20 Tips to Facilitate a Virtual Workshop – The Rookie’s Handbook

Running or facilitating a virtual workshop can be considered a daunting task for new virtual trainers. More complicated than a standard virtual meeting, there is a lot to remember, between the content, the tech and ensuring your participants are fully engaged.

New trainers could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by all this, which is why we have decided to pull together a handy guidebook of all the things we wish someone had told us when we first started doing virtual training.

We have done all the hard work for you, made the mistakes and found the best practices of virtual training so you don’t have to.

VTT’s top 20 tips on how to run and facilitate a virtual workshop

In no particular order:

1. Get everyone on webcam
Much like in virtual meetings, getting everyone on a webcam with you can increase the feeling of human connectivity and communication between both trainer and participants. Having your camera on as the trainer is important but giving your participants the opportunity to see and interact with each other via video is also key.

2. Try for one device per person
Virtual training works much better when it is attended by one participant per one device. While much less common in today’s current climate, it is not uncommon for co-located colleagues to suggest sharing a single PC for several participants. Virtual training is much more effective when each participant joins via their own, individual device.

3. Schedule breaks for long sessions
If your virtual training has been effectively designed, then you shouldn’t have any trouble holding participants’ attention and keeping them engaged. But for those longer sessions it is worth scheduling in time for a quick break, allowing them to take a comfort break, grab a drink or just stretch their legs for a moment. This lets them come back for the next portion of the workshop refreshed and ready to continue.

4. Manage the audio
Just as good audio is integral to a successful virtual meeting, so it is for a virtual workshop, as the main tool of communication. This being said, limiting participants by asking them to go on mute can be a huge killer of engagement. Instead, encourage participants to manage their mute, if for example they are dealing with excessive background noise, or feedback. Most platforms also give you, as host, this power, so don’t be afraid to manage the mute if you need to.

5. Be inclusive
Holding larger group discussion with all the participants allows a sense of togetherness and wider inclusivity to form during a virtual workshop. Make sure that whole group discussions are a part of your engagement during the workshop; some of the best conversations happen when a wider array of people are involved to give their thoughts and ideas.

6. Watch your timing
Running to time is important, especially in a virtual setting. Many participants need the virtual workshop to finish on time because they are going straight into another virtual meeting after. In order to maintain a positive virtual experience, be careful of your timings and also finish when you are supposed to.  


We hope that these facilitating a virtual workshop tips will help you to become the relaxed, confident and competent virtual trainer that you want to be.Read complete blog at Virtual training.