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Why We Went Online Vs 2-3 Day Courses!

Why We Went Online Vs 2-3 Days In Courses!

Leaders have limited time & the likelihood of being able to find the time for a 2-3 day course is increasingly diminishing. 

Increasingly leaders are turning toward online training to save time & money vs being out of office for a few days.

Trying to find time in a hectic schedule is difficult enough, however when you consider additional compounding factors – you have to ask yourself can you afford to lose 2-3 days out of the office.

I have felt this challenge myself as a leader & was determined to find solutions to help leaders mitigate the challenge & still focus on their development needs.

Offsite courses can be highly beneficial, however if you can find a successful alternative you can manage some of the biggest challenges.

  1. Time away from the leadership role

Your team may require guidance & support on a particular issue at the time of the offsite training. Whilst delegating leadership is an excellent development opportunity it doesn’t always work out that way. There are times when even a small time away can cause a challenge & you may not have been aware at the time of accepting the offsite training.

  1. Travel time to and from the course

Often it’s not just the course itself that takes the time, but the travel to & from the course. 

You may need to travel by air, train, driving or otherwise taking valuable hours away from your work schedule & plan – it can be a disruption vs a benefit.

  1. Costs associated with the course, such as travel and accommodation

Traveling costs, accommodation costs, meal costs, rental vehicles all add up. If you are completing the course with a team, it multiplies & can be really expensive. If you can online learn as a team,  bring the solutions to the team, it can be more time & cost effective.

  1. Course pre-work

Carving out pre-work time out of your busy schedule can be a challenge. This could be managing the logistics in advance or completing all the preparation for the course in addition to the travel etc. 

  1. The actual cost of the course

The actual cost of the courses can determine how many people you can invest in for training. Compared to online courses where the value is generally much lower & access can be much greater. These costs can impact your ability to develop even more individuals. 

  1. Time spent away from friends, family and loved ones

In addition to the normal workload and time away from family – an offsite extensive course with travel just adds to challenge in managing the family time. This can be a burden to many leaders & team members who already travel significantly for their role.

  1. Compounding workload

Losing valuable time on a 2–3-day courses doesn’t mean the workload stops. In today’s work environment it tends to stack up quickly whilst you are away or force longer hours working whilst you are away to keep on top of everything. 

It’s a compounding inconvenience when you could be networking & socialising with other course participants or having to delay other work activities on your return to catch up. 

  1. Urgent phone calls while you are busy & away

Urgent items always seem to happen whilst you are away & your ability to manage a challenge or crisis at the time can be limited if you are not present or unable to attend to the matter. 

Technology helps us significantly, but at times it can inconvenient & disruptive & it would be easier if you weren’t away from the workplace.

  1. Challenges increase as you train more than 1 person

Many of the challenges are faced when 1 leader is taking the 2–3-day course – it is an increased challenge if you take whole team away for training. 

We had all of these challenges in the back of our mind when we designed Creating Edge.

Designing courses that leaders & teams can do together at their own pace & convenience.

Utilising the accessibility of online courses when so many teams are dispersed means you can cover a greater geography of trainees. The increased access allows for teams to undertake training anywhere, anytime.

Here’s 15 reasons why Creating Edge went online with training courses vs establishing 2-3 day courses 

1. Leaders & teams can learn at their own pace. 

2. There is no travel or accommodation costs. 

3. You can access courses from anywhere in the world with globally dispersed teams. 

4. You can easily review & revisit course material once you have it in full. 

5. You can fit learning into you & your teams busy schedule when it works for you. 

6. You can access learning resources anytime.

7. You can access course material from multiple devices at work & at home. 

8. You have access to a wider variety of courses at your fingertips. 

9. Online courses more affordable than traditional courses. 

10. Online learning offers a more flexible learning schedule – from 10 minutes to a full day.  

11. Leaders & teams can work together in a familiar environment

12. You can be home with family & friends when you need to be

13. You can scale up your training from 1-100+ individuals – it’s up to you

14. New material is easier to update & distribute

15. There’s no travel time

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