There are many reasons why it?s helpful to have a live component to ethics training. It?s more personable, employees are likely to feel more connected to the subject matter when it?s interactive, etc.

However, there are also two reasons why it is more than simply a good idea. In fact, I believe that these two reasons, in and of themselves, should make having a live component of ethics training be non-negotiable.

• No matter how well a virtual program can push out information ? and many virtual programs are terrific for that ? it is remarkable how often employees don?t understand information nearly as well as it seems when they pass a test on it. Having eyes and ears in the room can significantly reduce the risk of employees seeming to understand something when, in fact, they know the words just fine but aren?t at all clear on how the ideas and information really need to be applied.

• Most of us have had the experience of learning something ? and maybe even being wildly enthusiastic about it ? only to find that, once back on the job, we experienced significant barriers to putting that information to use. An interactive component of ethics training is essential for allowing employees to bring in their concerns, whether real or perceived, about putting their ethics training to use.  Unless and until those barriers can be resolved, your training will have been little more than an academic exercise.

Is virtual ethics training a bad idea? Not at all, as long as you are clear about its limits. If your goal is for ethics training to assure that employees have a practical, fully applicable, real-world skillset, having a live interactive component of that training isn?t simply a nice idea, it?s essential.

(P.S. You say your organization is too big to allow for a live, interactive ethics training piece? I?m not buying it. The bigger an organization is, the more opportunity there is for wrong-doing to go unnoticed. Frankly, you can?t afford not to have some amount of live ethics training?)