Rick Lepsinger — December 13, 2017 — December 13, 2017
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Is virtual leadership training superior to more traditional, in-person programs?
It’s clear that more and more organizations are using virtual training programs for a variety of reasons, such as virtual training being more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable. These traits are especially important for larger and more geographically-dispersed companies.
But, is virtual training any more effective than in-person training? In some cases, it can be. Three instances where virtual leadership training surpasses traditional in-person training include:
1: When It Reflects the Way Leaders Operate
The most effective leadership training is both practical and reflective of the real-world working environment. Today’s leaders increasingly manage virtual teams. While these leaders have all of the same responsibilities as those who directly manage teams located under the same roof, leaders of virtual teams face unique challenges—such as coaching from a distance and managing accountability in virtual teams that they rarely meet with face-to-face.
Virtual leaders should be trained to develop these skills in the environment where they are most likely to use them. Virtual instructor-led online programs, virtual simulations, and self-directed e-learning programs can all offer relevant experience.
2: When the Training Budget Is Especially Tight
Virtual training is undoubtedly more cost-effective than in-person training. If your organization has to transport participants from around the country (or the globe), you could easily spend more than $ 1,000 per person just on transportation, food, and lodging. Booking experts to travel to all of your various offices can be similarly expensive, if not more so.
Leveraging online resources in a virtual training program eliminates the costs associated with transporting learners to a training sessions (or trainers to learners). This allows your organization to focus on what matters—preparing your employees for future success.
More companies are taking advantage of technology that enables more flexible training options, allowing them to reduce or reallocate their training budgets. On average, companies spent $ 702 per learner in 2015, down from $ 976 the previous year, according to the 2015 Training Industry Report.
3: When It Is More Convenient for Employees
Because virtual training puts training content and resources in front of employees instead of making them take time out of their work schedules to travel to another location to attend a training session, such training is vastly superior to traditional training program in terms of convenience.
This convenience factor helps to make training more accessible to high-potential employees who might otherwise not be able to spare the time from their normal duties to attend a lecture halfway across the continent.
At OnPoint Consulting, we recognize the importance of preparing virtual leaders for the unique challenges they face in ways that are engaging, cost-effective, and scalable. That’s why we offer virtual leadership training in a variety of formats, including virtual instructor-led training, self-guided e-learning, simulations, and assessments. To learn more about our programs for virtual leaders, take a look at our program guide.
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