Virtual Training: The Good, the Bad and the Truth

By Hugh McCullen

In the 1990s, during the Gulf War, there was a lot of static across the globe about the use of smart cameras attached to bombs in the Middle East. American children sat in classrooms, business employees sat in break rooms, and freelancers sat in coffee shops—all watching the bombs fall over Baghdad on the nightly news, in awe.

While greatly debated, the truth is, this type of virtual warfare saved the lives of thousands of American soldiers, thanks to the distance it offered. Today, we are using a similar type of technology to educate and train employees, clients, and channel partners. While lacking in interpersonal communication, virtual training offers many benefits.

Distance Managed

The greatest perk of virtual training is that it overcomes geographical obstacles. Take a pioneering education effort in Africa at the World Bank’s African Virtual University (AVU). According to the Harvard Business Review, this virtual program trains business students in 16 African countries via 22 universities, granting them access to education that would otherwise be impossible.

This is the power of virtual training for business. Here in the U.S., companies utilize the same power to bridge gaps between home-based employees and managers out in the field. Given our globalized economy, virtual training is becoming a go-to learning delivery method for businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition.

Other benefits associated with virtual training programs include:

• Collaboration and data sharing made available in the cloud for even greater connectivity.
• On-demand training opportunities based on real-time skill development, supporting just-in-time learning.
• The sharing of information and learning experiences through social media channels, supporting peer-to-peer learning and immediate feedback.
• The ability to complete training on an individual basis, which allows workers to fit training when it works for them.

Virtual Training Is Slacking

While there are many advantages to virtual training, some may argue there are as many disadvantages. As noted by Forbes, ‘‘virtual employment’’ has five killers:

• Lack of in-person verbal communication.
• Lack of social interaction.
• Lack of trust established through personal interaction.
• Creates cultural mishaps.
• Kills team spirit.

These are equally applicable to virtual training in the workplace. If a business depends solely on virtual, distance training to achieve corporate goals, you can predict that eventually it will hit a null point. After all, employees can only log in, watch videos, and respond to online discussions for so long before they feel a disconnect. Technology provides the opportunity to develop connections; however, it can never replace the impact or benefits of face-to-face communication.

Other reasons virtual training can be a bad idea for businesses:

• Not all businesses are technologically equipped to handle online employee training, cloud computing, or distance learning technology due to lack of knowledge or budget.
• Certain types of training are best suited for real-world environments, such as those whose success is dependent upon immediate feedback, a high level of direction, or hands-on skill development.
• Managing the training success of employees who have different learning styles, e.g., the baby boomers versus the millennials.
• Employees who want to bypass instructor-led training in order to have easier access to skills development through a virtual environment that doesn’t require interaction or accountability on the part of the participant.
• Technical glitches in virtual programs can leave employees frustrated and annoyed, thereby reducing the amount of effort they are willing to put into this type of training.

Best of Both Worlds

When creating a virtual training program, you have to consider the pros and the cons before diving into the world of Internet-based education. In order to make the most of virtual training, incorporate in-person sessions for discussion or activities that would be best suited to group settings. This may mean dividing training sessions into parts to accommodate schedules.

With virtual training, you can avoid in-person contact; however, until the world becomes wholly automatic and free of the need for human interaction, there needs to be a happy medium between virtual and in-person training programs. Utilize virtual training for its strengths, while overcoming its weaknesses, to create a holistic approach to your business’s employee training program.