Virtual training and our next “new reality”

There is no comfort zone in our current Covid-centric reality.

We know life is uncertain, but we used to believe we could plan for the future. The pandemic proved us wrong.

That lack of certainty about the future has kept us off-balance. We all had to find ways to deal with the uncertainty. Some of us hoped that it would end soon and everything would go back to normal.

But it didn't end soon and life hasn't gone back to normal. Now that vaccinations are (almost) a reality, everyone is wondering:

“What will life post-Covid look like?"

Some different perspectives

Given that we train programmers, I think a lot about the future of virtual training. In the past week, I've come across some very different perspectives.

My friend runs a soft skills training company. She is looking forward to a complete return to classroom-based training. And she's been going to in-person sales meetings. (She is obviously not meeting with IT staff. It's easier to herd cats than set up a meeting with IT.)

Last week, two clients took up our invitation to "drop in" to a virtual class, and experience it for themselves. Both of them now want quotes for virtual training. But I also had an interesting email conversation with someone who will wait for classroom training.

This morning I read a newsletter from the CEO of a US company that offers leadership training. She was very clear about her point of view. In response to a question on minimizing the use of Zoom/Webex/Teams, in delivering learning, she made this comment:

“This question is so loaded with the speaker’s assumptions and experiences. ... It reveals that the questioner hopes to return to the old normal after the pandemic: training delivery in a physical classroom. I wanted to say out loud, “People, that ship has sailed!”

Our mini-statistics

I don't pretend to have the answers. I don't know when (or if) we'll go back to classroom training.

I know there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all. Some people miss the classroom interaction and the meals. Some people have power outages and bad internet connections. Most people love not having to travel. And the target audience and subject matter also influence what people prefer.

Since our first virtual course, we've asked every delegate this question:

Do you prefer virtual or classroom-based training?

The results after 11 months: 63.85% of our delegates prefer virtual training.

What will you want?

Do you look forward to classroom training again? Or are you loving the convenience of virtual? I thought of setting up a poll, but most people don't fill them in. So please just share your views.

PS: Now you can try before you buy

Are you undecided about virtual training? Maybe you've never attended an Incus Data course. You are welcome to arrange a "drop-in" to a virtual course. It's a great way to try before you buy.

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