Online support for soft skill training ensures sustainable learning transfer. However, we often hear one question from trainers: How can I get my participants to regularly engage with the topic online? Over the years, we have collected some best practices that you can use to demand online activity from your participants.
When you combine in-person training with an online course, you benefit from the best of both worlds in the form of blended learning. One of the many advantages: During live training or on-site classroom sessions, you have more time for personal support. Before, after – and during multi-week events, also in between – your participants can continue learning on their own, when and where they want. You as the trainer determine the how – meaning the material and the framework conditions for these self-study phases – in advance.
Exactly these framework conditions are important if you want to keep your participants on track even outside of face-to-face support. After all, you want to be able to assume that all participants actually consume your online content. They should do prepared exercises and watch your short videos. Only when all participants are at a similar level can you get the absolute best out of your in-person training.
Three methods for active participation in your online course
Fundamentally, there are three methods to get participants to consume your online content:
The nice method: Added value
Through positive reinforcement, you can usually motivate people better than through negative reinforcement or punishment. Use this for your training by offering additional added value.
How to use added value: How about if participants who complete the entire online course receive an extra benefit? For example, you could offer one-on-one coaching following your course. A certificate of completion for diligent participants is also conceivable. If you plan this added value from the very beginning, you can make the appropriate arrangements with your client and thus motivate your participants to stay on track online as well.
The practical method: Reminders
In our packed daily schedules, we all sometimes forget things we actually wanted to do. Ensure that your participants regularly participate in your online course by sending them friendly reminders.
How to use reminders: The easiest way here is a kind of newsletter that you send out by email. In it, you refer to the current tasks in the course and explain to your participant as broadly as possible what they have to do, when, why, and how – and how much time they should plan for it.
The most effective method: Coercion
We only advise you to use the coercion method if the other two options are out of the question for your training or if they do not work well. If you build your training on coercion, your participants must complete the online course to participate in your training.
How to use coercion: Integrate an exam at the end of your online course that your participants must pass. Anyone who has not followed the course sufficiently will therefore fail and receive no official certificate of participation.
The crucial point in blended learning: A good connection
You will probably focus on one of the three mentioned methods in your training. A mix is also conceivable, for example, if you combine optional learning units with those that are necessary to pass the course.
Connection is a good keyword. Blended learning is, after all, based on connecting multiple learning methods with one another. The better the connection, the better the blended learning!
Best practices for trainers: Keeping participants active online
Through our daily contact with many trainers, consultants, and coaches, we have gathered some best practices on how you can keep your participants active online. In addition to the three fundamental methods mentioned, I will show you seven more tips on how to keep your participation active online:
Overview: 7 tips on how to keep your participants on track in the online course
Formulate a clear expectation
Make binding commitments yourself
Keep it short
Do not demand participation too frequently
Build good transitions between in-person and online
Build good transitions within your online course
Build good transitions to the participant's daily work routine
Self-determined work in an online course requires a certain amount of self-discipline from your participants. Make active participation easier for them with a few simple tricks.
Below I will go into detail on all seven tips so that you can get a good picture of each.
Formulate a clear expectation
This tip is rightfully in first place. Your participants' expectations should match your own at all times. Everyone involved must agree on when and how the next task should be completed.
Whether in live training or in online learning units, always remember to formulate a clear call to action. An example: "Watch the video now and take three minutes to answer the question asked in it in the comment section."
Make binding commitments yourself
As a trainer, you are the best role model in the training – if you make commitments yourself, your participants are also more willing to do so. For example, assure them that no learning unit requires more than seven minutes of processing time. This lowers the threshold for your participants to dedicate themselves to your online course between individual tasks in their daily work routine.
Keep it short
Yes, we at blink.it are fans of short learning units and fully support the microlearning method. For good reason: small learning nuggets offer a clear focus. Your participants will also be more motivated to spend five minutes on a short unit (for example, consisting of a video + call to action) than to engage with a longer text for sixty minutes. Makes sense, right?
Do not demand participation too frequently
In addition to short learning units, we advise you not to "tear" your participants out of their daily work routine too frequently. We cannot give you a general number at this point – because that highly depends on the shape of your training. Just try out what works best for you! As long as you remain attentive enough and, for example, regularly ask your participants if your email reminders about the online training are the right frequency, you are on the right track.
Build good transitions between in-person and online
Harsh breaks between your live training and the online content are counterproductive. Link both parts in such a way that the participant perceives your blended learning as a single unit. So at the end of your in-person training, refer to the online course and clearly explain how it continues for everyone. In the online course, you can in turn refer back to the in-person training and, for example, remind them of the place and time, or build anticipation with mysterious announcements.
Tip: Use the last few minutes of your in-person training to talk together about the schedule of the online support. For this, you can also specifically ask your participants to pull out their calendars directly and set appointments to work on the online tasks. Remember here too to point out a short processing time.
Your participant should clearly notice that it is not just any online course. Therefore, remain transparent, show yourself in videos, and be present in discussions in the comment section. When you as a trainer show that you are actively involved, it also motivates your participants.
Build good transitions within your online course
You should also ensure a good connection between individual learning units. The structure of your online course is important so that your participant knows at all times where they currently stand and what they have to do next.
You can ensure this on the one hand technically and on the other hand content-wise. We at blink.it have solved the technical connection in such a way that you as a trainer can set when the next learning unit should be unlocked for each unit. This makes it possible that your participant might only see a single learning unit at the beginning and the course is unlocked bit by bit.
But you should also ensure good transitions content-wise. For example, regularly build in short selfie videos where you "meet" the participants at their current learning progress and refer them to the next task. Important: Also remember the participant's expectations mentioned above and clearly communicate how long your participant will need for the next step and when they should complete it.
Build good transitions to the participant's daily work routine
You realize that transitions and connections are enormously important in blended learning. In addition to transitions within your training, you shouldn't forget that your participants may have an intense daily work routine that occupies them for most of the day. Their minds are then busy with other things. A smooth transition is useful here as well.
You can achieve this, for example, by involving the participants' management level whenever possible. Anyone who knows that their boss is on board is probably more motivated to stay on track in the online training. Moreover, this method reinforces the importance of your training itself. Another extra tip for rocket-pack users: You can find out how to get your boss on board with card 8!
blink.it practical tips: How to keep your participants on track online
In addition to theoretical queries in the online course, build in a practical test outside of your regular training. This method is particularly suitable for communication training. For example, during presentation training, ask them to record their next professional presentation and send it to you for professional feedback. This is an enormous additional service on your part that you can easily sell in agreement with your client as added value for particularly motivated participants.
Are you worried that your announcements in the newsletter won't be read? Keep it short here too, and above all, regular! Send your emails in an easy-to-read, standard format so that your participants know what to expect. For example: "3 practical tips of the week" or "My reading recommendation of the week".
Those were our most important methods and best practices on how you can encourage your participants to actively take part. You can find more tips on the topic of blended learning and getting started with your online support in our Guide to Blended Learning.
Are you already a pro in blended learning and have more tips? Then share them with us in the comment section!
