Virtual Training

22Controlling the Virtual Classroom

There are three key factors that can affect your ability to maintain control of the virtual classroom:

• Distractions in your participants' environments
• Your attention control and distractions in your own environment
• Disruptive learners and challenging learner communication styles

The keys to maintaining control include the following:

• Set and communicate the rules and expectations up front. See Chapter 21.
• Approach the virtual classroom with relaxed, assertive confidence.
• Keep your training delivery interesting, interactive, and engaging to maintain instructional momentum.
• Focus all of your attention on your learners.
• Effectively manage learner style types that disrupt your classroom.
• Pull attention back to you when learners begin to drift.

Maintaining control of the virtual classroom is imperative for facilitating a safe, interactive, collaborative space where everyone has the opportunity to participate, and you enjoy teaching. It also sets the foundation for learner participation and engagement.

Participant Distractions

The virtual training session was going smoothly. People were engaged, having fun, and getting a lot out of it. Nearly all the participants were connecting from home.

Then, the door behind one participant slowly opened. A small child (the participant's four-year-old son) peeked his head in the door. Then he very slowly entered the room and stood a few feet behind his father.

This happens from time to time in participant ...