7 Simple Strategies for Caffeinated Virtual Training

Do you ever have one of those sleepless nights, tossing and turning with your mind abuzz? Often, the thoughts that keep you up can be stressful ones about unfinished work, relationships that need mending or worries about day-to-day life. But last night I had the other kind of tossing and turning – excitement over so many new ideas that I gained from attending the #ATD2017 International Conference and Expo. This is the ultimate, must-go-to conference for talent development professionals or anyone interested in training and presentation skills. So many sessions packed with great information!
 
In addition to attending, I also was asked to present a session on Caffeinated Learning: Simple Strategies for Keeping Your Audience Awake, Engaged and Learning. Even though it was a later afternoon session, the room was overflowing with enthusiastic attendees seeking ideas for adding a “caffeinated buzz” to their training programs.
 
One question from an audience member has been rattling around in my brain for the last few days. She asked, “How can you adapt these movement ideas to a virtual classroom?” (Look for my session next year on that topic!) It is critical that we keep our virtual learners awake and engaged, too! So here are a seven movement strategies that I use in my webinars or virtual classes.
 
At various intervals throughout the session, ask attendees to

1. play Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who will answer the next question.
2. stand up if they agree with a statement you make. (It doesn’t matter if you can see them do it or not.)
3. stomp their feet if they like an idea that has been shared.
4. stand up and remain standing until they have entered an idea in the chat box.
5. snap their fingers three times in response.
6. stand and talk with their partner (if they are with someone else) about a topic before responding in the chat box.
7. give a left-handed high 5 or fist bump.

 
Looking for even more ideas? Check out my previous post on "Engaginars," or contact me to discuss providing a session for your talent development professionals or subject matter experts. 

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