To keep remote trainees engaged, focus on interactivity, personalization, and collaboration. Start with icebreakers to build rapport. Use breakout rooms for group discussions and hands-on activities to reinforce learning. Gamify sessions with quizzes and challenges to boost motivation. Ensure content is bite-sized and delivered dynamically with multimedia. Encourage real-world application through case studies. Schedule regular feedback loops and recognize achievements to sustain engagement. Lastly, foster a community by maintaining open communication channels beyond training sessions.

Virtual training isn’t just about delivering content—it’s about keeping people awake, engaged, and actually learning. Here’s how I keep remote trainees locked in: 🔥 Make it interactive. Polls, breakout rooms, live Q&A—participation isn’t optional. 🔥 Ditch the death-by-PowerPoint. Engaging visuals, storytelling, and real-world scenarios beat walls of text. 🔥 Keep it human. Cameras on, humor encouraged, and short breaks to avoid screen fatigue. If training feels like a chore, it’s already failing. How do you make virtual training actually work?

I’ve learned that engagement isn’t about fancy tools—it’s about making people feel something. When I speak, I don’t just give a talk; I bring people into my story. I take them back to the moment my life changed at 13, to the struggles, the humor, the resilience. And guess what? That’s what keeps them hooked. People remember how you make them feel, even in a virtual room. I keep things interactive—asking questions, sharing unexpected twists, and making space for real conversations. A little humor, a little vulnerability, and a lot of heart—that’s my formula for engagement.

There is no one-size fits all approach and the needs of the team and the individual must be appreciated. For group settings, establishing regular (e.g. weekly) informal interactions where trainees can interact with fellow trainees and/or recent training "graduates" can provide an excellent opportunity for building and strengthening working relationship. If there are introverts in the group, it is important to give them the opportunities to share their thoughts in a way they are comfortable contributing. Sometimes a "buddy" program may also help remote trainings gain their footing and facilitate their blending into the existing culture.

I believe the answer is in the question - you want your trainees to feel a connection with the program. Now, there are a lot of different ways to do this and I would have to understand more about the objectives of the training program to tailor my suggestions. But, here are a few questions you could ask yourself: Does the program format encourage interaction? Do the trainees find value in the training? Do the trainees see themselves in the training materials? At the end of the day, you want your trainees to be there and you will see success.