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Most of us are familiar with the virtual classroom and remote work. While many of us miss the face-to-face interaction of a traditional instructor- led training setting, the virtual classroom (VC) is here to stay. If you haven’t attended a virtual course, or it’s been a while, I’d like to share a few tips to help you prepare for your VC experience. Here at Langevin, our goal is to set our clients up for success by preparing them as much as possible for their upcoming virtual adventure!
Arrive early
Just as you would in a traditional classroom setting, we ask that you arrive to the virtual classroom 10-15 minutes early. This gives your VC producer a chance to get you settled in and sort out any technical issues that may come up before the session begins. A smooth start to the session will help you stay focused on the content and free from distractions.
Do your pre-course work
Once you’ve registered for your virtual workshop, we typically assign some sort of pre-course work or reading to complete before the first session. Make sure you complete it, so you are up to speed with what the facilitator is talking about. This will also ensure you don’t have to catch up on the spot and miss part of the presentation.
Download documents
During each session of the workshop, you will be asked to follow along in a participant manual. Make sure you have it downloaded or printed, and that you’ve looked it over before the session begins to avoid any delay or confusion. The participant manual will be an integral part of your intersession assignments.
Ask questions
The last tip I have is a big one. Do yourself a favor and ask questions if you have them! Do not shy away because you think it’s a “dumb” question. No question is a bad one if it helps you gain clarity and succeed. Chances are, someone else in the group has the same question! We love questions in our virtual classrooms. If we can’t answer your question immediately, we’ll put it on the “parking lot” and circle back to it at the end of the session.
These are just a few of my favorite tips for getting the biggest bang for your buck when attending one of our virtual courses. I love seeing our clients’ progress throughout the course. If you log in early, complete the pre-course work, download the necessary documents, and ask questions, these are sure fire ways to make your life easier as a participant.
Do you have anything you’d like to add? Feel free to leave a comment and share some of your tried-and-true tips on how to prepare for virtual classroom training.
And while you’re here, why not have a look at some of our VC workshops like The Virtual Trainer and The Virtual Classroom Producer? Now that you have some quick tips for the VC, you’re all set for your first experience!
