Interact and Engage!: 50+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars

by Kassy LaBorie, Tom Stone

Overview

Convince your online participants to tune in—and get them to interact and engage.

Virtual classroom training is here to stay, and web and video conferencing is close to ubiquitous. Interact and Engage! offersproven strategies for captivating your live online audience. With more than 50 activities ranging from openers and icebreakers to closers, instructional design experts Kassy LaBorie and Tom Stone present a framework for igniting online training programs, meetings, and webinars.

Engaging online audiences can be difficult. This is true for novice instructional designers and facilitators—and for experienced ones. Learn how to break the mold of static lecture-style online training that drives participants to multitask or, worse, tune out. LaBorie and Stone cover all the steps necessary to remedy poor online training experiences and ensure that what you teach sticks.

In this book you will:

Explore the popular delivery platforms (Adobe Connect and WebEx Training Center) inside and out, backwards and forwards, and upside down.

Discover how to start events off right and bring them to a fitting end, while achieving the event’s goals in the middle.

Delve into what facilitators and producers need to do before, during, and after an activity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607282778
Publisher:	Association for Talent Development
Publication date:	09/14/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Short Bios:Kassy LaBorie, director of virtual training services for Dale Carnegie Digital, leads a consultancy that partners with organizations to help them develop successful online training strategies. Tom Stone, director of technology-based learning at Dale Carnegie Digital, sets the product road map and strategy for the company’s live online and other digital offerings, and leads new uses of technology in its in-person, instructor-led training programs. Long Bios: Kassy LaBorie is director of virtual training services for Dale Carnegie Digital. She leads a consultancy that partners with organizations to help them develop successful online training strategies. Previously, Kassy served as the product design architect responsible for developing the company’s live online training experience. Prior to this, she was a master trainer for InSync Training, a Microsoft software trainer at ExecuTrain, and a senior trainer at WebEx, where she helped create WebEx University. Tom Stone is director of technology-based learning at Dale Carnegie Digital. He sets the product road map and strategy for the company’s live online and other digital offerings, and leads new uses of technology in its in-person, instructor-led training programs. Tom has been in the learning and development field for 15 years, previously serving in a variety of roles including senior research analyst at Taleo, and senior instructional designer, manager of instructional design, and product design architect at Element K.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

1 Required for Engagement: Knowing the Live Online Platform 1

What Is the Goal, and Who Is the Audience? 1

TOPP Competencies for Live Online Producers 2

See What the Participants See 5

A Note About Audio: Using Phone or Using Computer 5

Adobe Connect: Critical Features 7

WebEx Training Center: Critical Features 15

Checklist for Other Live Online Platforms 24

Conclusion 25

2 Have Them at Hello: Warm-Ups and Welcomes 27

Take a Tour 29

Trivia 32

Pumpkin Carving 34

Vacation Plans 36

Inquiring Minds Want To Know 38

Sign In 40

Brain Teasers 42

Mazes and Word Searches 44

Conclusion 45

3 Let's Do This: Breaking the Ice 47

Around the World via Recipes 48

Open Up 52

How Many Can You Name? 57

Time Perspectives 60

Technology Two-Step 62

Three of Anything 64

Story Time 66

What's Your Band Name? 68

Icebreaker Bingo! 70

First-Name Acronym 72

Conclusion 73

4 Get Active: Engaging Virtual Meetings 75

Great Virtual Teams 76

Recognize and Celebrate 78

The Collaborative Agenda 80

What Can We Learn? 82

Person of the Day 84

Pros and Cons 86

Prioritize 88

Meet Your Goals 90

Mime It 92

Conclusion 94

5 Perform on the Virtual Stage: Engaging Webinars 95

Finish This Sentence 96

How Things Change 98

In One Word 100

Conversation Starters 102

Rewrite These (Version 1) 104

Rewrite These (Version 2) 106

General Tips on Running Consistently Outstanding Webinars 108

Conclusion 110

6 Lessen the Lecture: Engaging Virtual Training 111

TOPP Competencies for Live Online Trainers 114

One Word 116

Remember This? 118

It's All About That Voice 120

Do You Remember the Details? 123

Strategy Alignment 126

Bingo! (for Training) 128

Website Scavenger Hunt 130

Make the Connections 133

Recognizing Diversity 135

Enjoy the View! 138

Virtual Training as Social Learning 142

Conclusion 151

7 Leave a Lasting Impression: Close With Impact 153

Questions in the Jar 155

A Geometric Close 158

Word Search: Explain Yourself 160

A Call to Action 162

A Commitment Makes an Impact 164

Birds Flock Together 166

Conclusion 167

8 Gather Together: Celebrations and Parties 169

Happy Holidays! 170

Bon Voyage! Farewell Card 173

Bon Voyage! We'll Miss You 175

Bon Voyage! Curtain Call 177

Step-by-Step Guide to a Surprise Virtual Baby Shower 179

Concentration 181

What the Heck Is It? 182

Celebrity Name Game 183

The ABCs of Baby 184

Continuing the Step-by-Step Guide to a Surprise Virtual Baby Shower 185

Conclusion 185

9 The Next Level: Advanced Features and Fine-Tuning 187

Webcams 188

Multimedia 192

Breakouts 194

Conclusion 197

10 Take Charge: Create Your Own Activities 199

Create Your Own Activities 201

Photo Credits 203

About the Authors 205

About Dale Carnegie Training 208