Nowadays, everything can be done online. Even training! With the use of online instruction, you can train your physical fitness or do memory games, for instance. The same goes for the training of communication skills. Study material is always available in an online environment and you can get started wherever you want. Managers will be excited about the fact that employees are no longer away for training a full day, but what matters most is: does the effectiveness of online training compare to live training? That all depends on which methods are used! Here are four ways to train communication online.
1. WikiHows and Conversation Guides
Online guides providing tips and guidelines on the preparation and structure of conversations can be a first step. In such "wikis" (like wikiHow.com), certain conversations are categorized and guidelines are given based on the nature of the conversation. It can be a good reference when preparing for a specific type of conversation, but it’s not very interactive. By reviewing a blueprint of a conversation, you know how to open a job interview, performance or news interview, get all the projected points across and how to summarize the conversation before finishing it. Advantages of such conversation guides: they are often short and concise and the tips usually do help. On the other hand, no conversation is the same and a good communicator needs to be able to apply the right skills at the right time.
2. The online teacher
Ah! The online teacher: a teacher who can handle a camera. He’s got lists of examples, tells a fascinating story that you can pause at any time and he’s trying to teach you all of the theories you need to know by video. It’s a good idea because we know that learning through video material works quite well. In addition, it fits good within this digital age, in which the ‘just in time’ principle is important. For students this is ideal as well: knowledge and explanation are available anywhere and at any time. They can prepare themselves for examinations in the manner they prefer. It makes sense then, that the YouTube Channel of math teacher Prof Rob Bob is so popular! This could also apply to videos that combine theory about communication with appropriate examples. However, the interactivity that real communication inherently contains, remains limited.
3. Multimedia platform
A program that uses multiple media sources can maximize the power of each medium that is used. The famous online school on the English language of the BBC is an example of this. It offers a platform with videos, short audio clips and text documents with assignments. While learning a new language is only the first step on the path to developing specific communication skills, this method of using multimedia in combination with theory will help you develop faster. Most material has to be downloaded though, and again, the interactivity is limited (the BBC obviously cannot provide feedback to every visitor of the platform). For example, on such a platform, the level of the participant can also be determined by means of multiple-choice tests. If you want to get results, knowing what to train is vital!
4. Online video games game
Next to just watching videos, you can also record a response. Of course, you can’t recreate interactivity online at the same level as when you meet physically, but a more interactive form of online training can be achieved by using online video role plays. This way, participants start practicing with video exercises that directly combine situation-specific theory with real-life situations. The skills they need are “cut up” and offered in smaller units so the participants will always receive new exercises to refresh their skills and add new skills at the same time. Because the content is not only viewed, but participants also record their own response, feedback can be given. The next step in interactivity is when a trainee does not only receive feedback from a coach, but there is also feedback given and received among trainees themselves. As with any form of training, the motivation of the participant to get started remains a challenge. In addition, good connectivity (WiFi) and relatively fast internet for streaming and uploading is an important condition.
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