Many, including the CICM, have stopped promoting open live training. We believe it is essential to continue providing it and here are some of the reasons:
Why Live Training?
Networking - This key to business and although e-learning courses do have networking potential via chat rooms, messages and emails; it simply is not as effective as having a real-life human interaction with another person where you exchange handshakes and conversation. Face-to-face training means you will network more efficiently which in itself has a lot of benefits.
Engagement and Focus - With face-to-face training you are usually in a classroom with the presenter, who will implement strategies to keep you involved and engaged as much as possible. This retains your attention and will most definitely encourage better results.
Adaptability - Courses that operate face-to-face have the amazing option to be adapted to the learner’s needs as required, whereas e-learning simply just offers set options.
Discussion - A lot of great things can come from being in a room with other people wanting to learn, such as detailed discussions and debates regarding subject topics, where you may even learn from other people and take in viewpoints you haven’t considered yet. It is easier to interact and meet new people from inside or outside of work when you have a common ground.
Ability for 1-to-1 - Every learner will be different. Some are very independent in the sense that if they have a challenging issue, they will eventually solve it themselves. However, there are many learners who need to be shown or have something explained because they don't understand it!
If a problem arises when you are in a face-to-face course, you can simply ask the instructor to explain it better, so you know what is going on.
To conclude, these were just some points as to why face-to-face training has many clear advantages over e-learning, but e-learning is still a newly formed method and will continue to grow and maybe will improve to such a point where it succeeds compared to face-to-face training.
