A person is only as successful as their most recent project. Success is dynamic: it requires continuous improvement, development, and forward movement. The same is true for organizations. Training—often referred to as corporate training—is one of the key factors in developing people and ensuring that company processes and systems work effectively. Through technical and interpersonal skills training, people build the capabilities they need to perform even better in their roles.
Corporate training is also central to talent development. In addition to strengthening employees’ skills and engagement, it influences their satisfaction and sense of personal value. When people feel valued, they are far more likely to contribute fully at work.
What does training need to achieve in order to deliver the expected impact and genuinely support people’s development?
It must develop employees’ skills while expanding their knowledge, creating a broader improvement in the competencies that matter most. Professionally designed training goes further, however. It also influences participants’ motivation and attitudes and, ultimately, produces the desired result: a change in workplace behavior.
An interactive method: experiential learning
One of the most effective ways to change workplace behavior is through experiential learning. This interactive method is based on the educational concept described in Kolb’s learning cycle. Participants move through five stages in which they can: 1) experiment in practical, realistic situations; 2) draw conclusions; 3) generalize; 4) build concepts; and 5) apply what they have learned. Through this process, learners acquire new knowledge, develop skills, and retain learning more effectively through practice, analysis, and feedback.
Can experiential learning work online?
Experiential training is particularly effective in person because it includes many elements that support learning and retention:
- the emotions participants experience
- the emotions they observe in others
- self-reflection
- direct feedback
- the sensory experience of live interaction, which plays an important role in memory
But what happens when learning moves online?
Can we preserve experiential learning—and to what extent?
Which topics can be adapted for remote learning without losing their quality or their developmental potential?
There are no simple or universal answers. To decide how best to proceed, we tested different types of training online, gathered feedback from participants, and compared the results with more than 15 years of experience delivering training to hundreds of groups across many companies.
We found that some skills, knowledge, and competencies can not only be developed remotely, but belong naturally in that environment—for example, topics related to working online, such as Managing Remote Teams.
The second category includes foundational skills in areas such as time management, introductory sales, and feedback. These topics benefit from in-person contact, but they can also be taught effectively online when the design provides interaction and practical work through group discussions, pair work, real cases, and experience sharing. Interactive video platforms such as Zoom make this entirely possible.
We also identified a third category: topics that are difficult to develop remotely because they rely on experience in a live, real-world situation. Just as skills practiced entirely online can naturally be taught online, these skills are intended for face-to-face application in direct contact with other people. For example, advanced negotiation is difficult to practice without personally experiencing how different power dynamics affect the other party.
Which training programs will we offer in each format?
After considering where the different programs in our portfolio belong, we grouped them as follows:
Fully remote training:
- Managing Remote Teams
- Online Presentation Skills
Training that can deliver strong results both in person and remotely:
- Time Management
- Managing Remote Teams
- Foundational Sales Skills
- Online Presentation Skills
- Feedback
- Performance Management
- Motivation
- Foundational Negotiation Skills
- Emotional Intelligence
- Conflict Management
- Change Management
- Mentoring and People Development
For now, we deliver the following programs only in person, with all appropriate safety measures in place:
- Advanced Sales Skills
- Advanced Communication Skills
- In-Person Presentation Skills
- Advanced Negotiation Skills
We believe development should continue whether or not people can be in the same place. That is why we keep looking for ways to help our clients develop their people’s skills and their organizations’ potential, whatever the circumstances.
We are available to answer any questions about our training programs and formats at contact@ninetynine.bg.
