Stepping in 2022, virtual events platforms have brought in new opportunities and strategies for businesses worldwide. From setting up a virtual workspace to hosting workshops and roundtable discussions online, digital transformation has brought us far ahead. Now, physical gatherings of people for business training sessions and meetings seem like a thing from the past. Instead, it is either google meet or virtual workshops held through online platforms. There is no one to blame as planning a virtual workshop has only benefited mankind in times like Covid 19.
With going virtual, business projects proceed without delays or cancellations. People can join the virtual workshop-training sessions from anywhere in the world. Distance or time constraints have lost their worth. Moreover, these innovative methods help your business stand out in the marketplace. It aids in uninterrupted employee interaction, engagement, and global appearance in times like the pandemic.
Why do Businesses need to Host Virtual Workshops?
Do you wish to host B2B workshops online? Wondering how to work remotely in Covid 19? Do you wish to interact with your remote team on a regular basis? The answers lie in hosting virtual workshops. Setting up a virtual workshop can be an overwhelming step for beginners. However, it is the easiest and most approachable system to host remote teams and executives.
Now considering the pandemic restrictions, corporations and organizations are hosting virtual workshops where they can easily welcome individuals from around the globe. Saving the employees from physical gatherings and conducting business meetups online is a safe choice in current times. Therefore, virtual events platforms extend this opportunity for businesses to host their workshops online. The question here arises, how to plan a virtual workshop in the best possible way?
Virtual Workshops Best Ideas
Pick a Compatible Virtual Events Platform
The first step to take when planning a virtual workshop is to partner with a leading virtual events platform. Next, one must ensure how and why this particular platform is suitable for your business and how it facilitates your needs. Look for a feature enriched platform that creates a customizable environment for your company. Moreover, the virtual platform must provide a constant support team that easily helps you set up and execute the entire event.
Just like physical interactions, virtual events platforms connect you with remote individuals in a matter of seconds. You get to speak and engage with audiences as if they are there. For instance, hosting 5-7 people at a single virtual roundtable would help you collaborate and address the matters in an organized manner. Each virtual workshop session goes up to 100 minutes approximately. Therefore, it is beneficial for businesses to host 1000s of people at an online workshop. This is a cost-effective and time-efficient approach for businesses wanting to go hybrid. Wondering how else planning a virtual workshop would benefit you?
- Allows hosting a global audience
- Provides tons of interaction opportunities
- Customizable environment
- Easy to set up and execute
- Remote coach or moderator
- Constant tech support
Plan Ahead of Time
Do you wish to run a successful workshop? Businesses need to plan ahead of time to execute the best practices and implement the right strategies. The first step is to guide participants to log in, use the platform, and attend meeting activities until the end of the workshop.
1. Work on an Agenda
When a large number of people are present, it will get hard to manage. So, if you have a planned schedule to follow, it would be easier for the participants to pick a timeline of sessions. Furthermore, it is necessary to share the exercises with all participants. For instance, each activity should have a timeline communicated to participants.
2. Onboard Right Stakeholders
Inform stakeholders at the right time or schedule as per their availability. Give them a pre-workshop reminder to ensure their timely involvement.
3. Thorough Timeline
Work as per the timeline, so there are no surprises for the stakeholders or participants. In case you split the workshop sessions into two halves, plan the break accordingly. It is always recommended to take a break as it can be hard to keep audiences engaged online throughout the day.
Set up Ice Breaking Activities
When setting up the virtual workshop for the first time, you need to use creative ideas to engage participants. For example, it might seem like a challenging task to use icebreakers when everyone joins online from different rooms. However, it is best to use virtual icebreaking activities to welcome the audience and lighten their moods. The activities do not have to be complex, just a formal introduction, sharing fun facts about each other, or a virtual tour of their rooms.
These ideas help break the ice between new participants who might otherwise find it hard to interact throughout the sessions. In fact, the workshops are the real opportunity for remote employees or partners to interact with an entire team who would otherwise not meet physically.
Make Use of Multiple Breakout Rooms
Just as we have breakout rooms in physical workshops, the same way we divide the group into separate teams. We assign breakout rooms to these teams so they can discuss multiple topics. However, a virtual events platform such as ours allows these teams to collaborate, engage, and interact seamlessly. For instance, teams can easily discuss different topics separately and collectively present and discuss the ideas to be implemented.
Virtual events platforms further support you, allowing customization of the breakout rooms. For example, you can set up the activities as question prompts or cards to ensure participants freely use the breakout rooms.
Perform a Temperature Checkup
Remember how during the live workshop meetings, the moderator or speaker checks up on everyone how they are doing? Similarly, the facilitators in virtual workshops conduct a temperature checkup on each participant to inquire about their status. How are they holding up through the training session? Are they grasping all the information shared? Do they need assistance at some point?
A basic technique for temperature checks is physical cues. For example, you can prepare facial expressions, gestures or postures. However, measuring these physical cues in a virtual gathering is hard. Therefore, visual cue cards can be used to inquire how the participants feel about the program. For example, the cue cards may have facial expressions ranging from happy to annoyed. By the end of the sessions, you can ask members to hold the cue card up as per their feelings.
Schedule Follow up with Entire Group
Even though the participants engage in collaborative breakout rooms, it is important to hold follow-ups for the entire group. An inclusive atmosphere develops when you bring an entire group together to discuss matters. Although, it is best to conduct follow-up discussions during the workshop. Moreover, this shall help extract the best ideas and suggestions from the masses. Attendees can also brief the moderators about the progress and plan out further sessions. In addition, a collective group session is conducted at the end of the workshop to track the overall workshop metrics.
In Conclusion
Virtual workshops are the new game-changer in the business world. Adopting the best practices is the key to running a successful virtual workshop. Here, virtual platforms onboards global participants and allow you to interact with each other seamlessly. So, why not move your business deals online? The rise in the Omicron variant is a global concern for corporations and organizations working on-site. However, most organizations are taking subjective measures as per government orders to prioritize the health and safety of their employees.
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