As a direct result of Covid-19 many UK organisations have made the necessary shift from face-to-face to online training delivery during the previous 14 months. For the trainer, online delivery is not without its challenges.
Research indicates a number of inherent difficulties associated with virtual learning, such as limited sight of participants, an inability to perceive important cues and reduced social interaction. These difficulties combined with an increase in negative attitudes towards Zoom sessions and an increase in feelings of burn-out as online working continues, have been shown to lead to decreased attention and engagement. Successful online training delivery may be dependent on the trainer’s ability to develop rapport, and in the case of trainers previously unknown to learners, to do so quickly in the hope of overcoming negative attitudes that may be present even before the learner clicks to `join meeting’.
Research reveals the greater a learner’s perception of trainerlearner rapport, the higher their level of satisfaction, motivation, engagement and outcomes.
This study explores the impact of the application of rapport building techniques, in the form of discreet, observable and replicable verbal and nonverbal behaviours suggested in the extant scientific literature, on UK adult learners’ reports of rapport within one hour of initial virtual visual contact.
Contrary to the hypothesis that those in Rapport groups would report higher trainer-learner rapport than those in Control groups, findings show no significant differences in reports of trainer-learner rapport between groups.
Findings show the number of trainer rapport building behaviours noticed by the Control groups was significantly less than those reported in the Rapport groups, yet this had no impact on reports of rapport.
The next stage of this research is to explore what other factors may be influencing learners’ reports of trainer-learner rapport.