In today’s digital age, everything is being done virtually. Mail is now done through electronic accounts, phone calls can be done with video over the Internet and more and more people are now working remotely from home. People can no longer imagine a time when communication wasn’t done instantly.

 

While the advantages of telecommunications cannot be denied - it makes communication instantaneous, cheaper and more convenient, it’s important to remember that before all of the advancements in science and technology, people used to interact more.

 

Why is this? Because of the fundamental reality that humans are social beings. While the young and increasing number of adults now find themselves active on social media the search for connections show that people crave human interaction.

 

According to Ray Williams, a contributing writer for Psychology Today, human interaction, be it with family and friends is fundamental to one’s life and is one of the defining human characteristics that separate us from the rest of the species in the animal kingdom.

 

Physical interaction is the best way to learn, communicate and attain memories. It’s a fact that all meaningful relationships are developed through personal interactions with the strongest connections made when there is time spent together.

 

Interaction and Education

 

When it comes to education, distance or virtual education has become an  increasingly common educational alternative. With the rise in demand, more and more universities are providing open university programs and online courses.

 

The digital learning environment proves to have a number of advantages such as the minimization of the spatial barriers, increased flexibility and interactivity, however, there are a number of concerns raised regarding the quality of education as well as the overall learning experience.

 

Many researchers have found that virtual training and education have been perceived to be less effective than the traditional face-to-face method of learning using training facilities and seminar venues.

 

While digital education may provide an excellent opportunity to access education, this method is not ideal for everyone. A number of experts have already indicated that among some of the most popular and successful companies globally, the most preferred form of training provision still remains to be the face-to-face training.

 

Benefits of Face-to-Face Training

 

Why is it that the physical face-to-face classroom workshop still remains the more popular and effective method of training? It is because of the following reasons:

 

1.     Unlike face-to-face training, technology and virtual presences limit the learning potential due to the inability of the model to genuinely facilitate the appropriate type or quality of information that is being exchanged.

2.     Distance education may adversely affect the quality of the training given because there are barriers to achieving the full extent of teacher-student interaction thus making some learning objectives impossible to acquire.

3.     One of the key elements of the learning process is the dynamic relationship shared by a student to fellow students and the teacher, which is abundant when done face-to-face. Such dynamism may be minimized or lost when training is undertaken on a distance or virtual form.

4.     Richness of information and memorable experiences are deduced through behavior and body language including one’s mannerisms, gestures, tone, language and volume of voice. Face-to-face communication allows the entire experience to not only be heard but also seen and felt.

5.     Face-to-face training adds a personal element to training as opposed to computer-based education. There is real -life interaction with responses, connections and reactions.

6.     Virtual presences provide a blanket of anonymity that allows participants to participate in-genuinely. They can display inaccurate responses and without physical stimulation are limited to learning through watching and typing; it’s basically reading a book off the computer - no added value is received.

7.     There are more instances of miscommunication and misinterpretation in virtual trainings than those done face-to-face. It is difficult to properly convey and emotion in a chat or email and in terms of receiving the message, it can be over or under-appreciated.

8.     When there is large body of material to be presented, be it to a small or large body, instructor-led programs remain the most effective and efficient method as story telling and group interaction.

 

Many people over-estimate the cost-effectivity of virtual trainings. The amount spent on the training may not provide the commensurate amount of learning absorbed and experienced by participants. In as much, when crunching numbers, you may have to pay twice to re-train your staff or yourself making the affordability and savings from virtual training a moot point.

 

To support the arguments above, a study was published in INFORMS titled, “Videoconferencing in the Field: A Heuristic Processing Model,” finds that professionals that participate in seminars via videoconferencing are more likely to pay attention to non-educational realities like the speaker’s likability rather than quality of presentation and arguments provided, as opposed to those who attend the activities in person.

 

No Substitute for Physical Human Interaction inside Training Rooms

The social interaction of face-to-face meetings allow people to interact socially, verbally, physically as well as work together psychologically. Physical interaction is able to stimulate both the body and mind in ways that virtual meetings cannot.

 

Virtual education provides flexibility and convince. It may be best for individuals with demanding schedules and responsibilities as well as students who require alternatives to formal educational arrangements. However, there are clear cons to the process including limited direct contact with both colleagues and professors and minimal opportunities to immerse one’s self completely in the program.

 

There is no doubt that digital education is valuable, but when it comes to training, face-to-face time remains to be incredibly vital. By actively seeing a teacher or expert be passionate about a topic, it ignites the same passion, better interest due to lack of distractions and an increase in the likelihood of retention. 

 

Not only will trainings ensure a better understanding and recall of the lessons and it’s content, the face-to-face element adds an opportunity for colleagues to bond, interact with each other and increase their camaraderie. The in-person interaction includes the added value of being able to have insight on other people and develop social linkages.

 

By retaining the physical face-to-face method of training, both companies and individual will be able to take more from the experience both in terms of social skills and interaction in addition to educational know-how.

 

For more information on Conference Facilities, Seminar Rooms and Training Venues visit www.Training-Chioce.com

 

Salah Banna

Director - Training Choice

www.training-choice.com