Virtual Employee Onboarding: 7 Steps to Success

Employee onboarding is a process that involves introducing new employees to their new work environment and culture. It is one of the most critical steps you can take in the hiring process as it is all about inclusion, and providing the tools needed by the employee to become a dynamic team member.  

So, does that change when you are working virtually? With many people now working from home, or between their home and the office, many businesses may find it hard to manage their onboarding programs.

Getting this step right ensures that new employees feel welcomed as part of the team, get to know their colleagues, understand the organization's policies, regulations and give you a better chance at retaining your new hire.

Through the process, new employees can learn and understand their job descriptions and set clear objectives for the first few months at work. They get a better understanding of their new company’s culture and values to create meaningful and professional relationships with their new team – even if they have never met them in person!

Why Should I Hire a Virtual Training Producer?

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If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that change, and uncertainty is never too far away. With increased working from home, and social distancing efforts in place, many of us have had to take our plans for training and development back to the drawing board - redesigning them to work virtually. 

Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT) was new for some, but it provided many opportunities for businesses to continue with their learning and development plans, when traditional methods were not available. Over this transition, many have found that their virtual training didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped - this is where a Virtual Producer comes in.

Working with a Virtual Training Producer who is familiar with the delivery platform and proficient at managing live sessions can take good training and make it great!

Here's a deeper look at what a Virtual Producer does.

What is the Role of a Virtual Training Producer?

A Virtual Training Producer is the technical and overall driving force of support behind successful online training. If your next initiative involves utilizing Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT) sessions, you likely need a Virtual Producer. They provide full support for the facilitator, the participants, and administer the virtual delivery platform throughout the session.

A good Virtual Training Producer must have a solid understanding of the virtual delivery platform. This includes complete knowledge of the features, functions, and capacities. Also, they must make all preparations for a smooth and seamless live classroom environment.

Why Every Virtual Training Session Needs a Virtual Training Producer

The way we work and learn has drastically changed over the last 12 months. Instead of on-site education sessions, meetings, or conferences - organizations have moved to Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT) to continue their learning initiatives. Companies and individuals save both time and money taking part in these virtual training sessions and allow them to continue learning in the ‘new normal’.

Of course, that's only if they were done properly. When poorly produced and maintained, these Virtual training sessions are not useful. In fact, they can be the subject of ridicule and anger from those who invested in them. The result is low engagement, and a program that fails, despite having the best of intentions.

So how do you fix it?

Working With a Virtual Training Producer

Given the major transition that many of us have made in 2020 into virtual learning and meetings, it's no surprise that there have been fast developments and widespread adoption onto virtual platforms and apps for hosting this service.

However, as many of us were thrown into this new virtual world so quickly, many people are still uncomfortable with, and are unsure of how to use these virtual platforms to their full potential. Not everyone is tech savvy, or so willing to accept a new way of doing things. Many learning leaders or Virtual Instructors simply don’t have the time to lead a virtual training session, while dealing with issues, or platform intricacies.

That’s where Virtual Producers come in. We’ll explain what a virtual producer is, what a virtual producer does, and why you should hire one.

Why You Need a Remote Instructional Designer Now More Than Ever

The corporate landscape has quickly changed. With many employees working remotely, having staggered starts, or balancing their time between working at home and working in the office there is a need to adjust workflows and pick up new skills. How can your business adapt and keep its employees ahead of the game? Training is key.

It cannot be ignored that with a scattered workforce, there is now, more than ever, a need for employees to feel connected to each other and to your company. They need to be aware of changes in processes or organizational direction.

Top 5 Mistakes When Implementing Virtual Instructor Led Training

As technology evolves and people become more and more comfortable connecting virtually, many companies are looking for effective ways to transfer their training resources to the digital space, and that is where ViLT or Virtual instructor led training comes into play.

ViLT is one of the fastest developing modalities when it comes to online learning and has become an essential information delivery technique in various sectors, including corporate training. Virtual Instructor Led Training can be a great and cost-effective addition to the offering of your L&D department. Businesses love the low impact it has on the bottom line, and the participants enjoy the convenience it brings.

5 Virtual Training Techniques to Improve Learner Engagement

vILT Tips from Your Corporate Training Company

Your learning and development team has moved your in-class instructor-led training (ILT) courses to the virtual classroom and now it’s time to deliver. But virtual classroom training is a different experience from in-person. As a virtual trainer you don’t have the same visual cues such as people’s reactions and body language. Are learners checking email, texting their friends, or falling asleep? And how do you keep learners engaged when they are in dispersed locations staring at their computer screens?

The good news is there are virtual training techniques you can use to improve learner engagement.

Training Companies ask: Can vILT Really Be Effective?