How to stay engaged in a virtual workshop

Virtual workshops are becoming more common in the modern day due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Not only can you enjoy the same educational resources from the comfort of your own home or office, but you also save money on plane tickets, hotel accommodations and food.

Virtual conferences are considered effective when attendees are committed and engaged. It also gives access to a wider pool of workforce members who do not have the means to attend in-person events. If you’re attending a virtual workshop in the near future, following these tips to stay engaged:

1. Take detailed notes

When you’re at an in-person meeting, you have the benefit of being able to stay engaged with other attendees because you’ll be answering questions and feeding off of the energy in the room.

When you’re alone in your home, tuning in to a virtual meeting, you may have the tendency to become disengaged or even nod off mid-meeting. It’s up to you to close all other tabs on your laptop to eliminate multitasking and also create a system of taking detailed notes. Learn more from this Entrepreneur article.

2. Practice Active Listening

When you’re attending a virtual event where you could potentially be distracted by your environment, it’s easy to forget to participate in active listening.

It’s crucial to make an even bigger effort to participate in active listening than if you were in person. Don’t forget to raise your eyebrows, nod your head and raise your hand to ask a question when appropriate.

Showing that you’re an engaged active listener may catch the attention of future contacts or employers because people will see that you’re a team player and interested in learning about new topics.

3. Make your workspace comfortable

Although you can tune in to a virtual conference from anywhere, it’s crucial that you keep your workspace consistent and comfortable.

Instead of taking a meeting from your couch, move to a designated office or workspace where you can shut the door and sit up straight. You’ll notice an immediate increase in productivity and you’ll get much more out of the conference. Once you’ve completed the conference from your remote workspace, reward yourself with a snack or short break before coming tuning into the next block of speakers.

We hope you find this advice useful and feel prepared for your upcoming virtual conference. To learn more about the benefits of an ACEC Utah membership, including exclusive access to the best conferences and training around, visit our website.