Simple Virtual Training Handouts

I’m sure that you wouldn’t consider facilitating face-to-face training without supplying learners with some sort of workbook to make their notes.

SO – why would you not do this for Live Virtual Training (or eLearning or Digital Lesson)?

Handouts don’t need to be big or expensive. In fact, when we get a little creative, a simple piece of paper will be sufficient. Here are a few ideas that work well for us here at Eureka! So, I’m sure that they’ll work well for you too.

Idea 1 – Placemat

Create a simple placemat.

Placemat – A handout that has headings for learners to capture their key ideas or as a roadmap of a process with areas for learners to write key points. The great thing is, leaners leave with their notes (rather than trying to
remember everything) all on a single
sheet of paper.

Send the placemat to learners to complete as they progress through their training. I’d suggest that you create these as A3 size PowerPoint documents and send it to learners prior to the start of their training. Send the file in PowerPoint format and .PDF format. PowerPoint format so that learners can work directly on the placemat on their PC rather than having to print it (especially if they are working from home without access to a printer) and .PDF if they have a printer.

Here are a few examples:

3 Virtual Open and Close Activities. Learners make notes on how to facilitate each activity and note which of their training they can use the activity. It’s a very simple placemat of boxes for learners to make notes. This could be used for key changes in a policy or legislation, company values, feature and benefits etc

Top up your toolbox. This is the same sort of idea as above, just a little more complex because the training was spaced over several 1-hour live virtual training episodes. There were 4 episodes, the first looked at Opening ideas, the second Review ideas etc. Each day learners completed their placemat leaving with the entire training on one page. Think of something like this when you have multiple episodes to the training.

Designing Live Virtual Training. Here learners are introduced to Objectives, Opening etc and apply them directly as they create their very next live virtual training on a single placemat. This could be used for preparing for an appraisal meeting, structuring a sales presentation, stages in a process etc.

Idea 2 – Fold into 8

• Ask learners to have a piece of blank paper (ideally A4).
• Ask them to fold it in half landscape
• Then in portrait, fold it in half again and then again

In other words, ask leaners to fold the paper into 8 rectangles. We show each step via the webcam and ask leaners to follow along.

You can now ask leaners to add headings to each rectangle relating to pieces of your content. We usually do this in stages and sometimes use more than 1 rectangle for the content eg

We ask learners to make a heading ‘Great Ideas’ spanning the first 2 columns and to draw some lightbulbs where they can add their ideas:

As the training continues, we ask them to add additional headings and add their thoughts or processes eg

Idea 3 – Start, Stop, Continue

Ask learners to have 3 pieces of paper stapled together at one corner, ideally 3 different colours eg Green, Red, Yellow (if this isn’t possible then have 3 different coloured pens)

At the start of the live virtual training, ask learners to head the pages:

• Page 1 – Start (green)
• Page 2 – Stop (red)
• Page 3 – Continue (yellow)

Suggest that, during their training, when they think:

• Oh, I hadn’t thought of that, I’m going to start doing it.
• Oh, I do that and I can see that it’s not the best approach, I should stop immediately.
• Oh, I do that and I can see that it’s exactly what I should be doing so I’ll continue doing it.

They add it to the appropriate sheet of paper

At the end of their training, you can ask learners to share the first thing they will start doing, one thing that they will stop doing and one thing they will continue doing – which works as a great close.

Idea 4 – Envelope

Ask learners to bring an envelope and either some index cards or post-it notes.

At the beginning of their training, ask them to write on the back of the envelope “Great Ideas for ….(your content)” eg for our live virtual training, we ask learners to write, “Great Ideas For My Next Live Virtual Training”, if it was sales it might be, “Great Ideas for Finding New Leads”, if it was customer service it might be, “Great Ideas For Resolving Customer Issues Without Conflict” etc

Say that you’ll be pausing during the training to allow time for learners to reflect and add good ideas to individual index cards or post-it notes – BUT, that they don’t have to wait for the pause. Any time they have a great idea, big or small, they should note it and add it to their envelope.

Learners leave with a ‘treasure chest’ of great ideas.

Bonus – You can easily create a close from this by asking them to read through all of their ideas and select the first one that they will apply then share this via the whiteboard.