How can you train virtual teams with limited access to training?

1 Assess your training needs

Before you design or deliver any training program for your virtual team, you need to assess your training needs. What are the goals and objectives of your team and your organization? What are the gaps and opportunities in your team's current skills and competencies? What are the preferences and expectations of your team members regarding training? How do you measure and evaluate the impact of your training? By answering these questions, you can identify the most relevant and valuable training topics and methods for your virtual team.

2 Choose the right training format

When it comes to training your virtual team, there are several different formats you can choose from. Self-paced online courses are great for teaching foundational knowledge and skills that do not require much interaction or feedback. You can use existing online courses from reputable sources or create your own using tools like Moodle, Canvas, or Google Classroom. Live webinars are useful for teaching more advanced or complex topics that require demonstration, discussion, or Q&A. You can use features like polls, chat, breakout rooms, and screen sharing to engage your audience and enhance learning. Virtual coaching and mentoring sessions are ideal for developing specific skills or behaviors that require practice, observation, or reinforcement. You can use tools like Calendly, Loom, or FeedbackFruits to schedule, record, and share your coaching and mentoring sessions.

3 Create engaging and effective training content

No matter which training format you decide to use, creating engaging and effective training content for your virtual team is essential. To ensure your training content is aligned with your objectives and outcomes, use the ADDIE model, which consists of five phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Additionally, applying the principles of adult learning such as relevance, autonomy, experience, collaboration and feedback can help make your training content more meaningful and engaging. Furthermore, incorporating multimedia elements like images, videos, animations, podcasts, quizzes, games and simulations can help make your training content diverse and memorable.

4 Communicate and collaborate with your virtual team

Communication and collaboration are essential for training virtual teams. Before beginning your training program, you should communicate the purpose, goals, expectations, and logistics to your team members and solicit their feedback and input. During the program, ensure you communicate clearly, concisely, and respectfully while facilitating interaction and participation among your team members. After the program, communicate the results, feedback, and follow-up actions as well as encourage continuous learning and improvement. You can use tools such as email, Slack, Trello, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Forms, SurveyMonkey or Kahoot to communicate and collaborate with your virtual team. Training virtual teams may be difficult but with these tips and best practices you can create an effective and engaging training program that offers flexibility, scalability and cost-effectiveness to enhance your team's performance and satisfaction.