Virtual training is a great option to make learning more accessible, flexible and effective by leveraging technology to overcome geographical and logistical barriers. As opposed to in-person training, virtual workshops give you the chance to bring people from across your organisation (and across the world!) together without the costs associated with live experiences. They often streamline the training process, with online platforms making it easier to manage content delivery and track progress. Attendees are able to learn on-demand and engage in interactive activities like breakout sessions and direct communication with instructors.

Workshops are more about active participation and hands-on learning, while webinars are more about information sharing with potentially less interaction. With online workshops, participants are expected to engage actively, solve problems and collaborate with others – but with webinars, interaction might be limited to Q&A sessions, chats or polls. You’re likely to host a remote workshop for training purposes or skill development – and a webinar for sharing information or general discussions.

Making an online workshop interesting is tough – but super important! At Virtual Approval, we’ve put on thousands of virtual workshops that leave attendees inspired – and we do it all by planning engaging content like videos, slides and demos, incorporating interactive elements like breakout rooms, polls and Q&As, encouraging audience participation by asking questions and prompting discussions, maintaining energy with varied delivery and authenticity and, crucially, creating a positive learning environment free from any technical issues. If you work with us, you’ll get all of that and more – perfect for hosting a killer remote workshop.

The length of workshops varies according to their scope, targets and audience needs. We usually recommend 2-4 hours for an online, interactive workshop so you can maintain the attention of your attendees, with in-person workshops having a bit more freedom to stretch to half-day or full-day sessions. Whatever kind of workshop you’re hosting, it’s always in your best interests to keep content focused and concise – there’s nothing worse than seeing your audience switch off while you’re presenting!