A well-honed set of interpersonal skills can make or break the effectiveness of a college instructor.  It is the instructor’s interpersonal style and unique personality that brings the material to life, captivates students, and motivates learning and critical thinking.  Off the top of your head, you can probably recall instructors from your college days who reached you through their dynamic personality.  You may even recall, with a shudder, those instructors who didn’t.

These skills are no less important in the online classroom environment.  Countless articles have been written on the importance of creating an intimate online classroom community when engaging students in the virtual environment.  The online instructor’s interpersonal skills are essential ingredients in the creation and maintenance of this community.

The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the most important interpersonal skills required of online instructors.  While some may think that such skills are innate and fixed (you either got ‘em or you don’t), it is certainly possible and even necessary to develop these skills over time.  Practice them. Research them.  These, indeed, are learnable skills and techniques that that most instructors can acquire if they choose to do so.

1)   Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate the perspective of another person.  This is a critical component of online teaching.  It requires developing self-awareness—knowing what one’s personal beliefs, biases, and experiences are.  It also requires developing other-awareness, or realizing that other people have and are entitled to their own perspectives based on their own unique life circumstances.

A teacher uses empathy to understand their students so as not to make assumptions about or judge them. This empathy creates a safe atmosphere for students to make mistakes or have successes, learn from them, and grow as a result.  It is within this sort of atmosphere that students engage with their teacher and each other.  Further, working closely with such an instructor can inspire students to develop empathy themselves.

Consider an example:

A psychology teacher believes that using extrinsic motivators is a detriment to child development.  When teaching operant conditioning, a student mentions that a “great” example of operant conditioning is when she gives her toddler candy for using the toilet.

A non-empathetic instructor, unaware of her biases, might unknowingly use her authoritative position to “drop knowledge” on her “naïve” student and reply by waxing poetic on the “follies” of such parenting decisions.  Even if this instructor approached the topic kindly, how would this student feel, especially in the public discussion board venue?

An empathetic instructor, conversely, is aware of her bias and does not judge her student for making this statement.  She would agree that the student gave a great example of the phenomenon being discussed.  If this same instructor did want to nod toward the power of intrinsic motivators over extrinsic, later in the discussion or apart from it she might post a link to a TED talk on a related topic and ask students to simply discuss their thoughts on the video.  No soapbox, no condemnation, but students are made aware of the alternative views and can consider the implications for themselves.

2) Reflective Listening

Adult learners are not new learners.  They have been students of life for a long time.  In some instances online students have more of this “life” experience than the instructors do (I myself am younger than most of my online students).  They need to know that their instructors are listening to them and value that experience and aren’t just standing at the front of the class filling heads with knowledge.

The discussion forum is where reflective listening skills are put to the test.  Students are looking to see not only that the instructor is hearing them, but that their teacher is listening to everyone else, too.  When the students know that you are an engaged listener, they are more likely to come to you with questions and be more open to your feedback.

These listening skills are perhaps best illustrated with an example:

Good, Reflective Response:  “Thank you for your thoughts here, Stacy.  You highlighted a great example of operant conditioning.  Parenting examples, such as the one you gave, give us a lot of grist for the mill for understanding Skinner’s behaviorist theory.  Potty training methods are very Skinnerian.  As are nearly every method we use to get our children do to their chores!  Ha!  Class, jumping off from Stacy’s post, what are some other examples of how we use Skinnerian methods in our day-to-day?”

Not-So-Reflective Response:l:  “Good answer!  I agree, that’s a great example.  According page 29 in the textbook, what would Tolman say about your example?”

In the “good” instance, the teacher made sure that the student knew that she read and understood where she was coming from and was so interested in her response that she thought it was worth engaging the class in further discussion.  In the not-so-good instance, the response could have been a response to any student’s post.  It’s generic.  This student was simply “scanned over” and everyone can tell.

3) Facilitation

Discussion boards are fluid and do belong to the class (they aren’t the instructor’s “stage”), but the instructor does guide the discussion along toward the objective.  If a thread is getting off topic, the skilled online teacher sums up the discussion and then asks a question or challenges the class to do some research on a related topic to rein the discussion back on track.  The instructor does not necessarily have to tell the class “Hey, you are off-topic” (which may bring the discussion to a screeching halt), but can acknowledge the discussion as an interesting one, but guide it back.

It’s also a skill to know when it is okay to let students get off topic a little.  If the discussion continues, maybe it will relate to something in a later lesson.  Then the instructor can refer back to the discussion at that time, further personalizing the experience for the class.

Sometimes there can be a student personality in the mix that necessitates more redirection.  Susan Ko speaks well to how to redirect these students in her article “Managing Difficult Students in the Online Classroom.”

4) Genuineness and Humor

Some of my fondest memories from college included meeting with instructors in their office for office hours.  Yes, it was cool to get the extra instruction and guidance, but what was even cooler was seeing their office.  Seeing pictures of their family, being in awe of all the trinkets from their travels, surmising their personality by noting how organized (or not) their desk was.  In short, getting to know the instructor a bit.  Not too much, but just as much as they were comfortable putting on display in their office.

Online students don’t really get to have this experience and it would be a shame if we didn’t provide it for them.  So, online instructors should make some effort (to the extent they are comfortable) offering a bit of personal, non-CV related information about themselves.  This can take many forms—a PowerPoint introduction about their hobbies, some photos, an anecdote in their biography, or a game of two truths and a lie.  This goes a long way toward establishing a sense of genuineness and authenticity in the classroom.  Allowing students the opportunity to do the same lays the foundation for the all-important classroom community.

The instructor’s personality also shines in the classroom discussion.  A lot of the face-to-face instructors I talk to express concern that their “personality” won’t be appreciated in the virtual environment.  But, it can.  Instructors can choose to present their lectures in video format or use voice over in their presentations to let their voices be heard.  However, tech savviness of this sort isn’t critical, as online instructors should also feel comfortable with an informal, conversational writing style, one that uses appropriate humor or a non-annoying amount of emoticons, yet maintains a professional focus on the material.  I’m from Kentucky, for instance, and am pretty liberal with my use of “y’alls” in my communications with students!

A solid set of practiced interpersonal skills are fundamental to the success of the online classroom.   What is your experience of interpersonal skills in the online classroom?  Have anything to add to the list?  Have a good experience to share?  A not-so-good experience?  I’d love to hear from you!  Comment below or email me!

Related Articles:

7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers

5 Things Effective Online Instructors Know

Adjunct instructors who have excellent teaching skills and engaging personalities in the traditional classroom environment already have many of the characteristics necessary to be effective online instructors. They know their subject area, love teaching, and are invested in their students.

However, the two delivery modalities are different and there are some additional qualities that make for better online instructors above and beyond what is required for face-to-face instructors. If you are wondering if you have what it takes to be an effective online educator consider the following list of 7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers:

1) Passion about the Subject

Why does this belong in a list specific to online instructors? Shouldn’t all college instructors be passionate about their discipline? Yes! But, this needs saying for the following reason: Most online students are adult learners. They are often burned out from their current profession and looking for something new. They have been inspired to go back to school (and make all of the requisite financial, work, and family sacrifices needed to do so) and are excited to learn. They have a fire in them and they want to see that same fire in their instructor. They need help keeping it burning while they are balancing everything in their lives.

Put another way, a 19 year-old in one of my undergrad psychology classes is interested in psychology but still figuring out what she wants to do and has interest but no fire. A 35-year old student has her sights on being a psychologist. There is a difference there. And herein is why an online instructor should be excited about their field – what a bummer it would be to have just committed to a degree program to go into a field and then have an instructor who is burned out from their industry, bored or boring, or disillusioned by the state of things in their field.

2) Passionate about Teaching

This makes the list for the same reason as number one. Adult learners are looking for mentors, really. Not just teachers. Every online teacher they come across is a potential mentor for them and they can quickly sniff out those who aren’t engaged in the teacher-student relationship. Teachers who don’t fully engage in the weekly discussions, who don’t respond to emails, or who provide canned and minimal feedback on assignments are turn offs. They are deflating and don’t necessarily inspire the motivation or critical or creative thinking that adult learners are hoping for.

3) Sees Value in Online Education

I teach traditional college instructors how to teach online. Vulnerability about teaching online is common. Many wonder if they can translate what they do face-to-face to the online environment. For some, vulnerability takes the form of questioning whether their class going online is a good idea at all. They have opinions regarding the quality of education that online students receive versus on ground students. Some simply question it, other are strongly opposed and are very upset that they are being forced to teach online. All of those feelings are fair, but with any job if you believe in the purpose, if you see value in what it is you do, you will naturally be better at it. That’s why I suggest teachers who are uncertain about the value of online education take an online class for themselves. Not necessarily to “get on board” but to at least develop a clearer understanding of what the thing they fear or dislike actually is. Often, the traditional instructors in my training courses who have a negative view of distance education express that they had a better online learning experience than they had anticipated.

4) Is a Good Time Manager

Most online courses are asynchronous, meaning there is not set time to be in class and that discussions are going on in the classroom at all hours of the day all week long.  No, online instructors don’t need to be online and teaching 24/7, but they are required to have a frequent presence in class, in contrast to having a set day/days during the week when they are standing in front of the class. Thus, the effective online instructor develops his/her own system for being present throughout the week.

There is also a bit more writing involved when teaching online—facilitating discussion board assignments representing the bulk of that additional writing.  This competes, to some extent, with the grading of and providing detailed feedback for other class assignments. Another nod to the need for online instructors to be effective time managers. When essay grading time comes around, you’ll want to be ready, willing, and able to provide detailed, formative feedback on those assignments while still participating in the week’s discussion thread.

5) Is Flexible and Open to Feedback

Adult learners and millennials want to feel a part of their learning experience.  Adults because they have an array of personal and professional experiences to bring to the table. Millennials because they have had access to the world wide web of information since they were children and think they know a thing or two about what you are saying/doing (and, they may actually really know a thing or two!). The effective online teacher is aware of this and is empathetic to their students’ need to have some control or input and will allow for that in the classroom. This is exemplified in the statement, “Be a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage.” Take their enthusiasm, experience, and knowledge and use it and adapt to it, whether they are sharing a video or experience with the rest of the class in the discussion board or asking for an assignment to change from an essay to a Prezi presentation. In general, the best teachers are lifelong learners themselves, constantly evolving. So any information that leads to improvement should be valued and listened to.

6)  Facilitates Classroom Community with Engaging Tone and Creativity

Without a solid online classroom community, online classes can feel like self-studies. The effective online teacher is aware of the importance of the community feel and will use a professional, yet warm and informal tone in their posts, use collaborative learning assignments, and utilize other creative approaches to engage the community. School is not Facebook, but in a way we are trying to capture the same idea that social media is—to help the individual sitting there at their computer feel tied into the class and tied into the material.

So, if something a student said was appropriately humorous, it’s okay to digitally laugh. For example:

“Ha! Mark that’s funny, you made me giggle – Freud was a bit limited in his scope, eh? It does seem he focused overmuch on sexuality. His colleagues (Jung and Adler perhaps being the loudest) thought so, too. They believed there was much more to human development and expanded their theories to include things like social factors. What did you think about Jung’s ideas on the collective unconscious?”

Or, if a student puts themselves out there with a personal example, the instructor should acknowledge it, like:

“Hi Kristy! Thank you for sharing that story with us. It really demonstrates how two siblings who are brought up in the same home environment can evolve into two completely different personalities. This shows the power of the non-shared environment. I am hopeful for your sister in her recovery and I’m sure she appreciates that support you and your family are giving her.”

In our article Questions Without Answers – A Tip for Good Discussion Board Prompts, we offer some additional insights into how to use the discussion area of class to community build and establish a personal, collaborative atmosphere conducive to deep learning.

7)  Trained in Online Teaching

I strongly suggest that adjuncts seeking to teach online take a training course or at least take several online courses themselves (as a student). This not only looks great on a CV, but also helps you become more comfortable with common Learning Management Systems (like Blackboard or Moodle). You learn how to use them effectively and with all the bells and whistles that could bring your learning objectives to life. Good training programs will familiarize teachers with the unique needs of the adult online learner, offer guidance when it comes to facilitating effective and engaging discussion boards, share ideas about bringing material to life through interactivity, video/voiceover, etc., and go over the benefits and problems associated with using outside Web 2.0/3.0 technologies in the classroom. One of the most important things to familiarize yourself with is FERPA rules as they pertain to internet security.

Have any questions about the characteristics of an effective online educator?  Have something to add to this list (it’s certainly not exhaustive!)?  Comment below!

Related Articles:

4 Interpersonal Skills for Effective Online Teaching

5 Things Effective Online Instructors Know