Online, in-person, or hybrid? Continuing education during COVID-19 is difficult to plan, leading many trainers and coaches to justified uncertainty. We have learned from the last few years and have two helpful methods for you. After all, continuing education experts in 2022 must above all be one thing: flexible!

The COVID-19 crisis has shown the continuing education sector one key thing over the past one and a half years: Uncertainty is not only a risk and burden but also a breeding ground for new training methods! Initially, many self-employed trainers and coaches relied on short-term alternatives to in-person events to survive the “short crisis.” Now, in light of the fourth wave of COVID-19, it is becoming increasingly clear:

Uncertainty will be the new normal

Contact restrictions, lockdowns, or quarantines are just three of many events that can quickly render perfect training planning for 2022 ineffective. This leads to potentially high financial losses for training providers.
So how can you, as a continuing educator, address this uncertainty—and turn necessity into a virtue that remains with you in the long term?

Flexibility as an answer to planning uncertainty in continuing education

Companies that have weathered the crisis well display common characteristics:

“It was precisely those companies that quickly analyzed fundamental market data, mended gaps in their business models, and maintained their strategic direction who weathered the storm better.” (qbe)

Market analysis, adaptation, and strategic action have one thing in common: they offer more flexibility in the long run. And this flexibility is a significant advantage in achieving self-imposed goals even in uncertain times. After all, it doesn't benefit anyone to stick to a plan that is simply not feasible.

To remain successful in the coming year, you need flexibility in your offerings and formats. By experimenting, you can find new formats that work well for you and your clients and can stabilize and develop them further.

In Japan, there is an old saying about flexibility:

Be like the bamboo. Bow and bend gracefully as the wind demands, and you will never break.

The saying may sound cheesy, but it contains a lot of truth: Flexibility is a major advantage in uncertain times and helps in overcoming crises. Specifically for you as a trainer or coach: Plan your offerings as flexibly as possible from the start to be able to respond quickly and specifically in case of changes—minimizing the risk of losing fees and clients.

Two options for flexible training that provide planners and clients with security

Flexibility is the foundation for dealing with uncertainty in the coming year. How do you design training, coaching, and education to be as flexible as possible?

Two formats have proven particularly valuable before and during the COVID-19 crisis:

1. Utilize the combination: Blended Learning

“The combination of virtual learning and in-person learning will be the new normal in continuing education”, states the Haufe Academy in an interview for the magazine “Training Aktuell”. This statement perfectly captures why blended learning is the right choice for flexible and long-term successful planning:

Definition “Blended Learning”: In-person learning + E-Learning = Blended Learning
→ More on the info page “Blended Learning in practice”

Even before the crisis, blended learning was a “rising star” in continuing education. However, there is no longer a way around the combination of in-person and online learning. According to mmb Trendmonitor 2021, blended learning is an absolute MUST for the coming years, especially for trainers and coaches who target their offerings directly to companies.

The high approval also shows: Blended learning is expected to remain the most important and in-demand learning form even after the crisis. Shifting to blended offerings is therefore worthwhile in the long term.

A remaining uncertainty exists with blended learning: What to do if in-person phases are not possible, for example, in lockdown situations or with strict contact restrictions?

There is also a solution: Virtual Blended Learning moves your in-person appointments into the online world as well, for example, in the form of webinars or virtual training sessions. The high learning success remains due to the connection of personal support and self-learning phases.

2. Plan training and education as hybrid

Plan your offerings from the start as hybrid events to be able to respond to all circumstances. Often, blended learning and hybrid learning are used synonymously. However, they are two different models:

• Blended Learning integrates in-person and online in a fixed sequence. All participants are in the same format at the same time (either together on-site or individually online). The content is divided into in-person and online phases.

• Hybrid Learning offers online and in-person simultaneously. Participants can freely choose whether to participate online or on-site. The content is identical in both formats.

A detailed overview can be found here: Hybrid Learning vs. Blended Learning: Know the difference!

A hybrid concept not only offers full flexibility for your planning but also for all participants:

• Your content is identical in both formats, so there is no disadvantage in participating purely digitally. You can set a uniform training fee: The price is identical, regardless of whether your training takes place on-site or online, as the content and learning effect are the same!

• Even at the time of booking, clients can choose whether they prefer to participate on-site or online. This allows you to be flexible and reassure your clients even before the start.

• If in-person participation is not possible, you can quickly and without additional effort switch to a pure online version, similar to virtual blended learning (see above) — after all, everything is already set up, and all participants knew that this alternative existed.

Conclusion: Be flexible in planning now—and remain so long-term

Uncertainty affects us all. However, by now, the possible scenarios that can influence your training or coaching are largely known. If you focus on maximum flexibility from the outset by using blended or hybrid approaches in planning, uncertainty can even become a new concept that remains successful even after the crisis.