7 Reasons To Host An Online Training Event

7 Reasons To Host An Online Training Event
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Summary: Organizations around the globe, including countless Fortune 500 companies, are now offering online training events for your corporate learners. This can probably be attributed to the fact that it such an effective and engaging tool, particularly when it comes to dispersing knowledge to a distributed workforce. In this article, I'll share 7 convincing arguments for why your next training event should be online.

7 Reasons You Should Host An Online Training Event

An online training event features a live instructor or facilitator who interacts directly with the audience. In many cases, learners have the opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions, and communicate with their remote peers by using a web conferencing platform. Unlike webinars, online training events typically feature online activities, assessments, and collaborative projects that engage employees on a more meaningful level. Here are the top 7 reasons why you may want to think about hosting an online training event.

1. Reduces On-Site Training Time

Your employees can be anywhere in the world and still participate in the online training event. It also allows them to gather a significant amount of information at once, which means decreased on-site training time. This is one of the primary reasons why you should plan your online training event well in advance and only include the key takeaways. Keep in mind that it's a distilled version of your online training course and offers corporate learners all of the need-to-know info quickly and conveniently.

2. Reduces Training Costs

Say farewell to trainer fees, including hotel accommodations, flights, and other travel expenses, printed training material expenses, and room rentals. With online training events, your instructors and facilitators can reach out to your entire distributed workforce from across the globe. You also won't have to allocate countless payroll hours to the training session, as employees won't have to commute to a physical location and it offers them training in a fraction of time.

3. Encourages Group Participation

Employees are usually more willing to participate in an online training event, due to the fact that they can control the online training environment and aren't feeling judged by their peers. Think of it this way: sitting behind a computer or mobile device allows them to simply type in their thoughts and opinions. This removes the fear of being criticized by those around them, as is sometimes the case with on-site training events. They can also create the ideal setting that is free of distractions, and make themselves comfortable during the online training session. All of these things increase employee motivation and engagement, which always leads to more effective online discussions.

4. Offers A Wide Range Of Online Training Activities

An online training event can feature a vast assortment of online training activities, assessments, and multimedia elements. As a result, it caters to a wide range of learning needs and preferences. Auditory learners can benefit from lectures and virtual presentations, while kinesthetic learners have the opportunity to participate in branching scenarios and simulations that are more tactile in nature. Research your target audience to determine which activities provide them with the most value, and then figure out how you can cohesively integrate them into your online training event.

5. Recorded Online Training Events Can Be Repurposed

Online training events don't necessarily have to be live, in the sense that you can record them and integrate them into your online training course design. You can also send the video link to employees who were unable to attend the online training event so that they can still reap the benefits of the online training session and don't feel excluded. If possible, ask those participants to send in questions and suggestions in advance so that you can address them during the online training event. Post the video on your social media pages, such as Facebook and YouTube, to make it widely available to your corporate audience.

6. Easy To Adapt And Scale Based On Your Organization's Needs

There may be last minute information that you need to discuss with your corporate learners. Including these pieces of data into your online training course design would require revising the online training content and then deploying it to your employees. However, you can easily add them to your list of topics right before you host your online training event. This gives you the ability to offer your corporate learners up-to-date information that they can use on the job. Share breaking industry news, introduce and market new products, or highlight trends that they may find useful.

7. Increases Employee Satisfaction

Employees who have the knowledge and skills they need to take care of business are happier and more satisfied with their jobs. A synchronous online training event is one of the most effective ways to disburse information and interact directly with your corporate learners. Instead of simply participating in an asynchronous online training course or watching an online presentation, they can communicate with the online instructor and their peers in a meaningful way. This makes them feel as though their voices are being heard and that their opinions actually matter to the organization. A boost in employee satisfaction leads to an increase in retention rates, improved training ROI, and more productive staff members. In short, it benefits all parties involved.

Online training events usually involve a significant amount of time, planning, and resources. However, it can be a cost-efficient and effective alternative to on-site instruction, especially if you have remote employees who are unable to attend face-to-face training events on a regular basis.

Before you can receive any of these benefits you must find the perfect tool for the job. Read the article Top 10 Web Conferencing Software Tools For eLearning Professionals to discover web conferencing platforms that give you the power to reach out to your audience.