Balancing In-Person and Online Training Sessions

Recently, a client sought my expertise in revamping their leadership programming, transitioning from a fully synchronous series of classes to a more scalable and flexible approach. 🔍 Need Guidance? Here's the roadmap we navigated: ✅ Define Your Desired Outcome: Identify the purpose behind your leadership training. Is it to ensure compliance, disseminate information, provide entertainment, or foster engagement? Your answer shapes the ideal delivery method (note: "ideal" is key here). ✅ Motto: Pull Together, Push Apart: Tailor your approach based on the desired level of interaction. If it's about compliance or information sharing (the 'Push Apart' scenario), consider asynchronous, technology-driven methods like Loom videos or LMS classes. Reserve synchronous moments for activities that require employee buy-in, behavior change, or ownership ('Pull Together'). ✅ Prioritize Need over Structure: When opting for in-person or synchronous learning, ensure it aligns with specific needs such as: - Building relationships - Processing information interactively - Discussing or applying learning to real-world scenarios - Gaining diverse perspectives 📊 From onboarding to offsite events, training sessions, or town hall gatherings, make synchronous time more impactful by strategically integrating asynchronous learning. This not only enhances effectiveness but also streamlines the overall learning experience.

The split between in-person and digital learning is a faux choice. Pre-pandemic, I’d hear tech vendors tout that “classroom learning is dead.” Then, during COVID, we got a taste of L&D if that were true. Surprise. No one liked it. People craved interaction and collaboration. The minute organizations could congregate again, in-person L&D was back. I recently enjoyed chatting about IRL learning with Mike Martin, Founder of Praxis Learning. It’s not an either-or decision; they can and should coexist for maximum impact in modern L&D. Overindexing on either side could be a waste of time and resources. Mike points out that many organizations are myopic about what happens onsite for in-person learning. Then, when it’s over, everyone forgets about it. Mike says, “The mixed model is mixed model is where it’s at.” ▶️ Pre-work online 👥 In-person class 💻 Homework online It’s a holistic experience that crosses the online/offline continuum. The value is not in the medium. It’s the shared experience and learning from each other to drive outcomes. As a drummer, my favorite analogy is preparing for a gig. 1️⃣Study the music at home (HW). 2️⃣Practice together (in-person team learning).  3️⃣Practice some more (HW). 4️⃣Then play the gig (outcome). Bringing a large group of people from disparate geographies together is expensive. So, the key to successfully blending IRL and online is understanding how to maximize the time spent together in person. It’s more efficient for orientation learning to happen digitally. Whereas collaboration and interaction should take place in person. What’s your experience with in-person learning?

Last quarter I ran a hybrid workshop where our co-located team dominated the conversation and our remote colleagues went radio-silent. I realized my setup and approach (camera pointing in the room, no set meeting protocols) were effectively muting half the group. Studies show that without explicit turn-taking structures, remote participants speak up 30% less than in-room attendees. When you find yourself facilitating a hybrid meeting (of any length), consider these tips: ✅ Dual Facilitator Pairing: One in-room, one online. Each person watching for hand-raises and chat cues. ✅ Virtual First Round-Robin: Start each topic by asking a remote attendee for input first. ✅ Shared Digital Whiteboard: Everyone posts ideas in real time, no physical flipcharts. Give the virtual group the first chance to speak before going to the room. You’ll be surprised how quickly the energy shifts. What’s your hybrid meeting hack? Drop it below! 👇 #Facilitation #HybridWork #InclusiveMeetings #VirtualCollaboration #MeetingTips Sutey Coaching & Consulting ---------- 🎯 Want to elevate your hybrid meetings? Let's chat: https://lnkd.in/gGJjcffw