Bibliographic information of the German National Library:
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at www.dnb.de
© 2020 Anja Röck, arise Coaching & Tutoring, Althengstett
Translated by Susan Byron
Cover: Anja Röck
Picture: pixabay, free availability
Publisher: Anja Röck
Schwalbenweg 14/2
75382 Althengstett
info@arise-coaching.de
Production & publishing: BoD – Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt
ISBN: 978-3-7526-5314-4
Note: The book is available in the German language under ISBN 978-3-7481-9315-9
I have made every effort to identify the copyright holders of all texts, methods and quotations. If I have overlooked someone, I ask the copyright holder to contact me.
This book contains links to external websites of third parties, over whose contents no influence exists. Therefore, no responsibility can be taken for these external contents. The linked pages were checked for possible violations of the law at the time of linking. Illegal contents were not identified at the time of linking. However, a permanent control of the contents of the linked pages is not reasonable without concrete evidence of a violation of the law.
All rights, especially the right of reproduction and distribution in print, digital and/or audio, as well as translation, are reserved by the author.
Have you ever attended a webinar, i.e. a seminar on the web?
Personally, despite an increasing necessity for online education due to global health and climate risks, I think that this format of interactive seminars via the Internet is still used far too naively and, above all, remains somewhat unattractive.
In recent years, I have attended many webinars. While some trainers have been able to speak to me, others have really inspired me.
What was particularly important for me and my positive learning experience was whether the respective e-trainer managed to get close despite the distance. It is necessary to establish a "relationship" and rapport in the virtual space.
Unfortunately, I have also experienced some webinars where this could not be achieved.
At such events within minutes... I started checking my mails.
It was good when I noticed this. Because then I could reflect on what exactly was bothering me, what I was missing or what I still needed.
I then thought through these "disturbing" points, thought out solutions, made adjustments and then tried these optimizations out in my own webinars.
And if the feedback from the participants at the end of my webinars is, for example:
I admit I’m a fan of 2D and 3D webinars.
And one of the things that I’ve learned is:
Intensive cooperation between the e-trainer and the participants is always achievable when the e-trainer enables and allows this through action and interaction.
Please join me now in 50 webinar methods in virtual 2D and 3D spaces.
As an e-trainer, make sure that your participants are actually there and not just present.
I wish you much success.
Yours Anja Röck
There is only one thing you can rely on for sure at the moment, and that is that there will be a constant stream of new developments and that these will result in changing needs for new training concepts.
Demanding and active participants challenge us as trainers and coaches time and again.
In a digital knowledge society, where daily change is part of everyday life, e-trainers and e-coaches increasingly require qualities such as flexibility and creativity.
Because only if participants really feel addressed and integrated will they stay with the topic.
I emphasize that this is only possible through constant foresight1 mixed with a good portion of curiosity2 on the part of the trainers and coaches.
The individual methods in this collection are introduced from the practical perspective of Susan and Mark, two e-trainers.
For each method, the procedure and the tools used are explained in the virtual 2D and/or 3D space. Afterward, there are tips and, if necessary, variants are shown.
This webinar method toolkit treats the following webinar situations:
For beginners as e-trainers or e-coaches, the method toolbox aims to make visible a wide range of interaction possibilities in the 2D and 3D spaces.
The presented variants go one step further and seek to inspire advanced users to think further about proven methods in virtual scenarios.
Basically, the collection consciously distinguishes between methods that are more suitable for virtual 2D space and those that are suitable for 3D worlds and then adds when and how a change is possible.
The listed methods especially take into account that the participants become more and more "grown-up."
As an e-trainer and e-coach, we should always take care to treat the participants in the same way.
Important for an intensive webinar process is, therefore, among other things, opportunities for interaction created by the trainer and coach.
These ensure that the participants can be involved in a varied and interactive way with their needs and can be accompanied in synchronous, virtual 2D spaces, or 3D worlds.
Important notes:
1 Huffington Post USA (2014): Das Geheimnis der Kreativität: So ticken einfallsreiche Menschen, [online]
https://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/03/06/das-geheimnis-der-kreativitaet_n_4911257.html [16.01.2019]
2 Zukunftsinstitut GmbH Deutschland: Was macht Menschen neugierig?, [online]
https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/artikel/was-macht-menschen-neugierig/ [14.07.2020]
Theoretical foundations, really? Yeah, really!
I think some theoretical information to round out the methods has earned a place here.
But don’t worry. Since the practical relevance is very important to me, I will, wherever possible, illustrate with examples what I mean.
I continuously discuss with colleagues the disadvantages of "teaching from the front" or monologue lecturing. By this, I mean that mainly the trainer speaks, and the participants mostly listen.
To conduct such a "pure frontal instruction" often still seems "easier" at first glance. Especially in virtual space, when the technology can also interfere with the course of the lesson, e-trainers and e-coaches may have the feeling that they have the "Flow" and direction of the lesson under control.
The instructor presents their content, asks questions selectively (at a specific time, and precisely planned). The learners/participants are only allowed to answer or ask a question themselves via the text chat.
Could the participants answer the question correctly?
Good!
If not, then the teacher answers the question themself - and continues.
For years the pros and cons of the frontal instruction methods are widely discussed (in educational circles).
And although this fundamental debate may perhaps apply to face-to-face teaching of children and young people, in my opinion, it does not apply to adult learners.
Because adults only learn well if they are interested and if they can see the benefits.
Adult learners also want, indeed need, to link new content to their previous experience. The interested learner wants to influence and participate3. However, this is only possible if the learner is activated and involved. Then the learner is involved and feels responsible for the learning outcome4.
Unfortunately, this form of "teaching from the front," which "degrades" learners to spectators or listeners, can also be found in virtual spaces.
The facilitator/lecturer transmits their lecture via webcam, some of the participants sit on-site, most at their computers in the office or home office.
Feedback or questions during the lecture are rather undesirable and, therefore, technically not intended by the participants.
In such a scenario, many learners rightly consider why they have to be there right now and cannot watch a recording at a time of their choice.
This is not the way a modern, learner-adapted instruction with all the possibilities offered by virtual spaces should look.
However, it is not only important to involve the participants, i.e. to work interactively in the webinar and to consider the needs of the learners.
Learners must feel "safe" and predominantly "comfortable" in the learning scenario.
Many adult learners in the recent past, unless they belong to Generation Y (born between 1980 and 20005), have had only domestic and/or limited experience with digital media (e.g. using Skype or WhatsApp). More recently, they have begun using Zoom and Google Meet. In businesses, Adobe Connect and Microsoft Teams were usually used.
Using digital virtual media for learning or further education is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life, even beyond watching videos on YouTube, gaming apps, and Social Media.
In my experience, the majority of adults (before 2019) have not yet experienced learning scenarios in virtual 2D (two-dimensional, being in the same online space) or even 3D (moving in virtual worlds) spaces themselves until recently.
From the initial hype around e-learning when "learning programs on the computer" (e.g. CBT - computer-based training, WBT - web-based training) was introduced in the 1990s, the opinion often still prevails that virtual learning "leaves you alone at the computer." It is a solitary experience.
An elementary factor in webinars is that "informal, social contacts [in virtual or digital learning scenarios] must not be neglected."6
A trustful cooperation and cooperative and collaborative work in a webinar would otherwise become more difficult.
A major advantage of virtual spaces is the possibility of direct communication.
And this does not only concern the real-time exchange through the microphone and the webcam.
In webinars, participant-oriented, interactive work with the entire group or in small groups is possible.
However, the e-trainer must know - and be proficient in - the respective space, with the available tools and thus the possibilities.
Most of the virtual 2D spaces on the market have a similar structure. They represent a protected online classroom that is usually only accessible by password.
Visually, the majority of the spaces, also referred to as rooms have a tabular user interface. Various areas contain the list of participants, a text chat, a presentation area, the possibility of video transmission, and a tool for file exchange.