Jan. 20, 2014 − Learning solutions specialist, Hemsley Fraser, has partnered with Norwegian-based global media company, Schibsted Media Group, to create and deliver two ground-breaking, virtual instructor-led learning experiences across 14 countries for over 70 leaders from Schibsted Classified Media (SCM) division.
The programs comprise of four-hour virtual learning sessions specifically designed to replicate a classroom experience and includes virtual breakout sessions for small group discussions and one-to-one skills practice with an actor facilitator. The sessions are delivered directly to the leader’s laptop, tablet or mobile device.
“Classroom-based training provides key benefits in terms of active interactions to create knowledge, social networking and sharing experiences which you can’t achieve as successfully with e-learning or self-study options,” said JooBee Yeow, head of learning and development for SMG. “However, today’s busy leaders find it difficult to fit training sessions into their schedule, especially when they have to travel and take time out of work. We had to ensure that the mountain came to Mohammed. People’s time is so valuable that we didn’t want to waste any of it by telling them what to do. The critical aspect is translating knowledge into action, so we wanted the focus to be on skill practice.”
SCM identified a need to provide training for effective daily feedback and handle difficult conversations for its senior managers in over 40 countries. As a result, SCM appointed Hemsley Fraser to deliver the training in different stages.
“There are many expert learning partners who operate in this space; however, it is very rare to find a learning partner who shares the same vision, who is as keen to embark on the journey and who wants to innovate and challenge conventional training practices,” said Hulda Haugen, vice president of organizational development for SCM. “Hemsley Fraser most closely matched our requirements and we were impressed with their collaborative approach throughout the whole process.”
Virtual instructor-led training sessions or webinars usually last a maximum of 90 minutes and generally consist of a one-way knowledge transfer monologue with some occasional interaction around questions. The collaboration between Hemsley Fraser and SCM has challenged this idea by creating interactive four-hour virtual learning experiences, which feature all the principles of accelerated learning.
Electronic books were developed for each program to provide leaders with subjection information and knowledge before they attended the virtual classroom. The tools also served as a refresher for learners to revisit after the session.
Both learning experiences took challenges from the learners’ daily work environments and applied them in practical breakout sessions where the participants were split into different virtual rooms. In both programs, the participants benefitted from a one-to-one session on their own specific challenge. They practiced important conversations and feedback exchange with an actor facilitator who took on the characteristics of the person concerned. As part of their social learning and knowledge creation, participants in the same breakout group shared their observations, gave feedback and made suggestions from their own experience.
“My actor-facilitator was extremely effective,” said one of the participants. “He challenged me, gave frequent feedback on how I could improve, so that I immediately understood both how and why I should change my approach.”
Hemsley Fraser delivered a total of eight virtual instructor-led training sessions for 73 leaders, who were split into groups to accommodate different time zones in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Nine of SCM’s top senior management team will attend additional sessions delivered by Hemsley Fraser this year.
“These two programs have enabled us to meet important training needs and the feedback, in terms of their relevance, content and delivery, has reaffirmed the value we created with these learning experiences,” said Yeow. “As a result of this virtual training, we’ve innovated and gained all of the benefits of interactive classroom-based training without the time and cost of extensive travel. This solution is an excellent compromise between physically attending training and boring self-study methods.”
“JooBee, who has a strong passion for leveraging technology for learning, has been instrumental in setting a clear vision of the possibilities to replicate the benefits of classroom training into virtual delivery,” said Haugen. “She has continuously measured and quantified the factors influencing the relevance, content and delivery and worked closely with Hemsley Fraser to iteratively improve each delivery.”
“Collaborating with a client who is strongly impact-driven is really refreshing,” said Murray Furlong, head of learning solutions at Hemsley Fraser. “Measurements of the factors influencing the relevance, content and delivery gave us accurate data to iteratively improve each delivery. As a result, 91% of SCM senior leaders said these learning experiences were highly relevant to their business and leadership needs.”
This year, SCM plans to deliver another seven virtual training programs to address the top priorities highlighted in its latest training needs analysis.
“This is a classic example of how learning is changing,” said Todd Turner, chief executive officer of Hemsley Fraser. “It’s very unusual for virtual training programs to last four hours and it takes a special design team to create a program that can keep people engaged for that length of time. I’m delighted that SCM chose us as the innovative partner to pioneer this project with them. This offers a template of best practice to other global businesses that want to bring people together for training without the time and cost of travel.”
For more information, please visit www.hemsleyfraser.co.uk
About Schibsted Media Group
Founded in 1839 as a small publishing company, Schibsted Media Group has evolved into a multinational corporation which publishes newspapers, runs online classified advertising websites and provides multimedia and mobile services. It employs 6,900 people in 29 countries.
