Women's Leadership Scholar & Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership, Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University.
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Before March 2020, in-person events vastly outnumbered virtual meetings, and the sudden reversal of those fortunes has yielded new information about best practices. In “the before times,” skilled trainers, speakers and facilitators could look directly at participants, read their body language and see if the messages were resonating. In-person meetings encouraged participants to stay focused and engaged. Now presenters talk to their own face on a screen, and participants mute themselves and turn their cameras off.
Two-way communication is critical in professional development experiences. Studies show 55% of communication is body language, while 38% is tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken; thus, 93% of communication is nonverbal. When cameras are off, digital presenters lose more than half of the nonverbal information afforded by face-to-face situations.
So why do so many employees not want to have their cameras on? One of the most common reasons is so they can multitask. When you are seen on camera, it is more difficult to multitask and get distracted by other things. Although research is just beginning to emerge on the effectiveness of online synchronous professional development, we can get some clues from studies published on online meetings. For example, Microsoft conducted a large-scale analysis of multitasking during remote meetings and found that more multitasking happened in meetings that seemed less relevant and engaging. They also found that people multitask to catch up on other work, have external distractions or get relief from anxiety. Researchers discovered that multitasking leads to a loss of engagement. It can also generate mental fatigue and may be perceived to be disrespectful.
More generally, in terms of learning environments, one study found that multitasking interfered with both retention and interest in the topic, while another study found that students who used their laptops to multitask in class suffered decreases in their recall of the material discussed. The point is that multitasking during learning experiences often results in significant distractions to both self and peers and is often detrimental to concept comprehension.
One-way, shallow learning experiences often required by companies and deemed to be “training” may result in immediate action and regurgitation of information, but in my experience, they seldom produce deep employee development. There is a significant difference between sitting in meetings and being fully present in workshops, seminars, forums and other learning environments. Learning requires concentration, a depth of focus. In fact, adult learning experts argue that true learning requires change, and if a deepening of knowledge, skills and abilities does not happen, then learning does not occur. In online meetings, when participants resist multitasking and turn their cameras on to create maximum presence, more senses are engaged, and deep learning can occur.
Cal Newport’s book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World has helped inform my thinking about the differences between deep work, shallow work, deep learning and shallow learning. He argues that deep work is necessary to push cognitive capabilities and improve skills. He states that fragmented attention cannot accommodate deep work. In fact, he argues that the more time you spend in “frenetic shallowness,” the more you may permanently reduce your ability to perform deep work. Truly thriving requires deep work.
The quality of online learning experiences matters. Here are three guidelines that organizations can use to provide better online professional development opportunities for their employees:
1. Educate employees on the differences between meetings and various types of learning experiences.
Every meeting, seminar, workshop, webinar or forum should have a specific purpose. Company leaders, middle managers, supervisors and employees should understand what each gathering is for and the differences between them.
2. Design professional development sessions according to the latest adult learning pedagogies, research and best practices.
Professional development sessions should be designed in ways that have been shown to transform participants. Design elements should include interaction, engagement, small-sized groups, breakout sessions, two-way communication and full participation. Being able to see and hear all participants is essential.
3. Create clear expectations for participants of professional development opportunities.
These can include, among many others, being available for the entire workshop or seminar, being visible on camera, being prepared to engage and interact and being comfortable with the learning platform that will be utilized.
The pandemic has created opportunities for more online learning, but all learning experiences are not created equal, and online meetings are not likely to disappear in the post-pandemic world. Virtual meetings will continue to pose problems in both directions: Presenters will talk into a void, deprived of nonverbal cues from participants, and the muted and unseen participants will be tempted to recede from full engagement into spectatorship and may further detach through multitasking. Digital delivery can inhibit deep learning and professional development unless both sides take proactive measures to ensure success.
Take the time to work through these three guidelines to ensure that deep learning is at the core of your learning efforts. Deep learning can be powerful if employers want their employees to learn, grow and improve. The simple act of turning on a camera can make a world of difference.
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