Imagine two situations. Which would you prefer?
SITUATION ONE: You sign into the Zoom (or Teams or WebEx) session. There is a PowerPoint slide that says, “welcome to class.” And silence. Nothing else. You just wait. Maybe you check email. Maybe you get up go get a cup of coffee.
SITUATION TWO: You sign into the Zoom session. You are greeted by a person who says, “welcome Joe. Glad to have you here.” The screen has a list of things to do before you get started. You read through it. It reminds you to turn off any distractions, so you do. It asks you to share a specific tidbit about yourself in chat. You do. You read the others. And then class begins.
The moment someone arrives in training you have an opportunity to set the tone and create connection. This time is valuable. How are you using it?
While the coffee in SITUATION ONE sounds like a nice option, which would you prefer? Yes, we could argue for the first one since class hasn’t actually started yet and you and the learners have no obligation to start before the start. However, the second begins to set the tone for class. It begins to grab your attention and prime you for learning.
A group that has been primed will be more engaged when class does begin.
Start before the start
So how can you prime your group before class even begins?
Here are a few of my favorite methods. You can download the PowerPoint for use in your own work.
Welcome! To Do’s
The Welcome! To Do List is a simple list on one slide. This works well for short classes with only one session.
Annotate Six Questions
This is my favorite method. Learners have the choice of adding their ideas to the list. They get familiar with using annotation before class and also share bits and pieces about themselves. It provides a great way to start easy conversations. It’s provided an added bonus of a great list of books to read and tv shows to watch!
A Quick (Easy) Quiz
A quick list of items you’ll cover in class in a Bingo style format allows learners a peek at what your content is. This is a great way to introduce difficult information preparing them for what’s to come.
Bingo
I think Bingo is overused, so I avoid using it during class, but I love using it before class begins. A few relevant questions can get learners thinking, connecting, and give you points to talk about. You also get a glimpse into who is competitive in the room!
We can’t expect everyone to eagerly take part in our pre class activities, but those who do will appreciate having a l the connection. You will get the added benefit of early engagement. Feeling anxious before training begins? The causal conversations before class can help you reduce nervousness.
I believe I am able to create better connection with learners because I’m creating the time to connect in fun, genuine ways before we dive into our topics.
