It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be happening in Cirencester, the day before my Dad’s surprise 80th birthday party.
But the world has changed. We’ve already had the, “You were going to have a birthday party - Surprise!” conversation and now it was time to run my first Discovery Day remotely.
I’ll be honest, I had some serious concerns about it. After all, I’ve spent a lot of time advising customers to keep their remote delivery sessions short; below an hour ideally. And here I was, rather hypocritically hosting a full day event.
Except, it wasn’t a full day in the traditional sense. The day effectively involved four separate sessions, each between 45 minutes and an hour, with longer than average breaks between. We had a 20-minute break in the morning, a full hour for lunch and another break between the two afternoon sessions, before finishing at just after 3:30pm.
And, I have to say, with the help of some fantastic, engaging sessions delivered by my co-hosts Ann Pemberton and Karen Fleming, it really worked. So much so, that I’m now wondering if we could make these a regular offering in the future, supplementing our ‘live events’.
We also had a fascinating session from Karen Fleming of
Masks and Mirrors about Equine Assisted Learning, in which she explained and demonstrated through photographs and a video, how horses can help us all gain valuable insights into our behaviours, beliefs and what we communicate, often non-verbally.
The final session of the day was from Ann Pemberton of
Open Road Learning. Ann’s session was especially relevant as it challenged us to consider how we can ensure our remote training is delivered in a way that considers the physical, mental and emotional needs of learners. We all took away some really practical ideas generated in our breakout groups. One of my favourites was encouraging movement during breaks by setting people small challenges – perhaps a steps challenge, a treasure hunt, or to return with something that reveals a hobby or interest.
Six months ago, I would never have considered running a Discovery Day virtually. But sometimes enforced change can push us out of our comfort zones, into the learning zone, and give us a ‘eureka’ moment. The feedback from Friday’s event has been so positive, that, as I say, I’m now seriously considering supplementing our venue-based Discovery Days in the future with some more virtual events.
For example, Sheila Tothill said: “Although I was excited about joining the session, the thought of hours sat at the screen was a little off-putting. However, the day was well structured, with short sessions, plenty of interaction and good conversation. Breaks were well scheduled and getting up and moving during them was actively encouraged. Rather than feeling tired and drained, as I have after other online sessions, I ended the day feeling happy and energized.”
So, my question is, would you be interested in attending a Virtual Discovery Day in the future and would you be more, or less likely to attend a virtual event compared to a venue-based one?
Until next time…