virtual instructor-led conflict resolution training
Our experience teaching online
As an instructor who is used to teaching workshops Inin-person, I initially had some concern about transitioning to Internet basedteaching. When making the decision totake the workshops in that direction,my colleagues and I wanted to make surethat the classroom experience could be effectively replicated in an onlineconflict resolution training platform. As instructors, we wanted tomake sure that we were able to connect as effectively with our participants aswe do in-person and that the programs would be engaging and as effective indeveloping dispute resolution skills. The idea of virtual instructor-ledconflict resolution training may sound impersonal but luckily we have foundthis not to be the case. Not only havewe found ways to build the personal connection we like to have with ourin-person participants, we have also been able to identify some specificbenefits to teaching online.
We have developed a number of strategies to develop thepersonal connectionwith participants. One strategy that we use to buildconnections is taking time to talk to participants individually or in smallgroupsthroughout the workshop. We set aside specific times during the onlineconflict resolution training to allow individuals to raise questions or makecomments privately as they would be able to do quite naturally during breaks orover lunch during in-person training. We save comments made in the chat areaand track who said what, so that we can refer back to a comment a participantmade earlier in the program. Lastly, oneof the topics discussed in the virtual instructor-led conflict resolutiontraining is how to resolve conflicts using web-based platforms.
Another benefit of online conflict resolution training isthe timesaved by the participants. With the ability to attend the workshop fromtheir home or office,virtual instructor-led conflict resolution training allowsparticipants to simply turn on their computer, tablet or phone and be in theclassroom. Not having to travel to the workshop venue provides participantswith additional time to complete other tasks. Historically, participants have struggled at times to carve out the timenecessary to attend a workshop in-person when they have other work and personalresponsibilities to manage. Many participants have shared with us that nothaving to travel to a workshop venue has made attending workshops much easierand allowed them more time in the evening to prepare for the next day.
Something else that we noticed while providing virtualinstructor-led conflict resolution training is the need for some additionalbreaks. We know that it is not easy or good for anyone to spend too longstaring at a computer screen. Based on this, our online conflict resolutiontraining includes additional short breaks that we did not have in our in-personworkshops. The breaks give participants the ability to step away from theircomputers for a few minutes to rest their eyes and gather their thoughtswithout missing any content. Our experience has been that this is a great timefor participants to reflect on the most recent exercise or lecture and todetermine if they have any comments or questions.
One additional benefit of virtualinstructor-led conflict resolution training is that it allows amuch larger and more diverse group of participants to attend the workshops. Inthe past, unless the workshopswere offered in their location or the participantcould afford the time and money to attend a program away from their home, theywere unable to access live workshops. With online conflict resolution training those participants can nowattend the workshops, and all participants can benefit from participating in aprogram where they are drawn from a larger demographic area. We have run smallworkshops that included participants from three or more countries at a time,which enhanced the opportunity to learn in a cross-cultural setting.
Overall, as instructors we have been quite pleasantlysurprised by how well our virtual instructor-led conflict resolution traininghas gone. We were confident in the value of the content that we were teachingand that we could address many of the same learning objectives from thein-person workshops. What we couldn’tknow washow the transition to web-based training would impact the experience ofthe participants. The feedback we have received from the participants inouronline conflict resolution training has been overwhelmingly positive and, asinstructors, that is what we are always hoping for.
The Stitt Feld Handy Group conducts many types of virtualinstructor-led conflict resolution training. Learn more about these programs wecurrently have available by calling 1-416-307-0000 or emailing contact@adr.ca.
