Virtual Training Explained: Complete Guide to Engaging Sessions

For trainers, the dream is to deliver powerful learning experiences that leave a lasting impression and help trainees reach their full potential. Maybe you already do that with in-person sessions. But have you figured out how to make your virtual training stick?

Navigating the technology and making virtual sessions interactive is enough to overwhelm anyone. So, we’ve used our experience hosting and facilitating hundreds of virtual events to bring you this complete guide to virtual training sessions.

What is virtual training?

Virtual training is a method of delivering educational content remotely. Trainers use the internet to teach new skills or help trainees brush up on old ones, all from the comfort of their desks, couches, or kitchen tables.

In the workplace, virtual training is commonly used to upskill employees. Customer success teams also use it to educate new customers as part of their onboarding process or customer success strategy. Whether you’re responsible for training employees or supporting customers you can host virtual training using online meeting tools like Livestorm or Zoom.

What are the main types of virtual training?

Virtual training can take many forms, but there are two main types: self-paced learning and virtual instructor-led training (VILT).

1. Self-paced learning encourages trainees to manage their own schedules and learn without much supervision. It can involve resources like massive online open courses (MOOCs), videos, reading materials, quizzes, or pre-recorded webinars. If your trainees will be self-paced, consider using a learning management system (LMS) to host your training materials.
2. Virtual instructor-led training involves more supervision and face-to-face learning. Learners are often required to attend pre-planned, live sessions and meet a training schedule. If you plan on hosting live webinars, workshops, or coaching sessions, you could set up a virtual classroom using a video conferencing platform like Livestorm.

What are some use cases for virtual training?

Companies across industries use live virtual sessions to educate both customers and employees. Some of the most popular use cases include:

• Employee onboarding, training and development: Use online training to onboard new employees and train new hires on their role in the company. This type of webinar training is an efficient way to centralize and teach everything a new hire should know about the departments, processes, and procedures your company uses. Successful programs can also boost skill development, increase employee engagement, and boost employee retention.
• Customer onboarding and product training: Educate potential customers about your product or show new customers how to use it in different scenarios. With online training, you can help customers get more value from their purchase, increasing customer satisfaction and reducing churn.

Is virtual training effective?

Virtual training can be as effective as in-person training when it aligns with the needs and limitations of your employees and your organization. Consider the following pros and cons.

Advantages of virtual training

Training employees is crucial for any company that wants high-performing, engaged staff. Similarly, customer success teams need to show new customers the incredible value their product can provide. Here's why virtual training is the future:

• Flexibility. Your employees can attend training from anywhere, without the need to commute or spend time away from the office. They can easily fit virtual learning into their schedules in different time zones alongside other meetings and responsibilities.
• Pre-recorded training materials. Platforms like Livestorm make it super easy to record your training sessions, which can then be repurposed, rewatched, and even used as gated content to generate leads on your website.
• Cost-effectiveness. In-person training comes with all kinds of expenses, like venue hire, travel, accommodation, and refreshments. Meanwhile, virtual training doesn't require any of these expenses. It can cost next to nothing when you use the video conferencing platform your workplace already uses for internal communications.
• Scalability. Virtual training software is designed to easily hold large numbers of learners. With these platforms, you can reach more people no matter where they are geographically and develop a scalable solution without hiring a bigger venue or needing extra staff.
• Variety. Stale presentations are a thing of the past. With tools like Slido and Mural, your virtual training programs become a lot more interesting and interactive. Plus you can try various teaching formats, including self-paced online courses, shadowing sessions, webinars, and 1:1 coaching.

Disadvantages of virtual training

If you're new to virtual training, you might wonder how you're going to keep your trainees focused from a distance. Here are a few key challenges you could face, along with ideas to address them:

• Technical difficulties. Poor internet connectivity, software compatibility, and audio or video quality can turn a session into a negative training experience. To cope with this, use a browser-based platform like Livestorm and do regular tech checks with moderators.
• Lack of interaction. Virtual training can be less interactive than in-person training, making it difficult for employees to retain what they learned. But with online training platforms like Livestorm, you can use interactive features like digital whiteboards and Q&A sessions to encourage participation.
• Distracting environments. Children, pets, household chores, or co-working distractions can easily disrupt a virtual training environment. Remind participants how to best manage distractions, such as putting their devices on “Do not disturb” during live sessions.
• Lack of accountability. If your training is asynchronous (meaning: happening in the learner’s own time, without a live element), it can be challenging to ensure that trainees meet their learning objectives within the timeframe. Set clear expectations and provide regular check-ins to ensure employees are making progress and meeting the training goals.

Who needs virtual training?

Virtually every organization needs a virtual training solution. Here are some types of organizations that are likely to benefit the most:

• Hybrid working organizations. For businesses with a mix of remote and in-office employees, hybrid learning gives equal access to training and opportunities for all employees, regardless of whether they work remotely.
• Flexi-working organizations. Companies that offer telecommuting or flexible hours may find virtual training a convenient option for employees who choose their own schedules.
• Remote working organizations. Companies with a fully remote workforce may not have the opportunity to meet in person. Virtual training makes it easier to complete remote employee onboarding and learn new skills or areas of the business despite their physical distance.

How to prepare your virtual classroom for engaging training sessions

You can maximize the potential of virtual training by ensuring technical readiness, creating interactive materials, and fostering an inclusive environment in your virtual classroom. Here's how to conduct virtual training sessions for employees or customers:

• Decide on a virtual format
• Know your audience
• Choose an e-learning platform
• Get a good camera and microphone
• Create a knowledge base of course materials
• Set learning objectives
• Plan your content
• Make time for practice sessions
• Assess trainees in real-time
• Check your analytics

Decide on a virtual format

You can mix synchronous and asynchronous activities or focus solely on one type of delivery. For example, if your content is more suited to VILT, you can incorporate synchronous video sessions like webinars or virtual classrooms. Otherwise, you could focus on curating a knowledge base of self-paced online courses and on-demand webinars for trainees to try in their own time.

Pro tip: Even if you choose to let trainees learn at their own pace, we recommend including some form of face-to-face learning, even if it’s just 1:1 check-ins or regular coaching sessions. This will motivate them and make them feel more supported as they learn.

Know your audience

Next, identify who should attend the session. For example, you can host webinars to train employees or you can allow access to anyone inside or outside your organization.

Once you know who you want to invite, map out your training content to fit the audience. If it’s aimed at people inside the organization, you can use more specific language and go into subjects that the participants are familiar with.

If the webinar training is for a general audience, structure the content and the language in way that's easy for everyone to understand.

Choose an e-learning platform

These learning platforms help learners to access content and communicate with their trainers and peers. Consider the following when choosing a platform for virtual training:

• Compatibility with your existing technology
• User-friendliness and ease of navigation
• Customization options and flexibility
• Analytics and reporting capabilities
• Integration with other tools and platforms
• Cost and scalability

An LMS like Blackboard Learn supports a self-paced learning process through course creation, assessments, tracking, and reporting. But all effective training requires face-to-face interaction.

Just as in-person training relies on tech like a projector or a microphone, virtual training relies on apps to keep things engaging. Here are the ones you can’t miss:

• Livestorm: A video engagement platform like Livestorm does all of the above while facilitating live video training sessions. Livestorm can also double as an online onboarding platform because it’s ideal for hosting everything from 1:1s and shadowing sessions to larger webinars.
• Miro: This is an interactive virtual whiteboard for remote teams. Use it to boost team collaboration during your training. If you’re using Livestorm, you can share the whiteboard and get attendees writing on it without switching apps.
• Notion: Use this note-taking app to create a knowledge base linked to training materials, resources, and a small blurb explaining each file. If you’re using Livestorm, use the CTA button to redirect attendees to the Notion page at the end of the training session.
• Visme: This presentation creator lets you design different types of visual assets to share with your audience. Integrate it with Livestorm so you can manage your presentation and switch slides without switching tabs.
• Interprefy: Use this tool to do real-time translations and interpretations of your training to people who speak different tongues. That way, anyone can join the training despite language barriers. Interprefy integrates with Livestorm in a few clicks.

Get a good camera and microphone

If you manage trainings without the right equipment, your audio and video quality will suffer. If attendees can’t see you or listen to you properly, they’re likely to leave the (virtual) room.

Use a good microphone and a high-resolution webcam in a well-lit, quiet room for a more focused and professional experience. These small changes can significantly improve the quality of your customer and corporate training sessions.

Create a knowledge base of course materials

A knowledge base is like a virtual library for learners to access and reference bits of information. This can include presentations, handouts, videos, quizzes, and other resources. It can also keep your training materials organized and up to date on a central platform. Consider using a platform that allows easy sharing and collaboration, like a shared drive or an LMS.

Pro tip: With Livestorm, you can automatically record virtual training sessions and convert them into replayable webinars to keep in your knowledge base.

Set learning objectives

The learning objectives you set should be specific, achievable, and relevant to your organization's overall goals. To get started, ask yourself questions like:

• What do you want your learners to know or be able to do after the training?
• How will you measure their progress and success?
• How will the training support the overall goals of the organization?

It's good practice to share the objectives with learners before the training starts and to review them at the end of the training to assess the progress. You can also use Q&A or live poll functionality to ask learners what their personal objectives are for the session and provide targeted support.

Plan your content

You need to set a clear agenda, assign roles and responsibilities for the session, and pre-record any videos or demos you plan to use during the training. Start by identifying the topics you want to cover and how you will deliver them. Then, decide on the structure of the training. Will you divide it into modules, lessons, or something else?

Next, decide if you’ll use videos, presentations, quizzes, or a combination of things. Make your content visually appealing, interactive, and easy to follow using a tool like Visme (which integrates with Livestorm).

But don't stop there. Make sure your content is up to date and keep adding relevant resources to meet the changing needs of your learners.

Make time for practice sessions

No matter which training format you use, facilitating these sessions can be stressful. What if someone asks you something you don’t know? Or you lose your train of thought? You can’t predict everything that will happen in a training session, but you can practice your answers to frequently asked questions.

Write notes but use them as a guide only. Avoid memorizing them word by word or else your presentation could become a little stiff and boring. Use visual and audio media like an embedded video or some infographics to break up your presentation and give your speaking voice a rest.

Assess trainees in real-time

Virtual corporate training and customer onboarding sessions are incomplete without assessments. Use quizzes and polls to check for understanding, gauge engagement, and provide immediate feedback.

For example, you could use a quiz at the end of a module before moving on to the next topic. Or, you could use a poll during a live session to check your trainees’ understanding of the topic and tailor your content to suit them.

Check your analytics

Analyzing your online training engagement score is almost as important as planning the events themselves. Only by reviewing your virtual meeting metrics will you be able to plan for improvement.

If you’re using Livestorm, you get access to an analytics dashboard with video engagement metrics like:

• Which users are most engaged (based on polls, questions, and chat activity)
• Retention rate and time in session
• Names, contact information, and country
• Replay views
• CTA button clicks

If you’re not using Livestorm, but want to calculate your engagement rate, use this Video Engagement Score™ (VES) calculator. You’ll need to input information from your last session. Have at hand:

• Number of attendees and registrants
• Session duration and average time in session
• Chat and polls interaction numbers

7 Tips for more engaging virtual training

Now that you've prepared your training materials, the delivery format, and the e-learning platform, it's time to make your virtual training approach as engaging as a Netflix marathon.

Here’s how:

1. Establish ground rules
2. Use fun ice breakers
3. Create an interactive learning environment
4. Make everything easy to access
5. Host small groups in breakout rooms
6. Use a whiteboard for illustrations
7. Set up Think-Pair-Share (TPS) activities

1. Establish ground rules

Without in-person cues of a traditional classroom, virtual training can get derailed. You need to establish some ground rules to keep everyone focused and on task.

Here are a few examples of rules you can set to keep things running smoothly:

• No multitasking during training sessions. We know it's tempting, but resist the urge to check your email or do your grocery shopping.
• No talking over the speaker. It's like talking over a movie, it's just rude.
• Avoid background noise. Got pets, children, or extra crunchy snacks? Put yourself on mute.
• Keep your camera on. Being visible will help you stay engaged and accountable.

2. Use fun ice breakers

Ice breakers help set the tone for an enjoyable and interactive session and encourage team-building. It helps break down barriers and get your team comfortable with each other, so don't be afraid to experiment with your ideas!

Here are some examples of fun ice breaker activities:

• Virtual bingo. Create a bingo board with training-related terms and have participants mark them off as they hear them during the training session.
• Virtual coffee break. A casual way to take a mid-session break, where everyone can have a virtual coffee together and chat informally.
• Virtual speed networking. Give participants a set amount of time to introduce themselves, their roles, and their interests to see if they can form new connections outside their immediate team.
• Virtual team building exercises. Encourage collaboration through virtual escape rooms or online multiplayer games.
• Virtual show-and-tell. Allow each participant to share something interesting and encourage others to ask questions and engage in conversation.

3. Create an interactive learning environment

Polls and quizzes can be used as a pre-training assessment or a post-training evaluation to gauge the retention of information. With Livestorm’s built-in live chat, polls, and Q&A functionality, you can encourage participation and generate discussions among learners.

You can even upvote questions, so the most important ones are answered first. These interactive elements can add an element of fun and engagement to your virtual training sessions, making them memorable for your employees.

4. Make everything easy to access

When employees can easily access training materials and live sessions, they're more likely to stay engaged. Create a centralized location like a shared drive or online platform, including clear instructions and troubleshooting resources to help employees navigate any technical difficulties they may encounter.

Pro tip: With Livestorm’s Handouts plugin, you can share downloadable PDFs, presentations, and images while your session is ongoing.

5. Host small groups in breakout rooms

Breakout rooms help divide larger teams into smaller, more manageable groups to share their thoughts, ideas, and questions in a more comfortable setting. If you’re using Livestorm, you can create unlimited breakout rooms, automatically assign attendees and add up to 16 speakers in each room. Provide clear instructions for learners to join, navigate the rooms, and ensure that the moderators are prepared to facilitate effective discussions.

6. Use whiteboards for illustrations

Whiteboards can help illustrate technical or complex information and simulate the experience of an in-person training session. Use the Miro whiteboard in your Livestorm meeting room to take notes, create mind maps and add annotations. You can also export the digital whiteboard and use it as a resource for employees to refer back to after the session.

7. Set up think-pair-share (TPS) activities

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is an active learning strategy that encourages students to think critically about a given topic or question. The process usually involves three steps:

• Think: Learners are given a question or topic to ponder for a short period.
• Pair: They are then grouped with a partner or in breakout rooms and share their thoughts.
• Share: Learners switch back to the main session and share their insights with the group.

This approach encourages collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Analytics from virtual trainings can also offer valuable insights into the group’s understanding of  the material. Livestorm tracks analytics like the number of attendees, messages/questions/polls, number of sessions, and average duration to measure effectiveness and tailor courses as needed.

Top 4 skills virtual trainers need to have

The trainer plays a huge role in the quality of each session. This person needs to be charismatic and knowledgeable, but also:

1. Be an active listener
2. Understand the technology
3. Be an engaging public speaker
4. Take feedback like a champ

1. Be an active listener

Facilitators need to be able to listen to understand their trainees. Get rid of the predetermined response that you have in your mind when someone asks you something. Instead, listen to their question carefully and check your understanding of what they asked before you give your answer.

2. Understand the technology

It’s really common to see trainers spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to share their screens or get their microphones to work. Test the platform, tools, and devices a few times before the training to avoid technical issues.

3. Be an engaging public speaker

Use personal stories to connect with attendees. Pick the ones that are both topic-related and entertaining. To get full investment from your audience, include the stories that make you look vulnerable and avoid the ones where you sound perfect. Use it as an opportunity to explain what you’ve learned since then.

4. Take feedback like a champ

Always ask for feedback and make it as easy as possible for learners to respond. Ask them to fill out a survey at the end of the training and reach out directly to individual attendees and ask for actionable feedback.

Pro tip: Record the session and watch it afterward to judge your performance. Livestorm can record automatically, so you can evaluate your own performance or repurpose the session as an on-demand training resource.

It's time to pitch virtual training to your leadership team

Virtual training is an effective way to educate employees and customers, reduce employee and customer churn, and improve your remote onboarding process. But it requires careful planning to make your learning environment engaging and ensure employees and customers get the full benefits of virtual training.

You must set clear expectations, provide regular check-ins, and use your video conferencing platform’s interactive functionalities like polls, breakout rooms, and Q&A sessions to encourage participation.

To get started, sign up for a free trial of Livestorm. Use our platform for synchronous or asynchronous training and take advantage of our calendar integrations to create recurring meetings, send email invitations, and block time in your trainees’ calendars.

Frequently asked questions about virtual training

How do you make a virtual training session?

You can make a virtual training session by following these steps:

• Set learning objectives for the session
• Create a knowledge base of course materials
• Plan your content, assign roles and responsibilities
• Pre-record any videos or demos you plan to use during the training
• Assess trainees in real-time with quizzes and polls
• Follow up after the session to measure its effectiveness.

What’s the difference between online training and virtual training?

Online training and virtual training synonymously refer to asynchronous learning like self-paced self-paced e-learning courses, webinars, or video tutorials. And synchronous learning is conducted live through virtual platforms like Livestorm, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams.

What is the best virtual training platform?

The best virtual training platform has features like video conferencing, live chat, screen sharing, polls & quizzes, file sharing, whiteboard collaboration, and analytics. For example, Livestorm offers all these features and integrates with widely used tools, including Slack, HubSpot, Google Calendar, and Salesforce. Livestorm also provides a free plan, so you can try it out before committing to it.

What is the most common type of virtual training?

The most common type of virtual training is virtual instructor-led training (VILT). It’s often delivered online, in real-time through a video conferencing platform such as Livestorm, Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams.