Virtual Training Tools for Teams

🤔Ever heard of the “primacy recency effect”? People tend to remember mainly how you start and end a meeting. Therefore, the way you conclude your session imprints on the memory of your participants and should not be a careless afterthought. 💡 Coming back to the 5E #experiencedesign model, the 4th stage is the #EXIT. WHAT NOT TO DO: 👎 End with a Q&A - it puts people in a questioning state of mind and does not help them feel the learning journey has landed 👎 End with logistics - these can be the 2nd to last thing you do but people remember emotional feelings like connection or ending on a fun / high so make the end count! WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: 👍 End with action steps - This can be as simple as asking everyone to type into the chat or share out loud how they will use this #experience and the learning outcomes moving forward 🎯It’s easy for participants to say they want to do EVERYTHING they learned, but that’s not how #behaviorchange happens. People can get overwhelmed trying to take on too much and eventually give up. It’s much more realistic to have participants pinpoint 1 or 2 key focus areas so they can manage to achieve their goals! 👍 End with #connection - leave the meeting on a high and memorable note! The mere act of ending with a connecting activity helps to foster a feeling of belonging in the group, which may very much encourage them to come back for another workshop! 🤝 For today’s #TrainerToolTuesday, here are some ideas for better closings: 💡Invite everyone to self-reflect with music to the question 🤔 What’s an observable behavior / actionable takeaway / intention / challenge / next step (pick your fav!) you want to be sure to put into practice after this event? 💡For small groups: Go around the Zoom circle and ask each person to share out loud their key takeaways or learning outcomes and at least one action they will take to apply their learning 💡For large groups: Encourage them to share in the chat their response to the prompt 💡 Create accountability partners to help them put the learning into practice Make breakout rooms for participants to share their next action steps and even find ways to support each other and/or set specific deadlines by when they will meet and report on their progress. 💡Have everyone pick an image card that describes how they are feeling leaving the training 💡End with a gratitude circle / chatterfall having participants share with one another what they appreciate about each other 💡 Collaborative drawing activity to re-create a collective visual image of the training (great for longer programs) 💡 1 minute Rampage of Appreciation for participants to celebrate themselves for their effort and growth throughout the learning process 💡 End with music, zoom waves (spirit fingers), virtual high fives, and even a dance party. Ask everyone to unmute and say goodbye all together before exiting. 🧐 What are YOUR favorite ways to end a #learningexperience? Let me know below👇

A lot of time and money goes into corporate training—but not nearly enough comes out of it. In fact, companies spent $130 billion on training last year, yet only 25% of programs measurably improved business performance. Having run countless training workshops, I’ve seen firsthand what makes the difference. Some teams walk away energized and equipped. Others… not so much. If you’re involved in organizing training—whether for a small team or a large department—here’s how to make sure it actually works: ✅ Do your research. Talk to your team. What skills would genuinely help them day-to-day? A few interviews or a quick survey can reveal exactly where to focus. ✅ Start with a solid brief. Give your trainer as much context as possible: goals, audience, skill levels, examples of past work, what’s worked—and what hasn’t. ✅ Don’t shortchange the time. A 90-minute session might inspire, but it won’t transform. For deeper learning and hands-on practice, give it time—ideally 2+ hours or spaced chunks over a few days. ✅ Share real examples. Generic content doesn’t stick. When the trainer sees your actual slides, templates, and challenges, they can tailor the session to hit home. ✅ Choose the right group size. Smaller groups mean better interaction and more personalized support. If you want engagement, resist the temptation to pack the (virtual) room. ✅ Make it matter. Set expectations. Send reminders. And if it’s virtual, cameras on goes a long way toward focus and connection. ✅ Schedule follow-up support. Reinforcement matters. Book a post-session Q&A, office hours, or refresher so people actually use what they’ve learned. ✅ Follow up. Send a quick survey afterward to measure impact and shape the next session. One-off training rarely moves the needle—but a well-planned series can. Helping teams level up their presentation skills is what I do—structure, storytelling, design, and beyond. If that’s on your radar, I’d love to help. DM me to get the conversation started.

63% of employees say their company’s AI training isn’t good enough, according to TalentLMS. That’s a call to action. As AI adoption accelerates, one of the most impactful steps leaders can take is preparing teams to use these tools with confidence, and those who get this right design training as a catalyst to spark new ways of working. The most effective training programs I’ve seen share three qualities: they’re role-based, hands-on, and ongoing. 1️⃣ Role-based training helps AI adoption stick. When employees leave with three or four clear ways to apply AI immediately, those practices are far more likely to become part of daily work. 2️⃣ Hands-on beats hypothetical. Confidence grows fastest when instruction is concise and paired with time to experiment in low-risk settings. Learning by doing makes adoption real. 3️⃣ Training isn’t one-and-done. Quarterly or biannual sessions, with updates as tools or capabilities evolve, help teams feel supported and ready to keep pace. When training is structured this way, employees feel empowered to use AI, and that’s when it starts to truly transform how work gets done. #AITraining #AIEnablement #LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeTraining #Upskilling

💥 😱 Training is fundamentally broken. Think about it: We spend HOURS listening to lectures, reading books, or watching videos… only to retain almost nothing. The result? Knowledge that fades faster than yesterday’s to-do list. Why? Because passive learning is a trap. We consume knowledge, but we never truly retain it. The solution? 💡 Shift from PASSIVE to ACTIVE learning. This is where the Learning Pyramid comes in. 🔺 What is the Learning Pyramid? It’s a simple, science-backed model that shows how we retain information. And here’s the spoiler: 👉 The secret to learning isn’t listening. It’s DOING. Here’s how it breaks down: 👀 At the top: Passive methods like lectures, reading, and watching videos. 💪 At the bottom: Active methods like practice, group discussions, and teaching others. The difference? 💡 Passive methods = Knowledge INPUT. 💥 Active methods = Knowledge OUTPUT. And guess what? 👉 The magic happens in the output. Imagine this: Instead of your team passively sitting through a 60-minute presentation (retention: 5%)… 💥 They teach the same content to others (retention: 90%). That’s not just a small shift. That’s a GAME. CHANGER. 🤩🤩🤩 SO… how do you level up your learning experiences starting today? 💥 Here’s the powerful truth: The best way to learn something is to teach it. If you’re running a team workshop, client training, or even a simple meeting – make it INTERACTIVE! 😀 Here are 5 easy tools to boost engagement and retention immediately: 1️⃣ Breakout Rooms Don’t let participants sit passively. 💬 Break them into small groups to discuss key topics and collaborate in real-time. Easy to do with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. 2️⃣ Online Whiteboards (Figma, Miro, Mural) Learning doesn’t just happen through words. Let people sketch, brainstorm, and visually build ideas together during sessions. It taps into visual + active learning modes! 3️⃣ Quizzes & Polls People LOVE immediate feedback. Tools like Slido or Kahoot! make it easy to add live polls and quizzes during your sessions. 4️⃣ Peer Teaching Exercises Want someone to REALLY learn something? 💡 Ask them to teach it to someone else. Teaching forces them to organize their thoughts and solidify their understanding. 5️⃣ Interactive Demos Forget slide decks. SHOW people how something works, then let them try it themselves. The difference? 👀 Passive watching vs. 💪 Active doing. 🔥 Here’s the challenge: If you want your team (or clients) to actually retain what you’re teaching… 👉 Make them do the work. ❌ Stop talking AT them. ✅ Start collaborating WITH them. Because retention doesn’t come from listening. It comes from ACTION. ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// 👋🏻Hi, I’m Andy! Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow me for more. Want to build the future of architecture with me? Let’s start a conversation today. 🌟 #Architecture #Collaboration #Innovation #Leadership #slantisVibes

Throwing AI tools at your team without a plan is like giving them a Ferrari without driving lessons. AI only drives impact if your workforce knows how to use it effectively. After: 1-defining objectives 2-assessing readiness 3-piloting use cases with a tiger team Step 4 is about empowering the broader team to leverage AI confidently. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research and Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model show that high-impact AI adoption is 80% about people, 20% about tech. Here’s how to make that happen: 1️⃣ Environmental Supports: Build the Framework for Success -Clear Guidance: Define AI’s role in specific tasks. If a tool like Momentum.io automates data entry, outline how it frees up time for strategic activities. -Accessible Tools: Ensure AI tools are easy to use and well-integrated. For tools like ChatGPT create a prompt library so employees don’t have to start from scratch. -Recognition: Acknowledge team members who make measurable improvements with AI, like reducing response times or boosting engagement. Recognition fuels adoption. 2️⃣ Empower with Tiger Team Champions -Use Tiger/Pilot Team Champions: Leverage your pilot team members as champions who share workflows and real-world results. Their successes give others confidence and practical insights. -Role-Specific Training: Focus on high-impact skills for each role. Sales might use prompts for lead scoring, while support teams focus on customer inquiries. Keep it relevant and simple. -Match Tools to Skill Levels: For non-technical roles, choose tools with low-code interfaces or embedded automation. Keep adoption smooth by aligning with current abilities. 3️⃣ Continuous Feedback and Real-Time Learning -Pilot Insights: Apply findings from the pilot phase to refine processes and address any gaps. Updates based on tiger team feedback benefit the entire workforce. -Knowledge Hub: Create an evolving resource library with top prompts, troubleshooting guides, and FAQs. Let it grow as employees share tips and adjustments. -Peer Learning: Champions from the tiger team can host peer-led sessions to show AI’s real impact, making it more approachable. 4️⃣ Just in Time Enablement -On-Demand Help Channels: Offer immediate support options, like a Slack channel or help desk, to address issues as they arise. -Use AI to enable AI: Create customGPT that are task or job specific to lighten workload or learning brain load. Leverage NotebookLLM. -Troubleshooting Guide: Provide a quick-reference guide for common AI issues, empowering employees to solve small challenges independently. AI’s true power lies in your team’s ability to use it well. Step 4 is about support, practical training, and peer learning led by tiger team champions. By building confidence and competence, you’re creating an AI-enabled workforce ready to drive real impact. Step 5 coming next ;) Ps my next podcast guest, we talk about what happens when AI does a lot of what humans used to do… Stay tuned.

HubSpot Academy introduced Learning Paths in their latest bulletin, there are now pre-built pathways for customers, partners, and startups 👏👏👏 This is a huge win in my book for many reasons, here are a few: 1 - there are countless posts in the HubSpot Community from new learners asking which certification to take next or where to start 2 - simplified onboarding a team member new to HubSpot based on roles 3 - it just got a whole lot easier to prep for Accreditations There are separate learning paths for each of the Accreditation Prerequisites, making it easier to identify the additional certs needed for each one. Depending on the learning paths, there are different resources included, like blog articles, templates, guides, lessons, and certifications; there are also checklists to track your progress. What I'd love to see next is more robust team tracking, especially toward the 100 certifications needed to become an Elite partner, and an interactive checklist for accreditations to make tracking which team members have which certs, and what certs are still needed, etc. easier to manage.

Individual vs. Enterprise Learning: Closing the Gap Learning is already one of the top-five reasons people turn to large language models. Yet most corporate L&D teams still cling to the classic mix of an LMS, slide decks, and end-of-module quizzes. These methods aren’t useless—but they train for a tidy classroom world, not for the messy reality employees face every day. It’s like earning a data-science badge on a perfectly curated dataset, then discovering on day one that real data never arrives so neat. Customer-support teams make this problem painfully clear. Even “best-in-class” centers lose a quarter of their staff every year. Skill ramp-up, coaching, and continuous improvement are the only sustainable levers—and the results show up instantly in call metrics, CSAT, close rate, upsell rate, so progress (or the lack of it) is obvious. At a recent client we rolled out three AI-driven upgrades: 1) Live simulations – AI agents phone in as customers with unscripted, multi-step problems. Trainees practice in situations that feel 90 % like the real floor, minus the risk. 2) On-demand coaching – A second AI agent listens in and gives real-time hints, follow-up questions, and post-call feedback, the way a top mentor would—only it’s available on every call. 3) Personalized learning paths – The system tracks each rep’s weak spots and pushes targeted mini-lessons until the skill gap closes. No one sits through material they’ve already mastered. The technology people already use on their own time can—and should—power how enterprises teach their teams.

We spent $200K on training last year. AI replaced 80% of it for $20K. And our employees learned more. Not because AI is magic. Because we finally stopped treating training like a checkbox. Here's 9 ways we use AI to train employees (that actually work): 1/ Personalized Learning Paths That Adapt → AI analyzes skill gaps in real-time → Creates custom curricula for each employee 💡 Reality: Our junior marketer mastered analytics 3x faster with AI-tailored lessons. 2/ Role-Play Scenarios Without the Awkwardness → AI simulates difficult conversations → Practice firing someone, negotiating, giving feedback 💡 Reality: New managers improved conflict resolution skills 67% using AI role-play vs traditional workshops. 3/ Just-In-Time Micro-Learning → AI serves bite-sized lessons when needed → Learning happens in the flow of work 💡 Reality: Retention rates jumped from 20% to 74% when we switched to AI micro-learning. 4/ Real-Time Performance Coaching → AI analyzes actual work output → Provides immediate, specific feedback 💡 Reality: Our sales team's close rate improved 31% with AI analyzing their calls and suggesting improvements. 5/ Peer Learning Networks at Scale → AI matches employees with complementary skills → Facilitates knowledge sharing across departments 💡 Reality: Cross-department collaboration increased 5x when AI started suggesting learning partners. 6/ Language and Communication Training → AI analyzes emails, presentations, reports → Suggests improvements for clarity and impact 💡 Reality: Customer sat scores rose 22% after AI helped our support team improve their written communication. 7/ Simulation-Based Technical Training → AI creates safe environments to practice → Mistakes become learning, not disasters 💡 Reality: Developers ship production-ready code 40% faster after AI simulation training. 8/ Continuous Skill Assessment → AI tracks skill development over time → Identifies when someone's ready for new challenges 💡 Reality: Internal promotions increased 60% when we could actually see skill progression data. 9/ Cultural and Soft Skills Development → AI analyzes team interactions → Identifies gaps in emotional intelligence 💡 Reality: Team engagement scores improved 43% after AI-guided soft skills development. Here's our AI training framework: Start Small: ✓ Pick one department ✓ Choose one skill gap ✓ Run 30-day pilot ✓ Measure actual behavior change Scale Smart: ✓ Use pilot data to refine approach ✓ Expand to adjacent teams ✓ Let success stories drive adoption ✓ Keep human connection central But here's what AI can't do: Inspire. Motivate. Empathize. Build culture. The magic happens when we use AI to handle the what and when of training. So humans can focus on the why and how it matters. How are you using AI to develop your team? Share below 👇 ♻️ Repost if your network needs this training revolution. DM me if you want to discuss how to develop your own AI training plan.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗗 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝘆 What if I told you virtual PD could feel more like a party? I know, I know. You're thinking about that last 3-hour Zoom where someone read slides in monotone while you organized your desk drawers. But here's the thing: Virtual PD has been trapped in "emergency remote teaching" mode for years. We took in-person sessions, threw them on Zoom, and wondered why everyone was tuning out. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: • Treating virtual spaces like glorified conference calls • Forgetting that engagement requires intention, not just technology • Assuming people will stay focused staring at screens for hours • Throwing people into breakout rooms without tools for connection 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: • Opening with music and movement (yes, virtual dance parties work!) • Using polls, reactions, and chat to create buzz • Breakout rooms with clear purposes and tight timing • Interactive tools that make people co-creators, not passive consumers • Acknowledging the weirdness: "I know talking to black boxes feels strange..." Think about it: At a good party, you're not sitting in rows listening to someone talk. You're mingling, laughing, sharing stories, maybe even learning something new from interesting people. Virtual PD can capture that same energy. I've seen educators:  ✨ Create virtual scavenger hunts in their own homes  ✨ Use collaborative boards to build collective wisdom  ✨ Share screens to co-create in real time  ✨ Play virtual games that connect to serious learning The secret? Stop thinking "virtual delivery" and start thinking "virtual experience." 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗗 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀—𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀! 👇 P.S. If you want to grow as a PD facilitator, here’s my free Three Mistakes You’re Making with Your PD… and What to Do Instead tool: h͟t͟t͟p͟s͟:͟/͟/͟b͟r͟i͟g͟h͟t͟m͟o͟r͟n͟i͟n͟g͟t͟e͟a͟m͟.͟a͟c͟t͟i͟v͟e͟h͟o͟s͟t͟e͟d͟.͟c͟o͟m͟/͟f͟/͟2͟3͟6͟ #VirtualPD #ProfessionalDevelopment #OnlineLearning #Engagement

Had a fun and informative deep dive with our coaching community on using Yoodli as a copilot in live coaching sessions—whether virtual, in-person, 1:1, or group settings. We explored three key ways coaches are integrating Yoodli AI Roleplays to enhance their sessions: 🎤 Live roleplay practice in breakout rooms 👉 Helps participants reinforce learning by immediately applying new skills 👉 Works great for virtual group coaching or in-person workshops 👉 Coaches can set custom roleplay prompts and track progress from before and after workshop 🔄 Instant replays during virtual sessions 👉 Works with Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams 👉 Gives participants real-time feedback on body language, word choice, and pacing 👉 Helps coaches guide discussions with objective insights, rather than just gut feel 📱 Recording & reviewing in-person sessions 👉 Perfect for conference prep, media training, or sales coaching 👉 Provides data-driven feedback while keeping the human touch of live coaching 👉 Participants can review their sessions afterward for continued improvement One of favorite moments is when Diane Windingland walked us through her workflow, and it was seamless (and awesome to see! It felt like the Yoodli team didn’t need to be there! It was a great reminder to me of how much we can learn from each other. 💡 Getting started is easy—coaches can sign in, set up roleplays, and integrate Yoodli into their sessions within minutes. More resources to come! Grateful for this community of coaches who openly share their experiences and help one another grow. Please reach out if you’d like to learn more.