Conducting Blended Learning entirely online – does it work? Michael Witzke, Managing Director at blink.it, participated in a training with an online presence phase and shares his experiences from a participant's perspective:
About the person: Michael Witzke is the Managing Director at blink.it and an expert in digital training formats. He has been giving talks on the topic of Blended Learning and video recording for online courses at events like Learntec for years, and he regularly participates in training sessions that mix in-person and online formats.
You attended an online Blended Learning course last week on the topic of OKR (Objectives and Key Results), where the presence phase was also digital. Was this format planned from the beginning?
No, this emerged from the Corona crisis. An in-person meeting with 16 participants was simply not possible. It was planned from the outset that there would be a preparatory online course before the in-person session. In the online course, we absorbed the theory of OKRs. This fit perfectly with my experience: You don’t need to convey theory in person anymore! For me, it was very cool because I could directly relate the topic to our practice at blink.it.
How did the live session go and what content was covered?
Overall, there were 8 hours in the video session, a normal seminar day. During the live part, there was a one-hour wrap-up on the content from the online course to bring all participants to the same level of knowledge. Unfortunately, some participants did not complete the preparation. Then there was an hour of in-depth theory. Afterwards, we actually did practical exercises.
How were the practical exercises realized online?
The exercises were conducted, like the entire session, via Zoom. On Zoom, there is the function “Break-Out Rooms”. This allows the moderator to divide the group into any smaller groups. Our task in the small groups was to apply the OKR theory directly to a topic. To visualize the results, we used the tool “Miro Board”. This led to some problems for the participants and took time, as not everyone was able to directly access the Miro Board.
The online training lasted for 8 hours. How did you find that as a participant?
As with a normal in-person session, there were of course breaks in between. Overall, I found it a bit more exhausting because I was much more focused than in a physical room, where there are simply more distractions from emails or other participants.
However, such an online training saves time: The in-person meeting would have been in Stuttgart. Of course, several hours of travel time would have added to that, which I didn’t have online.
If you had the opportunity to choose for your next training whether it should take place in person or online – what would you prefer?
I would do it online again. I saw many advantages, especially a significant time saving, and the learning effect is, from my point of view, not worse. I see this opportunity in all topics where I don’t necessarily need close contact, like this management topic.
However, if it were a soft topic, such as communication or personal development, where I need to interact strongly with the trainer or other participants, I would choose the true in-person setting.
What are your biggest learnings from the online Blended Learning that you would like to share with trainers?
First, check your technology beforehand! And don’t introduce too many new tools that require participants to register separately. Instead of using Miro Board, we could have simply utilized a shared document in Google Drive that everyone could access directly via link.
Second, as a trainer, pay attention to your speaking time! It is important for me as a trainer to be aware beforehand of how I can keep the group actively engaged online. A live online session is similar to a webinar, just potentially much longer. So make sure to actively involve your participants online to avoid losing their attention.
Third, make it clear to your participants how important the online course is! In our training, there were a few participants who did not complete the preparatory course. As a result, much theory had to be repeated during the online session. The commitment must be: ‘You MUST prepare, we will not do any repetition!’ Otherwise, you are penalizing participants who have thoroughly prepared and want to use the in-person time practically.
Did the Blended Learning with online presence cost as much as the originally planned in-person session?
Yes, and I find that perfectly fine from both the trainer's and participant's perspectives! After all, I saved time and costs for travel, as did the trainer. The service of the trainer working with us for 8 hours is identical. Many trainers think they cannot charge as much money for online offerings as for in-person sessions, but I believe that is wrong. As long as the quality is right, and the learning effect for the participants is there, trainers may charge the same fee for online training as for traditional in-person sessions!
Thank you, Michael, for the interesting insights.
You want to transition to digital formats like Blended Learning with online presence as a trainer and are not sure how to sell your online support to your participants or clients? Michael has already provided important pointers in the interview on how you can argue this. Additionally, we have compiled 7 strong sales arguments for your online support as a free PDF for you. Download it now and start your online training!
