Brainstorming is a group activity where each participant shares ideas as soon as they come to mind, without interruption. It's a great way to develop creative solutions to problems.

Learning objectives:

• Exploring alternative solutions
  
• Expanding application areas of the existing product: new market niches, segments, product positioning options
  
• Developing product and service path choices
  
• Exploring inner company resources to optimize the product or business process with no external and expensive resourcing
  
• Revealing product deficiencies or service weaknesses, etc.
  

Brainstorming can help to develop:

• Creative thinking skills
  
• Communication skills
  
• Teamwork skills
  
• Listening skills
  

Tips:
When implementing brainstorming, it is helpful to have a moderator who supports the activity of the working group members. This person should write down all the ideas expressed and manage their classification and analysis, in addition to moderating the discussion.

Brainstorming with voting is a creative group activity where each participant shares ideas without interruption to solve a particular problem in a non-standard way. Participants generate a maximum number of ideas on given topics and vote for the ideas to implement afterward.

Learning objectives:

• Generating alternative solutions and ideas
  
• Evaluating the ideas
  
• Selecting ideas based on significant business problem-solving criteria: financial, price, time, etc

Brainstorming can help to develop:

• Creative thinking skills
  
• Communication skills
  
• Teamwork skills
  
• Listening skills
  

Tips:
When implementing brainstorming, it is helpful to have a moderator who supports the activity of the working group members. This person should write down all the ideas expressed and manage their classification and analysis, in addition to moderating the discussion.

An educational technique that uses descriptions of real economic, social and business situations. Participants explore the situation, understand the root causes of problems and propose possible solutions in free format.

The case method allows participants to apply theoretical knowledge for solving practical problems, and that gives a broader sense of business processes than a mini-lecture.

Due to the interactive format, the case method stimulates trainees' knowledge acquisition due to high emotional involvement and active participation.

Learning objectives:

• Encouraging participants' interest in theme exploration
• Sharing theory in realistic situational analysis
• Assisting development of

- information gathering, incorporating, and analyzing skills
- group discussion skills
- persuasion skills (arguments for the chosen position or solution)

Tips:
The case has a protagonist. The participants solve the problem on the protagonist's behalf. The case method's focus is not to get ready knowledge, but to develop it.

An educational technique that uses descriptions of real economic, social and business situations. Participants explore the situation, understand the root causes of problems and propose possible solutions in the form of a table.

The case method allows participants to apply theoretical knowledge for solving practical problems, and that gives a broader sense of business processes than a mini-lecture. Due to the interactive format, the case method stimulates trainees' knowledge acquisition due to high emotional involvement and active participation.

Learning objectives:
Assisting with development of:
- information gathering, incorporating, and analyzing skills
- working with tables
- hard skills (e.g., finance, business modeling, etc.)

• Encouraging participants' interest in theme exploration
  
• Sharing theory in realistic situational analysis
  
• Developing visual communication skills
  
  

Tips:
The case has a protagonist. The participants solve the problem on the protagonist's behalf. The case method's focus is not to get ready knowledge, but to develop it.

To increase the effectiveness of virtual training, use additional audio materials. These can be audio cases, with examples of correct / incorrect behavior, specially prepared educational materials in audio format.

Learning objectives:

• Diversity of the educational process: not only the trainer and participants speak, but also the main character and / or domain expert
  
• Demonstration of correct or incorrect behavior. For example, examples of selling by script and not by script.
  
• The way to change the subject or emphasis.

To increase the effectiveness of virtual training, use additional audio materials. These can be audio cases, with examples of correct / incorrect behavior, specially prepared educational materials in audio format. After listening, the participants break out into small groups and write down or discuss successful and unsuccessful behavior.

Learning objectives:

• Diversity of the educational process: not only the trainer and participants speak, but also the main character and / or domain expert
  
• Demonstration of correct or incorrect behavior. For example, examples of selling by script and not by script.
  
• The way to change the subject or emphasis.
  

World Cafe is a training method to facilitate simultaneous discussion in several groups. Participants discuss different subjects usually related to a common topic moving between breakout rooms, where they leave their ideas. The trainer manages the group rotation.

Learning objectives:

• idea generation and gathering opinions
  
• the root cause of the problem exploration
  
• experience exchange
  
• non-programmed decisions
  
• group work planning
  
• finalizing project, conference, training, and annual business results
  

World Cafe allows participants to work on all issues, look at the situation/problem from different angles and think about solutions. Participants generate the maximum number of ideas on given topics with a high level of engagement.

Tips:
It is important to have a team delegate (room keeper) who writes down all the ideas and is able to comment on them.

It's a method for measuring the participants' knowledge on the topic of training. Quiz is performed in a general group as a competition, the winner is the participant who answers the most questions correctly. Some services allow you to add points for the speed of the answer, and that participants to give the right answers quickly.

Learning objectives:

• testing knowledge of the training themes
  
• actualizing knowledge before presenting new material
  
• using additional "teaching" of the training topic
  
• enhancing motivation and drive to learn
  

Tips:
It's a nice way to increase engagement in virtual training. Use quizzes instead of tests to check the participants' knowledge in a fun way. This is how you add emotions and excitement to your training!

It's an educational activity where work situations are simulated. Participants complete a task or reach an agreement using communication techniques. In a "fishbowl", several participants play certain roles (for example, a manager and an employee), while the rest observe them.

Learning objectives:

• Modeling realistic workplace situations from participants' experience
  
• Allowing learners to get outside feedback in a safe environment
  
• Assisting participants with getting some new experience, becoming more aware of their current behavior patterns, and developing new ones
  
• Demonstrating the needed behavior. In this case, the trainer is in the active role, showing effective ways of behavior in the simulated situation (e.g., in the coaching training, the trainer can demonstrate coaching conversation examples with the help of a Fishbowl activity).

Tips:
The fishbowl can be used in the actualization phase for diagnostic purposes, or in the practical phase as a reference. In the first case, use metaphorical situations; in the second, work out the cases that are as close as possible to real ones.

It's an educational activity where work situations are simulated. Participants complete a task or reach an agreement using communication techniques. Role-playing in small groups allows each participant to play all roles.

Learning objectives:

• Working out human skills
  
• Modeling realistic situations from participants' work experience
  
• Allowing participants to practice some behaviors in a safe environment and get feedback
  
• Repeating the behavior models and getting feedback to master the standard and effective ways and actions algorithms
  

Tips:
Usually, role-playing in small groups is carried out during the practical phase. The game will be more effective if the played out situations are as similar as possible to the typical work situations.

To increase the effectiveness of virtual training, use additional video materials. For example:

• cuts from movies, performances, interviews
  
• video cases, with examples of correct / incorrect behavior
  
• specially prepared educational materials in the media format
  

Learning objectives:

1. Diversity of the educational process: not only the trainer and participants speak, but also the main character and / or domain expert
   
2. Demonstration of correct or incorrect behavior.
   
3. The way to change the subject or emphasis. Let's say you've analyzed the feedback rules, worked out the topic, and now you need to talk about the employee responsibility. You show the second piece from the same movie, and the discussion goes in another way.
   
4. Change the participants' emotional state.
   
5. Memorization at the level of associations, not rules/facts. The video format engages the right hemisphere of the brain, thus the material is processed and stored better.
   

Tips:

1. Before turning on the video, describe the task so that the group understands what exactly to pay attention to:
   

• What made the character do this?
  
• What influenced his or her decision / behavior / impression?
  
• What is the role of other people/circumstances?

2. After watching the video, repeat the task in a more detailed way. Questions to ask at this stage:

• on cause-effect relationship,
  
• on the consequences and risks for the character, entourage, business
  
• on how the video is related to the training activities and the participants' behavior in real situations.
  

To increase the effectiveness of virtual training, use additional video materials. After watching, the participants get into breakout rooms and write down or just discuss successful and unsuccessful behavior. For example:

• cuts from movies, performances, interviews
  
• video cases, with examples of correct / incorrect behavior
  
• specially prepared educational materials in the media format
  

Learning objectives:

1. Diversity of the educational process: not only the trainer and participants speak, but also the main character and / or domain expert
   
2. Demonstration of correct or incorrect behavior.
   
3. The way to change the subject or emphasis. Let's say you've analyzed the feedback rules, worked out the topic, and now you need to talk about the employee responsibility. You show the second piece from the same movie, and the discussion goes in another way.
   
4. Change the participants' emotional state.
   
5. Memorization at the level of associations, not rules/facts. The video format engages the right hemisphere of the brain, thus the material is processed and stored better.
   

Tips:

1. Before turning on the video, describe the task so that the group understands what exactly to pay attention to:
   

• What made the character do this?
  
• What influenced his or her decision / behavior / impression?
  
• What is the role of other people/circumstances?

2. After watching the video, repeat the task in a more detailed way. Questions to ask at this stage:

• on cause-effect relationship,
  
• on the consequences and risks for the character, entourage, business
  
• on how the video is related to the training activities and the participants' behavior in real situations.
  

Moderation is a way of organizing the learning process in which the participants themselves come to certain concepts or understand the problem and find a common solution to it.

Learning objectives:
The learning objective is to create a safe space for participants to share their opinions and views on a particular issue. The trainer moderates the discussion to ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute, and the ultimate goal is to reach a solution together.

Moderation in training is used to:

• Introduce new terms and concepts
  
• Create a roadmap for activities
  
• Identify and group success factors
  
• Find a common "language" that everyone understands, such as defining the meaning of the "effective leader" phrase.

Tips:
The moderator should understand that the process of discussion and participants themselves are the main points of interest during the activity.

A method of measuring various processes occurring within small groups of people, including training. It's a request for information from the participants using a question or questions answered during the virtual training.

Learning objectives:

• fast evaluation of the motives, readiness, competence
  
• gathering expectations for the training
  
• finding out participants' opinions, comparing, and discussing them
  
• actualizing the training topic and objectives before presenting new material
  
• receiving feedback on the training

Gather facts, opinions or ideas of participants to qualify the group level, use their opinion to foreground or illustrate the material being studied.

Tips:
Avoid unnecessary questions. Define certain data that has to be collected and prepare concise questions that match the data.

A method of measuring various processes occurring within small groups of people, including training. It's a request for information from the participants using a scale that has the minimum and maximum values.

Learning objectives:

• Fact, opinion, and idea gathering
  
• Understanding the readiness or knowledge level of the group, applying their opinion of the actualization stage, or illustrating learning materia

Tips:
Scale values can be visualized either in numbers (usually a scale from 1 to 10) or images that are used as metaphors. For example, "rate your communication skills on a scale from a quiet type to Dale Carnegie". To do this, use collaboration boards and whiteboards.

A method of measuring various processes occurring within small groups of people, including training. Participants' responses are visualized on the screen. Repeated words are highlighted and stand out from the rest with the font size.

Learning objectives:

• Quick evaluation of the motives, readiness, competence
  
• Finding out participants' opinions, comparing, and discussing them
  
• Actualizing the training topic and objectives before presenting new material
  
• Receiving feedback on the training
  
• Understanding the readiness or knowledge level of the group, applying their opinion at the actualization stage, or illustrating learning material

Gather facts, opinions or ideas of participants to qualify the group level, use their opinion to foreground or illustrate the material being studied.

Tips:
Avoid unnecessary questions. Define certain data that has to be collected and prepare concise questions that match the data.

Information delivery method, used by the trainer to educate participants through the presentation of new material.

Learning objectives:

• Sharing new information
  
• Delivering benefits of new knowledge and skills application
  
• Transitioning to a new activity of summarizing the conclusion
  
• Focusing on the new assumptions, rules, directions
  
• Stimulating visualization for energizers and icebreakers, etc

In addition to providing educational information, the mini-lecture establishes a direct connection between the trainer and the trainee. During the mini-lecture, the trainer should not only highlight and reveal the main issues of the topic, but also motivate the need to learn this material.

Tips:
While delivering a mini-lecture, the trainer should not just "provide content", but observe how the material is perceived, control and manage the participants' attention.

It's a method for measuring the participants' knowledge on the topic of training. In synchronous learning, it allows participants to quickly evaluate their level of knowledge or understanding of the topic.

Learning objectives:

• Testing knowledge of the training themes
  
• Actualizing knowledge before presenting new material
  
• Using additional "teaching" on the training topic
  

Tips:
Tests can be used both before submitting a new topic in the actualization phase, and after studying the topic in the practical phase. In the actualization phase, participants can take the test in a mini-group, since it is important to keep the participants motivated (a low individual test result may affect motivation) and create a desire to learn.

A method of getting feedback on training, usually in an anonymous form.

Learning objectives:
Used to quickly get feedback from employees about the training and the trainer, the applicability of tools. It is the first level of evaluation of learning outcomes according to the model of Donald Kirkpatrick.

We recommend including such questions in the Feedback form

• Did the training meet your expectations?
  
• Was your trainer supportive and engaging?
  
• Was the included material engaging?
  
• Was the training platform easy to use and understand?
  
• Was the training material relevant to your role and/or position?
  
• Was there any part of the training that surprised you?
  
• What are your desired goals from completing this training?
  
• Did the time required to complete the training align with your expectations?
  
• If you could change one thing about the training, what would it be?
  
• Which topics would you like to learn more about

Tips:
It is quite possible to place a feedback form in the post-training materials, so that the participants could answer the questions when it is convenient for them. If it is important for you to collect as many Feedback forms as possible from the participants, then organize feedback gathering during the virtual training.