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Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai
Welcome to Tax Talks in 5, brought to you by Primondell, one of the UK’s leading specialist tax training firms. During the pandemic, online learning took off as we all adapted to lockdowns. But five years on, is it time to bring training back into the room? I’m Sharon Portner and with me is Jeremy Mindell, Primondell’s director and tax training expert.
Today we’re exploring why in-person training still has the edge over online sessions. Welcome to Tax Talks in 5. Jeremy, great to have you here. Let’s start with the big shift.
How did the pandemic change the landscape for tax training? Well, if you go back to the spring of 2020, when the first lockdown started, all tax training stopped at that point. It was a bit like falling off a cliff. And you went from a full diary to no diary at all.
And then gradually, within eight weeks or so, firms decided, no, we need online training. And you started to pick up a lot of online training. And that continued pretty much even when the pandemic was temporarily eased in the summer, you were doing almost all online training.
And that remained the case until all the restrictions were lifted in 2022. Since then, there has been a move back to some face-to-face training, but it’s fair to say that online still predominates. Now that we’re back to in-person events, what are the key benefits of face-to-face learning that online platforms just can’t match? It’s important to start with the fact of what are the advantages of online, which are, of course, cost is less, the time spent by staff is less.
And when you’re looking at chargeable time, that’s really important. And potentially the convenience as well. The disadvantage, in my view, is the ability for people to concentrate for hours, looking in a screen, grasping difficult technical issues, and indeed the interaction that is required.
And the hints to the presenter, whether they are too complex, too simple, too fast, too slow, presenter gets none of that when you are doing something online. As you say, of course, online training does have its perks. But what challenges have you seen with virtual sessions compared to being in the classroom? I recall with some groups where I did face-to-face before the pandemic, and then they switched to online, you went from a situation of a dozen questions in a session to maybe one or two.
And it was the same people, the same sorts of topics, tax updates, and so on. And what you found was the engagement was much less. People were more reluctant to engage in the process, ask questions, discuss matters.
So with experience in both formats, why do you believe in-person training still comes out on top? Because if you want people to really learn and understand, if you want the presenter to have signs of what do people actually really need and want within a training session, you’re much more likely to accommodate that in a face-to-face session. There are less distractions. And if it is really important that people actually learn and understand rather than tick a box that they’ve done some online training, then there is nothing but beats face-to-face. And there are people who will travel the length and breadth of the country to go to a face-to-face presentation.
Many firms now use a hybrid model, a mix of online and in-person. How do you see that evolving in tax education? I think it really depends on whether the priority is for people to grasp and understand. What is the priority of the firm in its training? Is it just to tick a box, in which case online will do fine? If it is to really give understanding to the participants, then I think it is easier to do face-to-face. There is a greater investment of time and resources, but firms have to decide whether that is worthwhile or not.
So for professionals choosing between formats, what should guide their decision? Well, first of all, I would start with the length of the communication. If it is much over an hour to an hour and a half, then I always think that face-to-face is superior. So if, for example, people will be tuning in very shortly to online discussions of the budget and where they are kept to an hour or so, I do not see a problem with online on that basis. But where you get complex issues, whether it is something to do with transfer pricing or case law or corporate interest relief or any number of different technical subjects, I think that face-to-face delivers a superior result. And certainly when you are looking at courses that go on for four, five hours or even six hours, it is difficult enough when people are face-to-face. But the temptation to switch off on that, not necessarily your computer, but switch off the mind, becomes greater and greater. And certainly the distractions and temptations are greater to fiddle with the phone, to look at other screens. Managers will find it easier to interrupt participants when it is online.
Primondell offers bespoke training. What is your top tip for organisations creating effective programmes, whichever format they choose? I think it is really important that they understand what you are looking for. So in other words, you get too many organisations where they just say, well, we want three hours training on this subject. And then they are not very clear about what their objectives are. Are they junior staff that they want to give awareness to? Is it more senior experienced staff that they want to give a refresher to? Or are they looking to get people up to a certain level of skills? And it needs a certain amount of thought. If you are planning this, then I think that you will end up with a much better result because the presenter will know what you are looking for him or her to do. And the presenter will have a better idea of how to deliver the material and what level the material should be pitched at.
Thanks, Jeremy. It’s clear that while online training has become vital, in-person sessions still deliver deeper engagement, real-time feedback, stronger networking and hands-on learning, all key ingredients for lasting impact. Is there anything you would add to that? I would say that online training is here to stay. It has its place, but I think that firms should have a balance between the short online courses and the deeper engagement that you get from face-to-face courses.
Thank you. Well, to our listeners, we hope today’s chat helps you shape your own learning approach. And if anybody wants to connect or learn more, Jeremy, how can they contact you? Well, via the website, primondell.co.uk, or they can email me at jpmind20@gmail.com.
Thank you. Well, that’s all for this episode of Tax Talks in 5. Thanks for tuning in and see you next time.
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai
