seminar will take place or what they should bring along.

Example Image in Blended Learning: Easing things up through an association task. This way, your participants become active and exchange ideas in the comments section.

Example Text

A text may seem dry among the other media, but here too: Variety ensures fun in learning and strengthens sustainability. Furthermore, 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 of the last seminar.

You can, of course, also use a text in face-to-face training. However, this is probably not the most suitable medium for that setting: Reading takes time and concentration, which each person needs for themselves – and which is therefore better utilized in the self-learning phase rather than in the seminar.

Example Text in Blended Learning: Include 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 even a survey or exam are great ways to bring variety and fun into your blended learning. Additionally, you gain valuable insights for further learning units through the answers.

Tip: Don't limit yourself with the quiz medium to the classic happy sheet! Although you can certainly ask participants how they experienced the blended learning after your training, a small quiz in between helps you identify any difficulties and make timely adjustments. Your clients will be thrilled!

More detailed tips on the topic of quizzes can be found in the article "Quiz, Survey, Exam: How to achieve interactive online support"

Example Quiz in Blended Learning: Lightheartedly assess 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 certainly incorporate additional ones into your blended learning – for example, linking to a podcast or directly uploading an audio file. How to use the media accordingly has been illustrated in 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!