Master trainers provide actionable insights for a remote and hybrid workforce.

**(Alexandria, VA) September 27, 2022–**Virtual work is here to stay, which means virtual meetings and training are here to stay too. It’s time for organizations and business leaders to get serious about improving engagement in the virtual space and make sure their meetings, webinars, and training efforts deliver valuable impact. To help support this, the Association for Talent Development (ATD) has released a new book, Interact and Engage, 2nd Edition: 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars, authored by master virtual trainer Kassy LaBorie and Tom Stone, a senior research analyst for the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).

The COVID-19 pandemic almost overnight created a new reality that forced a large percentage of the global workforce into remote work. That abrupt transition also shifted the reality of meetings and talent development initiatives. While virtual training and meetings occasionally happened at many organizations prior to the pandemic, the reality of mandatory shutdowns shifted the importance—and frequency—of those virtual engagements.

“The shift to remote work, meetings, and virtual training was so abrupt and so broad that many people struggled to feel comfortable using platforms like Zoom, Teams, Webex, and others,” LaBorie observes.

“Making sure online meetings, webinars, and training programs were interactive, engaging, and effective had long been something I was focused on, but suddenly it was everyone’s goal.” LaBorie contends that while many professionals successfully made the jump to the virtual environment, it is now time to get intentional with virtual meetings, webinars, and training by using leading practices that ensure engagement, drive knowledge and skill development, and create lasting behavior change.

Interact and Engage! includes research that indicates virtual training and meetings are here to stay. Data from i4cp show that virtual training went from being an infrequently used approach (51 percent of survey participants said it comprised 20 percent or less of their organization’s instructor-led training) to becoming the most commonly used approach. Eighty-three percent of i4cp’s survey participants said virtual training comprised 80 percent or more of their instructor-led training since the onset of the pandemic.

With that reality in mind, the authors set out to update their original work, published in 2015, with more timely and relevant insights to help today’s global workforce embrace and excel in creating and facilitating virtual experiences.

“Now, more than ever, we need to interact and engage,” LaBorie states.

In this new, updated edition of Interact and Engage! LaBorie and Stone offer more than 75 activities as well as time-tested tips and strategies to help learning and business professionals create effective online learning and masterful meetings and webinars. Activities are presented in a recipe-style format and range from warmups and icebreakers to closers and celebrations, and everything in between. The authors cover advanced features and techniques and guide readers on how to convert or create personalized online activities, no matter what technology is used now or in the future. An appendix presents two capability models for the positions of virtual facilitator and producer.

“Research from i4cp revealed the key drivers for continued use of virtual classroom training,” states Stone. “Beyond health and safety of employees (a driver because of the pandemic), other top drivers are cost savings from the reduction in travel and physical classroom space, the proven effectiveness of virtual training meeting learning objectives, and the scalability compared with in-person instructor-led training. Regardless of what the future holds in terms of remote and hybrid work, virtual training and meetings have matured beyond a niche approach.”

LaBorie agrees. “Now that virtual training has become nearly ubiquitous, there is no excuse for boring, lecture-style live online training, webinars, or meetings. The activities and other tips found in this book are the remedy to poor virtual experiences.”

About the Authors

Kassy LaBorie is founder and principal consultant at Kassy LaBorie Consulting. She is a virtual classroom master trainer specializing in developing trainers to be engaging and effective when facilitating programs in Zoom, Webex, Adobe Connect, and other online platforms. She has worked with many Fortune 500 firms in a wide range of industries and sectors, including hospitality, pharmaceuticals, energy, government, NGOs, and nonprofits. She is a sought-after speaker for industry events like the ATD International Conference & EXPO, ATD TechKnowledge, Training magazine’s conference, TechLearn, Learning Solutions, and DevLearn.

Prior to launching her consulting practice, Kassy was the director of virtual training services at Dale Carnegie Training, a consulting service that partnered with organizations to help them develop successful online training strategies. She was also the product design architect responsible for developing the company’s live online training product and experience, which grew to be a $4 million business in only a few years.

Tom Stone joined i4cp as a senior research analyst in 2017. Since then, he has led major research studies on workforce readiness, hybrid and remote work, leadership behaviors, succession management, automation and AI, and other topics. He is also heavily involved with i4cp’s chief learning and talent officer board and i4cp’s workforce planning exchange.

Tom has more than 20 years of experience in the learning and development and broader human capital industry. Prior to joining i4cp, he was director of technology-based learning at Dale Carnegie Training, where he led the product development for their virtual training and other digital offerings. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior research analyst at talent management software provider Taleo, and he held various positions, including product design architect and content development manager, at e-learning provider Element K.

About ATD Press

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD Press publications are written by industry thought leaders and offer anyone who works with adult learners the best practices, academic theory, and guidance necessary to move the profession forward. For more information, visit td.org/books.

Interact and Engage, 2nd Edition: 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars

ISBN: 9781953946409| 302 Pages | Paperback

td.org/book/interact-and-engage-2nd-edition

To order books from ATD Press, call 800.628.2783.

To schedule an interview with any of the authors, please contact Kay Hechler, ATD Press senior marketing manager, at [email protected] or 703.683.8178.