How soon will face-to-face training return?

Just two months ago, it would have been unthinkable to question face-to-face training sessions. It’s happened, of course, because of this horrible virus. But that’s only part of the story. The other part is the sheer effectiveness of online training — specifically, in my case, online media training.

Since lockdown began, I’ve trained people from all four corners of the world, across all time zones, brought together by Zoom and Microsoft Teams. I was concerned, back in March, that online media training might disappoint people, or that the technology might let it down. But I’m pleased to report that the technology has been brilliant, and the overall training experience wonderfully effective.

So should clients stick with online training, even as the lockdown eases? Well, they now have the choice. If they want to conduct media training purely online, they know that the technology allows it to work well. If, on the other hand, they want face-to-face training, it’s eminently possible to do that while observing social-distancing guidelines. Four delegates around a boardroom table, each two metres apart? Interviews to camera at a respectful distance? No problem. It can easily be done.

As we come out of lockdown, governments around the world will call on businesses to come up with innovative solutions to enable them to continue doing great work, safely. And they’ll also invite individuals to take personal responsibility and make sensible choices.

In the training world, all of this is easily achievable.