So. You’re going to attend an online training course.
How do you prepare?
Here’s a check-list of what we suggest all of our delegates consider:
- Check your own schedule.
Are you free and not going to be interrupted for the duration of the training? If not then it’s not a show-stopper. Just be sure to let the trainer know at the start of the training so that they can work around your timings if possible. - Check your computer.
What PC are you going to be working on?
Does it have the software you are being trained on? Can you connect an external screen? (We find it works really well where delegates are able to plug their laptop into the lounge TV. This can often be done using your existing HDMI cables and gives you a large, clear screen to watch the trainer’s demonstrations.) - What about the local environment?
We don’t mean what is the weather like, rather, “Are you sitting comfortably?”
It is important that you take care of yourself when working-from-home and things like sitting for extended time in an unsuitable chair or at a desk that is the wrong height can do lasting damage. Workplace ergonomics are regulated and monitored in your usual workplace. At home it is up to you to be sure that you are not putting yourself at risk unintentionally. - Are you connected?
Well. Yes. Of course you are if you are reading this, but what about when the training is taking place? Are there multiple people WFH and using bandwidth at the same time you will be? Will there be someone sharing your connection who will be watching Netflix or other Internet streaming services, just at a time when you need to hear a useful nugget that will save you time every day, your connection freezes.
Be aware also that if you have to connect into work using a VPN or other remote connection then that is also using a large slice of your available bandwidth. It’s probably best to just connect to the training directly from the local pc and not have other work distractions throughout the day anyhow. - Are you prepared?
We don’t mean that there is pre-course work to be done, but if you have been emailed training files you may need to unzip them into a local location on the computer you are using for the training. The same if you are sent a pdf manual. Have you been able to download it and have you tested opening it to see if it works?
We do the majority of our training using Zoom. Do you have it installed? Do you need permission from IT to do so? These are all problems that should be resolved before the start of the training day so as not to eat into the valuable training time, and also being mindful that if there are others on the same training course who HAVE prepared properly, they might not be too happy having to wait for you to get sorted before the start, and may want to start without you.