Virtual employee training and development can be a challenge in remote work environments. 

No employee - no matter how motivated they might be - wants to sit through hours of corporate-mandated training videos. 

Employees who go through virtual training also miss out on what makes in-person training fun: network building and peer to peer connection. 

So how do remote teams train virtual employees in a way that delivers that same in-person connectivity? 

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1. Make it human. 

Host virtual training reflections in Zoom. This doesn’t mean throwing hundreds of employees into one Zoom room where you walk through everything that was already said in the videos. It means giving your employees the opportunity to feel heard. 

Try sorting your employees into timed, back-to-back Breakout Rooms using custom pairing rules. Zoom Apps like twine for Zoom enable hosts to set up themed “tables” - or Breakout Sessions - based on any topic they please. Employees can move in and out of discussion tables, empowering them to have a voice on subjects that resonate with them.

Whether you're training or not, twine for Zoom is a great way to create connection via advanced breakout rooms and speed networking.

2. Make it competitive.

Quiz games don’t have to stop at middle school. Play jeopardy, Kahoot, or any other interactive quiz game that can be embedded into Zoom. Award prizes, like an extra day of PTO or dinner gift certificate, to employees with the most correct answers.

Team too big to host one game over Zoom? Sort them into Breakout Sessions using twine for Zoom.

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3. Celebrate positive practices in employees.

Shoutout employees when they set good examples of training aspects. Consider adding a “Weekly Shoutout” slide to All-Hands meetings where employees can nominate one another to be featured.

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Training can actually be a fun experience for employees. If done right, not only will employees retain and reflect on important concepts, but they will also form meaningful relationships with remote teammates in the process. 

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