Are you considering signing up for online training? Or perhaps you have recently purchased a course already. Online training is a great way to learn new skills. But it can feel a bit different than what you are normally used to. So before you start, it is helpful to know how to get the most out of online training. So you can maximize your learning outcomes!
What should you think of to get the most out of online training?
The Right Location
Before you start your online training, make sure you have the right setup. You want to be able to be in a quiet area with little to no distractions.
Online training is an actual training course, most likely with tests and assessments. So you want to make sure you are not getting distracted! The best setup is a quiet room where nobody can disturb you. Do you have an office you can use? Or at least a desk area where you can comfortably sit and focus.
Doing your online training in a public place such as a cafe is not ideal. There is much more risk of getting distracted. There might be lots of people around you. It can be noisy which will all make it difficult to focus.
So if you can work from a quiet area in your house or work, this is probably the best option. The recommendation is not to sit on your bed, or on your couch. But rather have a desk or table you can sit on. It will help with your focus!
The Right Material
To get the most out of your online training, you need to have the right material. Luckily it isn’t that much! Make sure you have the following:
- A laptop, computer, or tablet.
- Doing online training on your phone is not ideal. You want to be able to properly focus on your course material, and a phone screen can be too small for you to really take in information. You might miss things and formatting might not work too. Make sure you have a keyboard to type for any assessments too.
- A good internet connection.
- Most online courses will require you to have an internet connection. To make sure your training goes smoothly, make sure you have a good and solid connection. So that you won’t have any breakups in the middle of your study time!
- Notepads
- Even though you might be working on a computer, it could he helpful to actually have a notepad and pens with you to make any notes during the course. It can really help to physically write things down – it is even said that it will make you remember it better! So even if it’s just for some small notes, have some paper and pen at the ready so you are fully prepared.
Schedule Full Training Programme
Although your online training course will probably gives you flexible time to complete the course, you want to set up some sort of schedule for it. The training providers can give you rough estimates on how long it will take to complete the training.
So break it up into doable chunks so that you do not get overwhelmed. And make sure it fits in with your schedule! You don’t want to just dip in and out either. Plan a training session of at least 1-2 hours, so you really make the best of your time. Any shorter than that will not be enough for you to fully focus and get into it.
Try and stick to your schedule as much as you plan and be realistic too. If you have just finished a 10-hour shift at work, would you really have the focus and energy to do a couple of hours of training? Probably not! So make sure it is achievable too, so you can actually reach those training goals.
Take Breaks
To get the most out of your online training course, make sure you also schedule enough breaks. You should not be doing an online training course for longer than 3-4 hours in a row without at least one break.
Your mind needs to switch off, even if it is just for 15 minutes. And you need to give your eyes a break from too much screen time in one go too. So make sure to, when you schedule your programme, plan plenty of breaks too. Make sure you have healthy snacks and water on hand too. Try to avoid eating too much sugary food during your training as it can make it more difficult for you to stay focused and take in information.
Are you ready to book your online training courses in, now you know how to get the best out of them? Polo & Tweed can help! We offer online versions of all of our training courses, and there is such a wide variety of courses available. Why not learn from the absolute best in the industry, from the leading name in domestic and hospitality training.
To find out more about what options work best for you do contact us here now and we look forward to speaking to you.