Marianne Krager, an associate trainer with Nan McKay and Associates (NMA), sits at a desk covered in black felt as she dutifully prepares for a long day’s work. It’s early morning, and there’s a sense of calm about Krager, even with a formation of cameras aimed at her. She’s clearly at ease about the task at hand.
It’s cold, but not by accident. The room would be pitch black if not for the searing array of lights surrounding Krager, and the stunning glow of the green screen at her stern. Lyle Luth and Vin Rosa, members of the production team, brief Krager as she reviews notes and stares down a teleprompter.
Later, in the back room adjacent to the studio, Krager goes live while members of the production team deliberately prod buttons and turn dials on control panels that, to the inexperienced eye, appear no less complicated than a console at NASA’s Mission Control Center.
Krager isn’t on the set of a bustling network morning news show, though you’d be forgiven for thinking just that.
She’s in a production studio inside HAI Group’s headquarters. It’s not a scene you’d expect at most insurance companies. Needless to say, HAI Group isn’t a typical insurance carrier; its niche services cater exclusively to the public and affordable housing industry.
The 'perfect combination'
One such service is the HAI Group Housing Training Institute (HTI), a virtual training platform that supports housing professionals. More than 34,000 housing professionals across the country rely on HTI for professional development. The Institute offers virtual access to a wide variety of housing-specific continuing education (CE) and certification courses required for housing professionals in certain positions. One such course is the Public Housing Management (PHM) certification, which the HTI team describes as a “foundational” certification. The course offers a comprehensive education in the field, yet it’s presented in a foundational way that learners can build upon throughout their careers, whether they specialize in their responsibilities or remain generalists.
In 2022, Krager traveled from NMA’s California office to HAI Group’s office in Connecticut, where she spent a week in the studio filming a new version of HTI’s virtual PHM course. NMA provides innovative solutions to neighborhoods across the country, from program administration and inspections to training and community development strategies. While NMA offers on-site PHM training, the organization has long partnered with HTI to provide virtual options for PHM and other critical housing certifications.
Each plays a role in the partnership. HAI Group provides instructional design, video production, and the platform, while Nan McKay provides subject-matter expertise and the presenters for the material. This perfect combination has seen a dramatic uptick over the years as online training has taken off.
When the Institute and NMA first partnered up over 25 years ago, training sessions were disseminated in real-time via satellite transmissions. It was an innovative solution at the time, but not without issues (those who experienced satellite television in its early days can attest). In one incident, the satellite HTI relied on was somehow knocked out of orbit. The Housing Training Institute quickly adopted an internet-based training team, and things took off from there.
Virtual learning without fear of outdated, inaccurate material
No industry is immune to change. HUD is constantly updating its public housing rules, regulations, and requirements, meaning HTI and NMA put in the effort to keep courses relevant.
Over the years, HTI has made modifications to its overall production process that allow it to keep its training up to date and accurate while remaining high-quality, so that its learners can absorb and apply the lessons taught in their day-to-day jobs without fear of outdated, inaccurate material.
The typical production process is quite robust, with a 200-point checklist that must be addressed to ensure a comprehensive and complete project. Emphasis is placed on pre-planning as the production team determines the ‘why’ behind the project.
If an idea passes the business case test, the production team moves on to logistics, such as the production type and whether the training will be recorded in the studio or remotely. Everything is done with one goal in mind: to produce content best suited to HTI learners so they can get the most out of a specific training.
Once all ancillary materials and resources are identified, the recording process begins.
The PHM course is in the process of a complete update—and isn’t a short training—so Krager spends the better part of a week sitting in front of that black desk in the studio. In front of those glaring lights, she expertly reads from the teleprompter each sentence of each section of each chapter in the training.
Getting the best out of every trainer, capturing the magic in the room
Recording content is typically more straightforward compared to pre- and post-production. Illnesses, weather events, power outages, and unexpected critter visits have plagued the production team in the past. The team has always rallied and captured what was needed to get the job done.
Another potential complication that doesn’t side like one at face value: some trainers are accustomed to very large in-person audiences. To achieve the level of quality HTI is looking for, they are asked to present to a single camera, with no audience, in a cool, dark studio, which can take some getting used to.
Trainers that HTI partners with are experts in their respective fields, so the actual content is rarely, if ever, an issue. HTI tries to get the most out of trainers while they're in the studio so the learner can get the most out of the content at the end of the day.
Consistency is the name of the game with recording sessions that span multiple days, meaning a learner watching the course won't know if it was filmed at 9 a.m. at the beginning of the week, or 3 p.m. on the last day of filming. HTI's team of producers and directors is highly trained and experienced in making the studio journey as fun and light-hearted as possible, yet as professional and practical as possible, keeping morale high and getting the best out of every trainer. That may mean HTI needs to take an extended break at some point, just to reset or push through a long day, because there is magic in the room and the team wants to capture it.
Krager brought magic to the room throughout her HAI Group Housing Training Institute recording sessions. Due to limited takes, the production team ensured they captured everything they needed during Krager's stay in Connecticut.
Putting it all together
Post-production begins the true building of the course. The HTI team reviews and edits the captured footage, assembles the content per the business case, and incorporates engagement objectives (used to reinforce learning objectives) and any other items deemed appropriate.
The last step is to load finished content onto HTI’s learning management system (LMS). Learners visit the LMS to access exclusive online training content.
Is PHM training right for you?
Visit the HAI Group Housing Training Institute website to learn more about the PHM certification.
