What is the Difference Between Async and Live Training?

If you create training content, you know the confusion that comes with choosing between asynchronous online learning and live training sessions. Both styles of instruction have their place in training content, but how do you know which is right for individual instances? 

Well, it depends! Your training goals, audience preferences, and available resources dictate which communication method is best.

What is asynchronous learning?

Asynchronous learning refers to any kind of training in which there is a delay between when a piece of training content is created and distributed and when the people who need it access it. Async training does not occur in person and is usually completed on the learner’s own schedule.

Online learning, or e-learning, allows learners to complete the training at their own pace without having to carve out specific times to attend an event or seminar with others. The same online courses will be available to learners no matter where they are, which creates a strong learning environment.

Common formats include screen recordings, tutorials, and process walkthroughs. Videos are the best async communication medium because they are easier to remember than simply reading or listening. The visual aspect of async training is pivotal in its use.

Furthermore, async training videos can be reused across processes and scaled for varying projects. This makes videos a stand-out solution for training content that is part of a larger ecosystem and that is often revisited by learners. 

What is synchronous learning (live training)?

Synchronous training is the exchange of knowledge between two or more people in real-time. This can occur face-to-face, over video call, or over the phone. There is an instant back-and-forth nature to this training style.

There are real benefits to the real-time interactions of live training, such as immediate feedback and collaborative discussions, making it a perfect solution for certain training situations. Onboarding, Q&A sessions, and soft skill development are great instances where live training is the ideal medium. 

Besides in-person interactions like live classes, common formats include video conferencing (Zoom meetings), virtual classrooms, webinars, and other types of synchronous classes. 

Pros and cons of asynchronous vs live training

Although it would be nice to have a straightforward answer for all training scenarios, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to training formats. Check out the table for a first glance at the pros and cons of each, and read on to learn more about each category.

	Async training	Live training
Flexibility and accessibility	👑Most flexible option and accessible for anyone, anywhere, at any time.	Less flexible, especially across time zones and busy teams
Engagement and interaction	Passive interactions, unless extra measures are implemented	👑Real-time Q&A and live discussion
Scalability and reuse	👑Reusable and repeatable with minimal updates	Must be repeated every time
Trainer and SME time investment	👑Reduces repeat questions	High investment is needed from all parties

Flexibility and accessibility

Asynchronous learning comes out as the top learning experience for flexibility. Recorded videos and training modules can be watched by your team anywhere at their own pace when uploaded to a learning management system (LMS) or shared in a chat. Different time zones and busy schedules don’t affect distribution.

Live training is less flexible and can exclude global or busy teams who can’t always commit to meeting at a specific time.

Engagement and interaction

Live sessions allow for real-time interactions, questions, and discussions about the material, increasing engagement with the content. All questions can be answered during the session. 

Online learning is self-paced and more passive. It needs the support of quizzes, follow-ups, and discussion boards to increase interaction with the material. 

Scalability and reuse

Async content can be reused repeatably with minimal updates. This is especially true when videos are recorded with Camtasia’s screen recorder. The malleable screen recording can be edited on separate tracks for the screen content, microphone, camera, and cursor. This means that updates are quickly edited without having to re-record or re-edit a whole video.

Live training must be repeated each time, which takes up staff time and requires a lot of coordination between all parties. 

Trainer and SME time investment

Async training reduces repeat questions and meetings for everyone. Trainers can create the training content once and reuse it across teams and projects. 

Live training requires the trainer to be present for every session, which increases their time investment exponentially and can be impractical for their busy schedule. 

When should you use async training, live training, or both?

Although there is no ultimate correct answer, most training can be categorized under async or live sessions.

Use asynchronous training for the following: 

• Software onboarding
• Compliance training
• Process training
• Feature updates

Use live training for the following: 

• Team-building sessions
• New hire Q&A
• Leadership coaching sessions

Sometimes a blended learning approach can work well, especially for complex process updates or brand-new concepts. 

For example, record core training sessions and follow up with live check-ins with the team. Or, instruct a live online classroom, and then follow up with a forum in which online students can leave messages or complete group work before the next online class.

What teams need to succeed with async training

For async training to truly succeed, teams need a solid foundation to rely on. That begins with a clearly documented process in the form of videos or other visuals. 

To start, define how training content should be planned, created, reviewed, and maintained. 

Include expectations for videos, a style guide to ensure consistency, and a system to track updates or outdated content. Video templates are a great solution for this, which you can easily create with Camtasia. Combine this with a style guide that covers tone and acceptable transitions and other on-screen elements. 

Evidently, visual clarity is an essential part of training. Static documentation needs to be clear and concise. Snagit’s annotation features, like the step tool, are perfect for quickly capturing and annotating these processes and helping creators standardize their documentation.

Use a live feedback process to review and keep content up-to-date. With TechSmith products, you can export your videos to Screencast, where you and your team can leave time-stamped comments and questions. 

Lastly, create reusable assets. Camtasia’s library lets users save intros, outros, branded lower-thirds, and more, so your teams can drag and drop them into any project. Pair this with a shared folder of Snagit captures to build a flexible, easy-to-use visual library. 

Your team will create high-quality training that scales, without sacrificing clarity or consistency, with TechSmith’s Camtasia and Snagit.

TechSmith’s take on making async training the norm

At TechSmith, we believe sync training isn’t just convenient, but rather a smarter, more scalable way to share knowledge across our teams. 

Camtasia: Async video creation made simple and scalable

Camtasia is built to help teams create professional, polished training videos quickly and consistently. Editable templates let you standardize video creation, while separate editing tracks make it easier for you to layer narration, visual content, and any effects or annotations.

Powerful AI features also reduce production time. You can generate scripts, edit your video with text-based editing technology–that means you can edit your video by modifying text in a transcript. You can even create voiceovers or captions right in Camtasia.

Once a video is complete, you can share it with your team through a unique link and answer questions and comments all in one place. TechSmith created this tool knowing the impact that instructor-led group discussions and remote learning have on comprehension.

Snagit: Ideal for quick, lightweight async content

When videos are a bit too much legwork, Snagit is the go-to tool. It’s perfect to capture screen images, create informative GIFs, or record lightweight walkthroughs that explain a simple process in seconds. Teams use Snagit to answer repeat questions, share document updates, and other simple information without scheduling a live meeting. 

Snagit’s editing features make it easy to take and annotate screenshots by highlighting key steps and adding helpful callouts. You can even create step-by-step guides in minutes with the step capture feature. 

Visuals made with Snagit are a low-effort, high-impact way to support async training, especially when paired with longer videos created in Camtasia. 

Choose a training format that fits your team’s needs

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to training, that much is clear. However, by contemplating the learning styles, time commitment, and course content, among other factors, you can find out which approach is best for you. 

The key is choosing tools that support your strategy and make it easy to create content that informs and lasts.

Explore TechSmith’s full suite of tools built to help trainers like you create, share, and maintain effective learning content, no matter which format you use.