Earlier this month, I celebrated (!?) the one hundredth webinar, virtual meeting, or online retreat I’ve designed and facilitated during the pandemic.

Looking through the list – yes, I keep a list – it’s amusing to see that the first one focused on how to organize and deliver a remote training. Little did I know…

With vaccination rates rising and our communities reopening, this seems like an appropriate moment to share what I’ve learned over the last sixteen months and 100 webinars.

Accessibility cuts both ways

As consultant Julie Ha Truong noted in an earlier post, “Borderless and remote work is the future.” I wholeheartedly agree.

Moving our jobs and lives onto Zoom has reduced geographic barriers. Indeed, recent webinars included participants from across North America and as far away as Romania and Australia, which has been thrilling. Except for major conferences, this never happens during in-person events.

I’m also thinking of a colleague with multiple sclerosis who appreciates every remote meeting or program that doesn’t require physical travel.

However, access to broadband is deeply inequitable. These inequities can be measured by social class, race, and geography – including my home office (and DSL line) in rural Vermont.

Saying this differently: Every time you move a program or meeting online, you increase accessibility for some folks while excluding others. When you organize in-person events, the same thing happens in reverse.

The logistics of hybrid programs and meetings, with both in-person and remote participation, can be deeply challenging – especially for grassroots groups with modest resources.

At this stage, there is no ideal solution. Addressing this conundrum will be the great facilitation challenge of the next several years, as we move more deeply into a hybrid-expected world.

You can serve all kinds of learners

One year ago – a few months into the COVID era – I shared a post describing how my colleagues Dianne Russell, Stephanie Lahar, and I had converted a three-day, in-person retreat into an online class.

Most vividly, I remember  multiple experiments as we figured out how to use Zoom to serve a variety of learners and learning styles. I’ve implemented these lessons throughout the pandemic.

To offer some context, one learning theory is reflected in the acronym VARK: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic.

We all have preferred learning styles. An effective trainer needs to serve a variety of learners, even in the virtual world.

With online learning, the easiest styles to embrace are auditory – listening to the presenter, talking with others during breakouts – and visual – using lots of compelling images.

To appeal to readers and writers, we gave advance reading assignments. We offered writing prompts, included quiet time to write, then collected and discussed the responses.

Which leaves the kinesthetic learners. How can you best engage them in virtual world? Two examples from this program:

• We inverted the superpower metaphor by asking, “What’s your Kryptonite? What depletes you?” Then we instructed participants to walk around their homes and find a physical object representing their strategy for self-care and self-empowerment. Everyone was given a moment to describe the object and its significance.

• Using paper and markers, each student created a drawing of their journey through the program (this was the final session of a six-month course) and screen-shared the images. Not your typical webinar!

My challenge to you: How can you use VARK to make your next online program more compelling, engaging, and accessible for different learners and learning styles?

The business model works

Like many people, the pandemic has accelerated both planned and unplanned changes in my work life.

I am now semi-retired and focusing on one-off projects: webinars, workshops, meeting design and facilitation, etc. No more strategic plans, fundraising plans, or other long-term gigs.

What I didn’t realize, pre-COVID, was that I could focus on these types of jobs – and make a decent living – without leaving home.

With a modest amount of promotion and outreach, I’ve facilitated six or seven webinars or meetings per month throughout the pandemic. Some required new content and customized agendas. For others, I’ve recycled and repurposed older materials, which requires less prep.

My income is half what it used to be, but expenses are way down and I have a lot more free time. The experiment is working.

If you’re a consultant, trainer, or facilitator, and you’re looking to diversify your mix of remote services, I would be happy to dive into the details with you. Reach out and we’ll chat.