ANN: COVID and Our Courses (October update)

Right now…

We recently decided to try an in-person course.  More on that below.

***

We are doing online (or virtual or remote) courses or workshops — except for one in-person course (see details below).

Of course, we do not know when the online courses will end. For now, we are saying that all 2020 courses will be online.  Again, with so far one exception.

We hope that sometime soonish, maybe in the Nov-Jan time period, or later, this will change.

There are amongst you many feelings about Covid-19.  Our daughter had it, in August. She is young, and as the percentages would suggest, she had very mild symptoms.  These days she is living with us (her parents).  We never got C19 (at least from her).  We tested negative several times.

All this to say that we are sympathetic to all the different experiences people have had.

We truly want things to return to normal.

We especially think of people in the restauarant, hotel,  and travel industries.  And there are many other industries too.  The people in those industries have been deeply affected.  So, we remain hopeful, especially for them.  We are encouraged that the unemployment rate is down to 7.9% for September.  Not nearly low enough, but far better than it was.

Good news!  We are very happy with our online/virtual courses and our students agree!  So, online courses are a good option.  Please ask questions.

You are also welcome to come back later in-person (e.g., to the same course, in-person) for a fairly nominal charge. Even though we are very happy with our online courses and workshops, we still feel that in-person courses are better for you. They are more expensive, but worth it.

Factors

There will be many factors influencing when we return to in-person courses.

• What Scrum Alliance says
• What our customers say (Please make your voice heard: jhlittle@leanagiletraining.com)
• What the airline and hotel industries do

Note: To some degree this is local to each city, and to some degree for me, this is a North America issue (mainly Canada and USA for me).

Hopes

I will also share my personal hope. I am not a doctor nor an epidemiologist, but I feel, from the many things I have read, that in terms of death and real illness, things have gotten a lot better. This is true, for example, in the U.S. and Canada.  (Yes, there have been some spikes, but in general, notably better.)  Especially, for example, NYC and NY State things are much better (after a huge rise in deaths, they seem now to be well out of the woods).

We have many things that give us hope.  To be honest, two contradictory things:
(1) we have made tremendous progress in regard to an unknown and unusual virus.
(2) At the same time, I am terribly impatient for it to end.

I am confident still that it will end, and fairly soon.

In-Person Course

We have talked to a hotel about how they would arrange it, and we are trying an in-person course.  In early November.  Only in Charlotte (with a hotel we know and trust).

This is an experiment.  As much as anything, to see if course buyers are ready yet for in-person courses.

Some key points:

• It will be safe, or as safe as we and the hotel can make it.  (Driving, even getting out of bed, is not 100% safe.)
• 10 feet apart
• Maximum 10 students.
• Masks unless talking
• No “side-by-side” exercises yet
• If you are at all sick, or think you might be, you MUST cancel.  No cancellation fee for that.
• Food boxes, so that only you touch your food
• High ceilings
• Hand sanitizer
• Some use of Mural.co online, to do “group” exercises (and still be 10+ feet apart)

If you have questions, please contact us.

I am open to your ideas.  You are welcome to share.

Summary

In summary, I am optimistic we eventually will return to only in-person courses – and sooner than some might think.

November – January: We are trying one experimental in-person.  Feels possible that the market may start to move toward in-person then.  Possible.

I feel fairly confident that everyone will return to in-person courses in 2021. Certainly I feel they should and that they will be able to.  We shall see.

These guesses may change, but maybe it is useful to share my guesses.

 

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