You found our list of creative virtual training ideas for remote employees.
Virtual training ideas are activities that will enhance the learning experience for remote workers. Examples include storytelling, live lessons, and microlearning. These activities promote a smooth experience and maximize engagement between virtual learners. The right virtual training ideas will foster fun and improve employee relations.
These tips are a subset of professional development ideas and are similar to corporate workshops and online learning platforms. These activities are professional variations of online classroom ideas.
This list includes:
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- virtual training games for adults
- work from home training ideas for employees
- online training session ideas
- virtual training icebreakers
Let’s get to it!
List of virtual training ideas for remote employees
As distance learning continues to grow at a remarkable rate, companies get to enjoy the benefits of virtual training. However, keeping your team engaged during virtual training can be a challenge. Participants may miss in-person interactions with their peers or struggle with distractions amid lessons. From discussion boards to virtual lunch sessions and robust assessments, here is a list of the best ideas for remote workers’ virtual training.
1. Active Learning
One of the most effective online training session ideas for remote employees is incorporating active learning. The idea is an effective and faster way of teaching since learners are directly engaged in learning. Active learning also introduces a social element in your training and promotes real-time interactions.
Examples of active learning ideas:
- Group discussions
- Case studies
- Quizzes
- Q & A sessions
The lack of real-time interactions could lead to a lag in response which can kill the momentum of virtual learning. On the other hand, active learning in your virtual classes can help develop a sense of community among workers. These ideas will also spark new insights, help form new relationships, and clarify ideas.
2. Discussion Boards
Discussion boards are a clever way to maximize participation among virtual learners. Discussion boards provide an interactive and visible space for employees to connect socially and academically. You could opt for an asynchronous setting where learners interact with each other, process the learning materials, and form a community. We advise that you structure your discussions to allow every employee to participate. For example, rather than having one discussion board for 100 employees, you could have smaller groups of less than 20 participants. To expand interaction, you could rotate employees in the different discussion groups. Also, be keen on discussion prompts or formats that create an interactive learning environment.
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3. Storytelling
As one of the most effective and powerful online training session ideas, storytelling is an excellent choice of virtual training ideas for remote employees. Besides simplifying the trainer’s work, storytelling also resonates with audiences and improves information retention. You could even create stories with video, animation, or audio.
Storytelling tips for the highest level of impact:
- Capture the audience’s attention
- Easy to understand
- Spark the listener’s emotion
- Have relatable lessons
By turning information into a relatable story, workers can interact and connect logically with the lessons. You can also use interactive storytelling learning sessions to improve your team’s communication skills, boost creativity, and increase learners’ attention spans.
4. Cohort-Based Learning
Cohort-based learning is a great choice of virtual training that will promote collaboration and teamwork. In this approach, remote workers will take and complete the course simultaneously. The best way to run cohort-based learning for workers is through individual and group learning. For instance, you could provide learning materials for workers to review independently. Then, let employees meet over group discussions and complete the peer-to-peer exercises.
To run an online cohort-based learning, the first step would be to determine how long it would take for your employees to complete the course. You can then plan the course content and include group work, slide presentations, or live feedback sessions. A great tip is recording your live sessions to ensure employees can access the content even after the lessons.
5. Virtual Lunch
If you are hosting day-long training, then a virtual team lunch is a great choice of work from home training ideas for employees. For this fun activity, you could give each employee meal cards. Then, host your training and let workers join Zoom during lunch hour. Employees are free to get together and socialize outside a learning atmosphere.
You could even host fun food-themed activities such as:
- Recipe sharing
- Food-based culture talks
- Birthday or holiday lunch celebrations
- Food tasting
- Cooking classes
A virtual lunch is a great way to build team morale, break the ice among attendees, and strengthen employee engagement.
Check out this list of virtual lunch and learn ideas and topics.
6. Live Lessons
Virtual training can take place in different forms. For example, as a tutor, you could send notes or video guides to your employees. However, if you want to create engaging sessions and foster engagement, then you could consider live lessons.
For instance, if you are using Zoom, then you could let the learners present their work through the screen-sharing feature. Another option for live lessons on Zoom is the whiteboard feature that allows students to brainstorm ideas and summarise the lesson. You can then share the feedback with the entire team members.
These sessions will enable learners to engage with the tutor and provide vital feedback about the lessons. You can even host regular Q & A sessions that create an avenue for the identification of possible learning gaps. Live lessons may be necessary, especially for training that requires active practice in front of other participants.
7. A Buddy System
Virtual group projects can be a struggle. Rather than forming large teams, you could let workers pair up into micro-groups. You can pair workers according to their geographical locations or capabilities. For instance, if you have workers across the globe, then pairing employees from different regions may promote inclusion in the workplace. For example, if using Zoom, then you can use the Breakout option to form smaller groups. These small groups will relieve the stress of working in large teams.
8. Aliens Have Landed!
The Aliens Have Landed idea is a good bet if you are looking for fun virtual training games for adults. The premise of Aliens Have Landed begins with an imagination that aliens have landed on earth.
Instructions:
- Start by grouping employees into small teams of up to five participants
- Tell participants that the aliens want to learn more about your company
- Each group will find five images that describe your organization
Workers will gather pictures of your company’s history, culture, products, or workforce and share them online. The Aliens Have Landed activity is a great way to foster bonding among workers before virtual training.
9. Diverse Content Mix
Since every learner takes in information differently, using the same content mix may not work for every employee, especially in a virtual setting. We advise tutors to use different content ideas that will accommodate the needs of every participant. For instance, you may have workers who have difficulties understanding concepts from books. Sending written materials to such learners may not be the ideal learning setting. Other participants may prefer texts they can reread instead of audio-visual presentations.
Examples:
- Videos- Videos will create a sense of in-person learning and also capture learners’ attention
- Voiceovers- Voiceover presentations will guide learners while giving their eyes a rest. This idea also allows tutors to replace text-heavy slides with diagrams and images without interfering with the content
- Web e-learning- Learners can access vital information from the web in their free time
A diverse content mix will make presentations more engaging. These ideas will also guide learners and boost their attention.
10. Branching Scenario
A branching scenario is a training idea that allows learners to take a driving seat in decision-making. Thus, workers can weigh the consequences before making a decision. For this approach, you could start by immersing learners in a story. However, rather than completing the story and the outcomes, you can let employees make decisions that will guide the story. The branching scenario virtual learning activity will also help employees learn through a trial-and-error approach in a safe environment. You can even carry out your branching scenario through text or audio-based settings.
11. Microlearning
Microlearning is the delivery of information in small bits or short-term learning activities. This approach focuses on small relevant learning information that typically does not exceed ten minutes. You can opt for different forms such as videos, images, text, or games. Some of the benefits that microlearning offers virtual learners are flexibility and ease of delivery. This virtual training idea also boosts engagement and knowledge retention. However, microlearning may not be suitable for companies that want to train their employees in complex concepts.
12. Icebreakers
If you are looking for fun virtual training icebreakers, then you should incorporate icebreakers in your sessions. These activities can liven up participants before, during, or after the training. For instance, starting the lessons with fun icebreakers will liven the mood and encourage workers’ participation.
Examples of icebreakers:
- Two truths one lie- participants will state three statements and let other colleagues guess the two factual statements and the one lie
- Fun Fact- Every participant will mention one fun fact about themselves
- Never have I ever- Each player will mention an activity they have never done. Other participants who have never done the activity will send a laughing emoji
Icebreakers will ease the tension before your learning sessions and help workers to know each other better. The right choice of virtual games will enable participants to interact more freely and foster teamwork.
For inspiration, check out this list of virtual icebreakers for work.
13. The Active Listening Challenge
One of the best ways that you can use to measure your team’s attentiveness during virtual learning is through the active listening challenge. For this hilarious activity, you will request every attendee to make a small signboard with the ‘I am listening phrase.’ The team leader can raise the signboard at set intervals or if participants’ engagement diminishes. The last participant to raise their signboard loses the competition. You can keep track of how many times every participant loses.
14. Virtual Gallery Walks
Virtual gallery walks are great training ideas you can use after completing online courses. For this idea, you can give employees a simple project related to the training topic. Then, once every employee completes their project, let participants critique each other’s work and provide feedback. For instance, you can use platforms such as Google Drive where participants can send their projects for other players to review. . You could also gamify the virtual gallery walks by offering rewards for the best presentation.
15. Scenario-Based Learning
Scenario-based learning is one of the best work from home training ideas for employees. With this idea, tutors use real-life scenarios to deliver lessons to participants. For instance, if you are hosting a sales training, then you could play roleplaying games where players mimic customers and sellers. As a trainer, your task will be to guide learners and provide feedback during every step. This type of virtual training idea is suitable for lessons that enable learners to simulate real-life experiences in their work. Scenario-based learning is also an excellent option for companies looking for interactive virtual training ideas.
16. The Sponge Game
The Sponge Game is a great activity to use during virtual training breaks. The activity requires no special tools and only takes a few minutes. You can start by requesting each participant to grab a random item within their reach. Then, give each player 30 seconds to narrate a story and another 60 seconds to share the most exaggerated story about the item. While the Sponge Game seems simple, it will push participants outside their comfort zones during virtual training sessions. The Sponge Game is a fun activity that will boost your team’s creativity and build the team’s communication skills.
17. The Guessing Game
The Guessing Game is a fantastic choice for event facilitators looking for adult virtual training games. Workers will be able to discover each other’s interests and know each other better.
Instructions:
- Set a 30-seconds timer and let each employee develop five topic ideas.
- Participants will list the topics starting with the ‘things that’ phrase. For instance, players can list things they hate or eat in the morning.
- Choose one player to read the prompts and let each participant send their answers through a private message
- The facilitator will read out the questions and the answer and give players 30 seconds to guess the workers who wrote the answers
The facilitator could also keep polls for each correct answer and announce the winner at the end of the activity.
Here are more guessing games for work.
18. Robust Assessments
Robust assessments, the process of gathering information on what learners know, are crucial virtual learning tips for employees. Tutors get to assess the level of understanding and get insights on potential focus areas. Robust assessments will also help to measure whether the course meets the employees’ learning needs.
Examples of assessment ideas:
- Essay questions
- Online quizzes
- Online surveys
- Games such as trivia
- Elevator pitches where learners point out key takeaways from the day’s lessons
Robust assessments will also foster engagement between learners and teachers.
Here is a list of online quiz games.
Conclusion
Virtual training is an excellent alternative to in-person lessons. Workers can access lessons from any location while companies save on venue costs. However, teams often rely on human connection, which can be challenging to build during virtual lessons. Thus, training facilitators must ensure that they create an interactive learning experience promoting collaboration between teams. Interactive experiences will help workers connect easily and increase participants’ engagement.
Read about the importance of professional development and books about training.
