We’ve all been there: sitting in a webinar watching passively as a presenter clicks to his or her 19thPowerPoint slide just for you to see more bullets, more text, and maybe a stock photo to keep it “interesting.” You were fascinated by the topic at first, but now the boredom is so intense that all you can think about is how many slides are left to sit through. It’s been called “Death by PowerPoint” for a reason; relying on slides can kill your chances of engaging your audience and being understood. Luckily, there’s an alternative that can help bring your courses back to life: whiteboarding.
What is Whiteboarding?
Whiteboarding is simply the use of a whiteboard during an online presentation or virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT). By incorproating whiteboarding in your training design, it can help transform courses by bringing people’s attention to life, boosting the confidence of presenters, and encouraging collaboration.
Benefits of Whiteboarding
Unlike static PowerPoint slides, drawing on a whiteboard involves movement; this naturally causes people to become less distracted, more engaged, and more receptive to the ideas being presented. Writing engages the brain in a different way, allowing a presenter to become more in tune with what he or she is saying. When presenting using a whiteboard, your learners gain a more thorough understanding of what’s being presented, become more informed and prepared in answering questions, leading to a more persuasive and engaging course. What is even better? Encourage your learners to collaborate on the whiteboard with you. Whiteboarding is much more interactive, allowing participants to be directly involved in creating the presentation and making each course feel like a unique experience.
Tips for Effective Whiteboarding
Write Clearly
Be sure to take the time to write legibly and erase anything on the whiteboard that isn’t currently being used for the course.
Focus on Your Course’s Purpose
Writing goals to start off the session is a great way to keep the course on track and allows for a better understanding of why the information is important.
Stay Organized
Use lines and boxes to keep information from being hard to follow or blending together; an organized whiteboard is much more pleasant to look at and easier to understand.
Designate a “Parking Lot”
To ensure that everything in the course is covered in time, set aside an area of the whiteboard for any ideas that come up that should be given more attention at the end of the course.
Use as a Supplement to Your Course
Whiteboarding is significantly more effective when combined with other vILT strategies. When designing your vILT course, carefully consider how you design learning activities that keep learners engaged throughout the session and allow them to apply what they are learning.
Partner with Zenith Performance Solutions
Zenith Performance Solutions wants to transform the ways that you and your employees learn. We offer a comprehensive range of training course design services, including updating existing courses and consulting. We work with companies of every size to create innovative and instructionally sound materials that boost employee performance and satisfy your objectives. To learn more, please contact us by calling (970) 409-4013.