Spring has, just about, sprung here in the south of England and, I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely feeling the vibe of new beginnings, budding projects and exciting new ventures on the horizon.
I’m not the biggest fan of the post-Christmas winter slog into spring, and earlier this year I found myself in a bit of a funk – feeling a little disconnected and directionless when it came to my business (it happens to the best of us sometimes, am I right?!). I quickly re-grouped, however; I did a lot of reflection and self-coaching; I had a deep-dive session with my coach; and I had a couple of game-changing conversations with some truly inspirational women in my network. I came to the realisation that I had become misaligned from one of my core values: people.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been loving working with clients during this time, and have led some incredibly fulfilling and insightful sessions, both via video and in-person. What I mean is that I recognised that I was missing being physically in a room with people in a group setting - collaborating, feeling the energy, and seeing real in-the-moment transformation happening en masse.
As a business owner or professional you, like me, will have attended countless in-person and online courses and workshops, I’m sure. Some might have been life-changing when you look back on them now, and some might have been less impactful. As we’re all aware, since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in online vs. in-person training, development and day-to-day interaction. Zoom and other platforms have now become commonplace in how we work and connect with each other. And, whilst it might well be that in some respects receiving training and holding meetings online is more convenient, I wonder what is lost… I believe a lot; and the effects of removing the in-person element will be extremely far-reaching.
Disappointingly, I’ve seen networking groups move exclusively online when they used to be in-person (yet charge the same fees). I’ve seen what used to be incredible, experiential training and development move to shorter online courses. Conferences are now going online, or at least hybrid. Organisations are experiencing a loss of culture, a drop in productivity, and the mentoring of junior staff is disappearing with the increase in home working.
It got me thinking – what really is the difference between online (pre-recorded and live) and in-person training and development, and which one is better? My conclusion was, hands-down, in-person. And these are the three reasons why…
REASON 1:
You have the ability to connect and collaborate with other people who are physically in the room with you
Firstly, picture the last really good in-person training and development event that you went to; there are those informal, ad-hoc in-between moments such as tea breaks and lunches when you have the opportunity to make real connections with real people who are in the same position as you (I have friends now whom I met on courses years ago).
Also, you’re able to learn, not just from the trainer, but from those around you as you work through exercises and workshop ideas, as they bring their unique knowledge and experience to the table, giving you so much more than just the course content alone.
Finally, it’s a lot easier to ‘read the room’ and feel more comfortable in contributing your ideas and asking any questions you might have, which can feel really awkward in an online group if you’re on a live call and, if recorded, you don’t have this opportunity at all.
REASON 2:
The trainer is right there in the room with you to guide you, to give feedback and to provide additional support where you need it
When you’re in the room, you can get clarity in that very moment on the things you haven’t quite understood.
You might ask for specific examples and can benefit from the coaching, experience, and real-life stories of the trainer. If you are online, what happens if you get stuck? Or if something is unclear? Or, if you have a specific question relating to your business? If you’re online, it’s likely to remain unanswered.
When in-person, the trainer is able to lead the session and manage the time available accordingly. They can spend more time if necessary on the topics that the group would like more focus on, and less time on those that aren’t as important, rather than prescriptively delivering the content.
The host is able to read the room far more effectively than an online training and has eyes on everyone, meaning that they can pace the training and no one will go unnoticed. Also, in-person training is likely to be delivered to a smaller group with much more opportunity for focused attention on the individuals in attendance.
REASON 3:
It’s 3D, not 2D!
You can literally feel the energy in the room, which can be highly creative and motivating, meaning you can get more done in less time and are likely to come away buzzing from a great session.
Not only this, you can get pens out and big bits of paper and have some fun! Not very easily achieved through a virtual whiteboard, and much less stimulating if done on your own.
You can take part in exercises that require you to move around the room, giving more flexibility to the trainer and making the activities highly experiential and impactful for the attendees.
Ultimately, if you have taken a half day or full day out of your time for training, you want to be sure that you are going to come away having made real progress, and having had an experience to remember. This is exactly what a great in-person workshop will deliver, as opposed to an online course which can very often end up being yet another unfinished item that you have to tackle on your to-do list, and who wants that?!
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Drop me a comment or send me an email and let me know what your personal preference is with online vs. in-person training, and what your experiences have been, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
In the meantime, why not sign-up for one of my upcoming in-person workshops – I’ve taken the best, most transformative, and progress-enhancing parts of my 1:1 program and will be delivering them across five highly experiential, hugely practical one-day events.
Packed full of simple, actionable strategies and priceless tools that you can apply immediately, you will leave at the end of each day having made huge strides forwards in your business, along with some brand new connections with like-minded businesswomen.
The first event is: ‘Setting Yourself Up for Success’ which will help you to build an incredible foundation for your business based upon your core values, key strengths, and deepest purpose, helping you to achieve your goals and build long-term success.
Running 9:30am – 4:30pm on Thursday 25th May 2023, at The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Cookham, Berkshire SL6 9QH and priced at £267 including all training, materials, lunch and snacks.
You can find out the full details of all five events, as well as how to book at: www.vickimessenger.com/events and take a look at the leaflet below.
Spaces are limited so that we have the best experience possible, so grab them while you can!
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