This article covers a list of essential digital skills for trainers and why they’re important.
As a trainer, you’ve got the creative skills and know-how to make training fun, engaging, and effective.
But you may be wondering how to keep your training sessions fresh, especially in today’s constantly changing world of technology. If that sounds like you, then this blog post is for you!
We’ll explore some key digital skills that will help take your training expertise to the next level: visual storytelling; DIY video creation; social media engagement; and digital resource design (eBooks, training slides, presentations).
Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling is a not necessarily a new trend in digital media, but it is a highly engaging one.
Storytelling is a skill within itself and it’s an excellent way to share knowledge. Visual storytelling makes use of images and video to tell a story, rather than just text and words.
Visual storytelling can be used in training programs by using media such as photos, videos and graphics to make your content more engaging.
Here are some examples of visual storytelling:
- Screenshots of real social media posts with photos or videos that are relevant to the topic being discussed – this can be used to demonstrate the impact of the topic that you’re teaching.
- Images used on course websites or social media pages related to the program that are used for promotion or marketing purposes.
- Infographics and animated videos that illustrate concepts – some concepts are hard to explain with words alone. Animated videos and infographics are the new version of text book diagrams, except infinitely more engaging.
Creating visual storytelling media is time consuming, it takes a lot of practice, effort and takes time to research as well as create.
However, it can be worth it to create something memorable and easy to reference for your learners.
DIY Video / Content Creation
In today’s digital by default world, video is the most engaging form of content.
In fact, for younger people, it’s not just digital by default, it’s video by default. Young people turn to visual forms of media without hesitation.
TikTok is now the most used search engine by “Gen Z” and short-form videos are taking of the internet.
Short-form videos are an excellent educational tool. They can be used to introduce a topic or share a quick tip with your learners.
Even if you’re not on platforms like TikTok, YouTube on Instagram you can still make use of this style of content in your live training sessions.
Video is much more memorable than text and more shareable than images, especially if it’s presented in an entertaining way.
Creating video is also a great way to showcase your expertise in a way that may not be possible in a live training session.
Social Media Engagement & Community Building
Social media engagement is a vital skill for training professionals.
Not only can it increase student retention and satisfaction, but it also allows you to share information about your school with new students and their parents, who might otherwise be lost in the digital shuffle.
See also: How to set educational goals and targets
As I’m sure you’re already aware, learning doesn’t stop in the training room. It’s wonderful that learners who are embarking on a course together can network with each other and communicate via social media.
This doesn’t necessarily mean having a public presence on Social Media, you can engage with learners in closed groups, such as private Facebook groups or WhatsApp groups.
Social media marketing and community building are very different. As trainers, we need to focus on the community building aspect of social media to engage with our learners.
Consider creating an online community for your learners to join and interact with each other around common interests or goals. That way, when they are not learning from you directly (i.e., in class), they have an outlet for interacting with others who share similar passions or interests.
See also: How to use LinkedIn as a training professional
Digital Resource Design (eBooks, Training Slides, Presentations, Handouts)
You can provided added value to your learners by creating resources for them to take away with them after the session.
This could include:
- Worksheets
- Printable checklists
- Templates for learners to complete
- Fact sheets
- Mini Books
- Interactive presentations
- PDF E-Books
You can use online tools to create training resources and make them more engaging than simple word documents and PDFs.
Try using a tool like Canva to create visuals that are easy to read and follow (Canva is great for eBooks, training slides, presentations or handouts).
It helps if you have a consistent look across all your materials. This will help people quickly identify where they are in the process and what to do next. For example, stick to the same colour palette, fonts and graphical style in your materials so people can stay focussed and not get distracted.
This consistency helps create familiarity with content that may otherwise seem overwhelming at first glance (and we’ve all been there).
See also: 7 Digital tools for trainers that will make your workshops shine
Learning new digital skills as a trainer will help your career
As a trainer, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends in technology. Digital skills are essential for your job, but they can also help you find new opportunities and stay relevant in your field.
Keeping up with the latest digital trends will help you be more effective as a trainer. It’s not enough to just know how to use certain software programs—you need to understand how people interact with them, why they do so, and how that will affect their learning experience.
We hope you’ve found this article helpful and that it’s inspired you to learn new digital skills that you can use in your training sessions.
We know that learning new skills can be daunting, especially if you’re a self-confessed technophobe, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.
