In the past few years, many trainers have considered setting up an online training. But not everyone was in a hurry. When corona hit, trainers were suddenly faced with a difficult choice: to embrace the concept or temporarily close up shop.
It happened to Frank Schurink from Gedoemanagement, a company that sparks people’s interest in behavioral change by combining scientific insights with a casual approach. “If everyone is behind a screen, participants have too little context,” says Frank. That is why he set out to find an answer to the following question: “Can we offer the same level of entertainment online and offline?”
Balance between accessibility and facilities
When LearningStone introduced Frank into the world of blended learning, he discovered a range of possibilities: “I wanted to strike the right balance between accessibility for participants and great facilities for the trainer. LearningStone helped me pull that off. For example, it’s easy for participants to log in, but after that they get to meet in a nice environment which I have fully tailored to our corporate identity. It creates familiarity and togetherness. What’s also great about LearningStone is that it’s GDPR-proof. That’s very important to us, as many of our customers are government agencies.”
Developing new methods
Frank has only recently started working with LearningStone, but he’s already developing new methods. “Due to corona, we have had to deal with restrictions. That’s why we have taught ourselves new skills. For example, I started shooting videos though I had no experience doing so. I’ve also increased my focus on promoting interactivity. LearningStone is very helpful in this regard. For instance, participants can complete and post assignments on the platform in between live sessions.”
Applying and sharing insights
Those who switch to the online world will encounter a whole new way of training. “People used to gather for one day,” says Frank, “and the trainer had to discuss all elements of the training at once. Now, you can break down the training into chunks, so participants can work on it in their own time. And they have more time to do so, as they don’t have to commute.”
Incidentally, that is about to change: “Now that the end of the coronacrisis is in sight, the next challenge will be to ‘blend’ live and online.”
And according to Frank, it’s worth the trouble. What he really likes is that blended learning allows participants to immediately apply new insights in their own lives. “During the training, they achieve concrete results, which they can share with each other. It’s very inspiring.” A one-day course makes that a lot more difficult.
“Just do it!”
It turns out online training is also profitable in business terms: “Currently, I tend to focus on tracks, as LearningStone makes it very easy to offer multi-day training courses. Actually, I look at my own training in a completely different way now. That’s been invaluable. If trainers wonder whether they should switch to online or blended learning, I’d tell them: ‘Just do it. You will learn by doing!”
