5 ways virtual wins
When prospective clients used to ask us about delivering storytelling with data workshops virtually, my response was nearly always the same: “No, that won’t work. There’s too much value in the in-person experience that will be lost.” Sure, short, less-interactive sessions like webinars are fine that way—and we’ve offered those for a number of years—but I was convinced that the longer, interactive, hands-on sessions would fall flat in the virtual world.
Today, I’m happy to admit that I was entirely wrong.
Yes, there are tradeoffs when we compare gathering in the same room to the now commonplace virtual surrogates to which we’ve grown accustomed over the past few months. There have also been some awesome surprises—for me, at least—when it comes to how well virtual can work for communicating as well as helping people learn.
It’s unclear how long virtual will be the primary means of coming together. In the meantime, here are five positive lessons learned from transitioning our workshops to virtual:
BENEFIT #1: We can talk to each person individually—all at the same time.
Often, as audience size grows, individual attention diminishes (this is why we typically limit in-person workshops to 30 people). With a virtual workshop, this simply isn’t the case. Rather—irrespective of attendee count—when we (as presenters or facilitators) talk to the camera, each person feels like we are looking directly at them, creating an intimate learning experience. Because of this, virtual training can more easily scale to larger groups.
BENEFIT #2: Introverts become extroverts (sort of).
Identifying as an introvert, I often describe my happy place as being in front of my computer in a room by myself. With virtual, everyone can have this, and those who normally may hesitate to speak up in a room of people can contribute to a discussion or ask questions simply by typing. In a recent post-workshop follow up, one of our clients mentioned that he loved seeing his team interact in our workshop: “My team is shy, almost reserved at times. I was so pleased to see all the conversations and the overall level of interaction.” Andy Cotgreave and I discussed this exact benefit in our recent podcast on presenting virtually.
BENEFIT #3: Distractions don’t distract.
In person, when someone walks into the room late, ducks out for a quick break, or fumbles to silence their mobile phone, heads turn. Side conversations make it hard for people to concentrate on the individual speaking or their own work. In the virtual environment, none of this is a problem. People come and go without anyone noticing. Side conversations take place in chat without distracting. Individual work time is uninterrupted by others.
BENEFIT #4: Technology can be magical.
Understanding and fully utilizing tech means that we can actually emulate some of the best parts of in-person interactions online. The in-room “show of hands” to get broad audience input becomes a poll; what was previously a small group discussion around a table is now a breakout room, complete with a digital whiteboard for impromptu sketching. That side conversation you wish you could initiate with your colleague? Send them a private chat (without distracting others, per the prior benefit!). It’s also easier to seamlessly integrate online resources, for example we actively use our SWD community during virtual trainings—something that would have been clunky before.
BENEFIT #5: We can bring the world together.
It’s simply easier for more people to take part in a virtual session, irrespective of location or time zone—all you need is a device and an internet connection. Distributed teams can take part in a shared experience. Time and money that would have been spent traveling can be reinvested in other areas. Learning becomes more accessible to everyone, everywhere.
If you were to rewind things by a handful of months, I think it’s safe to say no one would have predicted how daily life and work would look. While it can be easy to fall prey to the negative aspects of change, I encourage you to identify and embrace the instances where things may actually be a little better than we anticipated. For me—while I don’t like being wrong—I’m pleased that the shift to virtual has worked so well. We’re reaching more people and helping them drive positive change through the stories they tell with their data, all from the comfort of our computers.
If you’d like to experience storytelling with data virtual offerings, we have a variety of sessions to meet your needs—with some new ones to highlight:
For individuals interested in honing skills, I invite you to join our freshly scheduled virtual public workshop on September 15th. You’ll also find great online resources for sharpening data visualization and storytelling skills in the SWD community (upgrade to premium membership for even more!).
Those curious to explore our corporate offerings for your team or organization can choose from various short-form webinars, our new 90-minute custom storytelling with YOUR data session, or our popular half-day travel free workshop. Learn more.
Are there other benefits you’ve discovered going virtual? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
