As the world is adapting to the new normal we have developed a modular online highly interactive workshop to assist us all in this new normal. Given that we can suddenly have certain groups of staff isolating for a period of time we now have the ability to put them on engaging training. So how did this online workshop come into being?
In these interesting times, the world has moved online as businesses fulfill this need in any manner they can. I resisted this for a very long time as I do not want to be someone who is just creating more noise in an already overcrowded space. However, I was due to deliver essential training to a large group of people socially distanced in a massive hall with a large high screen. This had all been agreed upon and was considered critical by the powers that be.
The afternoon prior to this, which was a Sunday, the boss rang me as there were a couple of staff uncomfortable with meeting under the current guidelines. This is something I can understand given we all have personal reasons why we would prefer not to get sick, we all need to adapt to the new normal and that may need to be through technology online.
Luckily, as I had recently qualified in facilitating a system that can be delivered wholly online if need be, I was able to swing those new skills into action. I created in a matter of hours a version of what we were delivering that could be delivered in a virtual way with a large amount of participant interactivity. As we all know participant engagement is something that is difficult when you can be competing for the attention of someone's social media, the dog needing to go out, email etc.
This also means we cannot do an entire day of screen interactive training and expect great results. Therefore I made the online section 1/2 a day and produced a worksheet for those on the other half of the group. An interesting point here is that participants who had done the worksheet in the morning often commented on how good it was to have seen some related content prior to the workshop.
And so we had a surprising number of online feedback forms filled in. The content and method of delivery causing a swell of positive responses. As an outcome from word of mouth, I have been asked if I can do something bespoke for three other customers and approached by someone who used to work for the original service who has asked me to deliver the online workshop covering slightly different content to a new staff group.
It remains to be seen how this method of interaction comes over with a group of staff who have never met me. That is going to be interesting. There are however a karge number of testimonials on the workshop page.
I have finally put this online as a course and have decided to make it modular in nature meaning that the attention span of the average participant to a screen is not going to be all day. Each section can be a slightly or completely different subject. Starting with ACT does seem to have a positive effect on people especially coming to understand others feel a similar way to themselves.
