Virtual learning today has become a broader concept that isn’t just focused on delivering content—it’s about curating meaningful, memorable experiences to keep learners invested, motivated, and engaged.
But how do you achieve that? How do you make virtual learning actually work?
In this blog, we will highlight three key strategies shared by Karyn Gleeson, Online Event Program & Production Manager at The Learning Guild, during her talk show with Prachi Kuchya, Events Marketing Manager at Airmeet, that will help you—
Captivate attention. Boost retention. Make virtual learning actually work.
In this live session, Karyn shared her signature framework—The “ASK THEM” Method—a practical approach built around three core strategies designed to boost engagement and learning retention.
The session is designed to equip you with practical strategies and actionable insights, enabling you to:
- Apply techniques to capture and retain participant attention
- Design critical thinking into your presentation
- Implement structured reinforcement and collaborative activities to promote deeper learning and enhance learner retention.
3 Key Strategies for Designing Virtual Learning That Truly Engages Audiences
In this section, we will take a closer look at three proven strategies shared by Karyn. The “ASK THEM” method comprises three critical components.
- Ask them to PARTICIPATE
- Ask them to THINK
- Ask them to REMEMBER
1. Ask Them to PARTICIPATE
The first strategy focuses on trying to involve attendees and inviting them to participate.
Karyn emphasized that participation starts
- When learners read a session description- the first point of interaction
- When they register – that’s a small commitment
- When they show up or watch the recording – they are already showing a level of participation & engagement
Pro Tip: To encourage participation, it is essential that your event description adheres to the 3Cs—Clear, Concise, and Compelling. |
Once the session kicks off, as a presenter, you need to continue encouraging that participation by actively asking learners to engage in ways that are clear and direct.
And the way that Karyn does that is by asking her attendees to participate using polls.
- Started by asking why participants joined the session— what they hope to get out of it—to involve them and understand their expectations.
- Asking if they are willing to participate, like asking questions, focusing on the presentation, taking notes, and not multitasking.
- Asking if they are willing to share, reflect, and think about the session after it ends.
- Trying to involve them by encouraging them to voice out their opinions and asking their next steps—what do they think they will learn and are they going to implement those learnings in instructional design practice?
Moving further, Karyn shared a fun and effective visual: the Cat Slide, which categorizes six types of learning mindsets during the virtual sessions.
- Raring to go—eager and ready to participate
- Ooh, shiny toys—curious and interested in learning
- Lapping up the learning—enjoying and absorbing the content
- I want to hide—avoiding interaction.
- I surrender—passive and attending only because they have to
- I can’t be bothered—not active or actively disengaged
These learner personas play an essential role in identifying the types of learners present at your online learning session. They also offer you clarity over what possible approaches you can take to make them participate without putting pressure on them.
Karyn shares a real-life example of how you can handle disengaged learners in an online learning environment. She noted,
“A facilitator I worked with often encourages people to turn on their camera by making a lighthearted, self-deprecating joke. He says, please turn your camera on so I can see your lovely faces—I’m tired of looking at my own ugly mug!”
It’s a funny way to ease the tension and make others feel less self-conscious. By making a joke, he built a connection with the audience, which helped people feel comfortable turning their camera on.
Karyn further suggested,
“You could also keep it simple and say something like, please turn your camera on—it really helps me connect with everyone. It’s hard to engage fully in an online setting without seeing each other.”
2. Ask Them to THINK
Karyn’s next powerful strategy is “Ask them to Think.” It focuses on helping learners process information, not just consume it.
As she put it, “They are not sponges, They are thinkers.”
You need to provide learners with the space and opportunity to connect the content to their own experiences and thoughts.
Start by asking reflective, open-ended questions like
- How does this apply to your team?
- How will you use this tomorrow?
These questions prompt participants to pause, consider, and internalize the material. A great way to encourage this kind of interaction is by optimizing “Chat as a thinking space.”
Ask learners to type in their responses—this helps make their thoughts visible, gives you insight into their understanding, and increases the overall engagement.
Karyn also shared some actionable tips to elevate this strategy, which include:
- Think-Pair-Share
- Reflective journaling
- Explain concept in your own words
- Summarize
- Mind maps
- Concept maps
- Peer teaching
She noted, “Think-Pair-Share” is a classroom-inspired technique that works wonderfully for adult learners in an online learning environment.
Here’s how it works:
- Think: Ask a question and give participants a moment to think about it individually.
- Pair: Club the two learners, and have them discuss their answers with one another in a breakout room. This creates a more personal, collaborative, and low-pressure learning environment.
- Share: Now bring the conversation back to the group and ask the pairs to share their insights.
Karyn shared how she uses Airmeet’s lounge feature during her own online conferences to replicate peer-to-peer experiences.
The lounge consists of multiple virtual tables where participants can join between the sessions. It provides attendees a dedicated space to
- Chat with others
- Turn on their camera and mic, enabling face-to-face interactions
- Share screens and documents
- Talk freely, reflect, and think together
These thinking moments help participants go beyond surface-level engagement and make their learning truly stick.
3. Ask Them to REMEMBER
The final strategy focuses on helping learners retain what they learned. Once your audience is actively participating and thinking about the content, the next step is to help them remember it. So how can you make the learning stick?
Here are some strategies she recommends:
1. Use visuals & cues to reinforce memory
Even something as simple as a graphic or slide image can serve as a memory trigger. These cues help learners associate a concept with an image, which makes it easier to recall later on.
2. Imagine chat as a virtual table
For instance, during in-person workshops, people turn to their fellow participants to discuss and reflect. Similarly, in virtual settings, chat becomes that space.
These side discussions often help deepen memory by reinforcing a conversational learning experience.
3. Spaced Repetition
Karyn refers to the well-known Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve, which shows that people forget most of what they learn shortly after a session—unless it’s reinforced.
To overcome this
- Follow-up after the session. For example,
Ask on Friday, “What were the three ‘Ask Them’ methods?”
Then on Monday, “How would you apply them in your work?”
- Repeat the key concepts over time to help retention
- Use quizzes, debriefs, peer teaching, etc.
4. Use Participant Manuals
Another powerful tactic you can use in workshops is to create participant manuals—worksheets or guides used during the session.
Here’s how:
- Introduce a concept
- Ask the participant to pause for 5 minutes and answer a question or complete an activity in the manual
- Bring them back and have them review or discuss what they wrote
Final Thoughts
Designing and executing a successful virtual learning experience can be challenging—especially when it’s unclear how, when, and in what ways we can ensure that attendees are truly engaged, and can walk away with some valuable insights.
Karyn Gleeson’s “ASK THEM” method offers a simple yet powerful framework to transform passive learning into active, immersive experiences—encouraging participants to think critically, engage meaningfully, and retain key takeaways.
Facilitators and educators can elevate their virtual sessions by incorporating these methods to build genuine connections and make the learning journey more impactful.
The goal isn’t to push learners—it’s to excite and motivate them. With subtle encouragements, thoughtful activities, and the right framework, engagement & involvement become the natural outcome.
Hear it directly from Karyn! Click here to access the full session.
About Speaker
Karyn Gleeson
Online Event Program & Production Manager
The Learning Guild
Karyn is a learning strategist who helps internal trainers and subject matter experts design and deliver energizing virtual sessions. She combines science-backed techniques with real-world practicality—all designed to create meaningful, memorable learning experiences that actually connect.
As a Certified Digital Event Strategist and Online Events Program & Production Manager, Karyn has spent decades transforming learning environments. From designing the online K-12 curriculum to producing thousands of professional development sessions, she knows exactly what works and what doesn’t in the world of virtual learning.
