Here’s what I’m learning about how to make people better leaders and communicators virtually:
- Keep it short. Attention spans are incredibly short. I boiled down the essentials of a three-hour time management course into seven five-minute videos. Here’s a sample from Pocket Tools, my full online course, where you can pick and choose what you want to learn, as you need it. Read my other top insights on how to teach online on my blog.
- Break it up. Remember about short attention spans? (Of course not!) I’m continually shortening what I say and what I show in slides and also opting for something interactive: polls, breakout rooms, chat boxes, interactive tools like Mural. Last week, I had teams read case studies and jointly answer online quizzes in an online course for difficult conversations.
- Repeat it. I’m amazed at how many times I need to revisit a topic for it to sink in. People are overwhelmed and too distracted to really focus. Give it time, keep it simple, and repeat the message until it clicks. Use email reminders between classes.
- Get feedback. I’ve become a big fan of polls to help me understand my audience, quiz people to see if they understand concepts, and check to see if they are making incremental progress in applying the concepts between classes.
- Encourage peer learning. A study by American University found that people learn more from experience and peers than other methods. In my difficult-conversation class, I encourage people to talk to each other outside of class to build a strong culture.
Recent Comments