As a trainer for online training, which engagement approach would you use? Why?
As a trainer for online training, which approach would you use to make your webinar/live session interactive and participants engaged? Would you ask for volunteers to answer a question (by raising hands), or would you call on participants randomly? What are the pros and cons of each?
Comments
I would ask volunteers by raising hands .This would avoid embarrassing a participant who may not have a ready answer to a question . Adult learning requires voluntary engagement of participants and not pushing them .They are learning because of the objective they want to achieve and are willing to engage whenever they are comfortable to do it .
I would you call on participants randomly. This is because if you select participant randomly they will be very attentive and will always be ready because they are in suspense. In this case even if the participant doesn't know the answer at least will say something that will make you notice that he/she is listening.
PROS - Participants will be alert and attentive all through the session.
-Participant will gain the morale to go deeper into a certain topic and gain more knowledge.
CONS- The technique can embarrass or make a participant uneasy.
-A participant's attention may be drown away and throughout the session may think of the question that he/she
failed to answer.
I would like to ask participants to raise their hands in responding questions because this will encourage each participant to contribute different opinion and hence sharing different experience and knowledge in question. Participants will be alert in listening and taking notes seriously.
Advantages: Facilitator would manage simultaneous each participant comments effectively; Participants will make serious analysis of their learning habits and eagerness on searching answers or to ask for assistance
Disadvantages: Participants have a variety of knowledge background, they may not understand exactly the question, on responding may be wrong; Participants experience lack of communication skills development as compared to face-to-face lectures; During live session participants may also encounter technical challenges like inadequate internet access, device hardware failure or unreliable electricity
I will use both methods depending on the level of interactions shown during live session. I do like to have the trainees raising hand to participate. I believe raising the hand shows that one has had an opportunity to formulate and process their contribution to the discussion. Raising of hand to contribute also shows attentiveness and following if the discussion. As a trainer though, you may observe that there are eager trainees who have much to contribute, potentially overshadowing other participants, either they are very knowledgeable or just confident to speak out their contribution. I may then decide to change strategy and decide on random calling of participants, However, I will first make it known to the trainees that I might call out their name. This approach keeps participants following the discussion. Also, the quiet ones (maybe their character) will get opportunity to contribute in class. To be successful in this approach, the trainer need to have created a good environment for adult learning, none should feel embarrassed after a contribution
When you do it randomly you have everyone on board and participants will learn to research broadly.
Pros. Equal chance of selection, Participants get to prepare before the live session
By raising hand participants share all the knowledge and are able to teach those who are not actively participating
Pros. its voluntary
Pros. Equal chance of selection, Participants get to prepare before the live session
By raising hand participants share all the knowledge and are able to teach those who are not actively participating
Pros. its voluntary
I will use both because while raising the hand as a trainer I will know those who are following, have an idea on the topic, having experience to share and are willingly to participate and while asking participant randomly you know about their presence because some should log in and it seems like they are around whereas they are distracted, it attracts the attention of participants, and some might be shy thus to encourage their participation I would sometimes call on participants randomly.
I would do both: first for variety of style and secondly, as fit for what I observe in my audience. Though both methods have prons and cons, I would be careful to maximize the use of both methods for the advantage of my audience, and for the fun in and of learning.
I will make use of both methods to ensure the involvement of all participants.
It is crucial that a facilitator should foster discussions during the training session that support and encourage participation. Some participants may be more introverted that others or may be rolled over by outspoken participants. By involving the aforementioned participants by asking them questions directly or seeking their opinion will bring them equally into the discussions and in so doing ensure everyone is engaging equally. Both approaches will ensure involvement of all and provide the facilitator insight into the participants level of understanding of the subject.
l would use both, so as to keep all participants engaged. l would also ask participants to pick on one another.
i would use both, depending on the level of the content i would be delivering, for example when in the middle of explaining concepts, i may ask volunteers to raise hands to share their thoughts about the subject, just in checking the alertness and level of knowledge;. however when summarizing the material, i may randomly call on participants to respond. All this i would do having prepared my adult audience to be ready for it, because it may somehow create some embarrassment when calling randomly.
Both methods when used concurrently keep learners engaged in the discussions.
in my point of view, both approach raising hand and calling their name to make a contribution.
I will use both depending on the question:
Thank you
Mixed methods seems fine as it allows equitable expression
It will use both approaches
As a trainer i should know that there will be different types of participants, those who are quite by nature, the ones that a blessed with talking, the knowledgeable ones and the ones that are eager to participate. The knowledgeable, and the ones that are eager to participate will be the ones to raise their hands but for a trainer not to leave the quite one out, you should randomly ask them to participate by randomly asking for their opinion/question although they may feel not ready sometimes. the trainer needs to find a way to involve them and make them comfortable to participate
I would both depending on the prevailing circumstance. I would prefer asking participants to volunteer in responding to questions asked by raising their hands. However, if it is realized that the participants are unwilling to volunteer or the same persons are volunteering at almost all times, then I would be encouraged to call on individuals randomly by their names to answer.
PROS and CONS
Calling on participants randomly would sometimes put them on the spot and could make people feel uncomfortable and anxious through. However, it encourages attentiveness and equal participation.
Asking participants to voluntarily answer questions may lead to just a few people participating or answering questions all the time and others may be less attentive to the discussion or the lecture. However, it takes away the anxieties amongst participants and make them feel comfortable in participating.
Thank you.
I think the approach used by this online training is good for encouraging participant by posting pool from time to time, raising hand, or calling the name of participants are all help to encourage involvement.
To keep the participants engaged I would employ different methods just as being done by our able facilitators, asking them to; raise hands, use the chat box, volunteer, read out parts of presentations, present their homework and occasionally calling on names at random. Calling on names may cause a bit of some discomfort for some participants so I will use this approach for simple tasks such as reading what is projected on the screen. I have found the polls also very interesting, effective and inclusive in terms of ensuring that the introverts are afforded an opportunity to participate. I would use these one questions polls to check understanding of the participants as the online training progresses.
This is a great question. I will employ both methods to solicit answers from participants.
By asking volunteers to raise their hands, this will encourage a lot of sharing of ideas and experiences since adults learn more by sharing their ideas/experiences. Also by the participants raising their hands, as a trainer, you will be able to know how many (or rather what percentage) are active. This is method, however, can consume a lot of time and needs to be properly moderated. It can also leads to the deviation from the topic being learnt if not well moderated.
The other other method of calling participants name randomly is great and enhance active participation during the learning. By calling their names randomly, they do not necessarily need to answer the questions, but can also be given opportunity to read the part of the learning materials or present their homework. This method, however, can lead to embarrassments as some of the participants might shy away from answering the questions. As a trainer, I would encourage that by indicating that in adult learning, there is no wrong answer and as such their participation can be enhanced.
In order to engage the participants in the webinar/live session, I would use the kahoot game! This interactive on line game allows me to realize if participants stay in the online class and how interested they are for learning. Then, after finishing the kahoot game, I would figure out who participants need a feedback or reinforce the learning. For participants who need feedback, I would ask them for volunteers to restated the information given; on the other hand, participants who need reinforced the learning, I would call them randomly.
The pros of asking for volunteers by raising hand is that only enthusiastic participants would answer the questions; and the cons of it is that the rest of the participant could feel unsure to answer the question.
Furthermore, the pros of calling on participants randomly allows the trainer to know how the participants have learned; and the cons of it is that the participants could feel nervous and intimidated, and it could be probably that their answer may be unstable.
when teaching online you will find out that participants have different and preferable tools of engagement they would prefer. first and foremost as a facilitator, you must be able to use all the tools available online. class participation is very important therefore I will use the tool that is preferred by the majority of the participants however I will not be limited to other tools to cater to the minority group. tools like raising hands, chat box, and group discussions. asking open questions like sharing their experiences will enable even the shy or quiet participants to participate
In my online training both approaches will be used. Facilitator must be flexible to catch participant attention and participation. Therefore, facilitator should change their style based on the actual participation of participation due to these two approaches have its own advantages and disadvantages. Raising hand is mainly effective with some active participants. Facilitator will call the one who first raise hand, then other participants will have no chance to share their idea/experiences. Importantly, some participants feeling shy, they could not raise hand; However, if facilitator call out their name; they will have a chance to talk and share their experiences. Facilitator need to observe and encourage non-active participants to participate more and more. Importantly, try to deep out valuable experiences/thought from all participants. Being an effective facilitator, must make sure all participants participate during the training. Make the training to be more enjoyable, less pressure and memorable.
Hello Katy,
I would use both approaches depending of the topics being discussed. If I feel that a certain participant is knowledgeable on a topic and his/her answer would benefit the class, I would ask the participant to respond to the question. If there are indications that a participant is dormant and not responding to questions or polls, I would also ask him/her to respond just to keep him/her alert.
I will also allow participants to answer questions voluntarily (by raising their hands). By allowing this, participant will not sit on information which might benefit fellow classmates.
In adult learning, one needs to use both approaches. However, these are dependent on the level of interactions displayed during live sessions and environment. Participation through raising of hand by trainees is an indication that they are participating, perhaps knowledgeable and following the discussion. But there are certain characters that are naturally introverts and may not raise hands to participant. Thant can be deceptive!! , they are often overshadowed by over "talkers" through multiple contributions. As a trainer, i need to be more careful about this and be able to change the strategy like random calling of participants, providing participatory assignments for break in rooms where the likely introverts can be given opportunity to contribute in the discussions.
I will employ one or both ways.
I will encourage participants to raise their hands. It is wonderful when learners willingly raise their hands to participate. I think raising one's hand indicates that one has had time to consider and prepare their substantive argument. Raising one's hand to speak up demonstrates interest in and participation in the conversation. The difficulty is that given that participation is voluntary, some participants may decide not to pay attention, follow the conversation, or contribute in any way.
I will also call participants by names. This strategy will keep my audience engaged and listening to the topic. The difficulty is that certain participants who may not have the correct responses may feel embarrassed, which could undermine their morale.
Thank you, everyone, for your valuable comments. I agree with you all. Both approaches (asking for volunteers vs calling on people) are useful tools in our trainers' toolbox. The key is, we need both. If you only ask for volunteers, some participants will dominate the opportunities for asking questions or making comments. To ensure equal opportunity and engage each and every participant, once in a while we should call on people either randomly or non-randomly. This way we can keep the participants on their toes - they must be attentive the whole time because they could be called upon at any point.
There are two ways for the non-random (targeted) approach to calling on the participants:
Now you know our secrets! 😁
well, adulting learning can be different, one needs to understand the kind of group of participants in class.
raising hands is a very uniform and polite method to ensure people get equal opportunity to say something in class. the good thing is no idea will be sidelined
however, the cons are that introverts will hard participate.
on the other hand, if calling out to people, will give an opportunity for introverts to participate.
the cons is that you might miss very brilliant ideas that need excellent intervention because participants are not given opportunity to raise hands and and share their experience.
Dear Dr. Katy,
Thank you so much for your recommendation and share us your secret. That’s beneficial to build my knowledge and skill. Adult learning needs different approach in term of encouragement and engagement. I will apply all methods that I have learnt from this course and I will share your secret to my colleagues as well.
Regards,
Kimsorn
Dr Katy,
Thank you so much, now we know your secret of participant engagement.☺️☺️
I will definitely apply the same method to my teachings.