Your staff training courses are failing to titillate. Here’s how to change that
I have talked to a lot of people from the world of learning and development over the years who can’t work out why no-one is signing up to their courses. They’ve tried changing times and locations, even free food. But while they ponder whether making it “mandatory” will help (it won’t), here are three ideas for making learning and development relevant in the workplace.
Start Thinking like a learner
These days, we’re just a couple of clicks away from finding out just about anything. So why is it that so much learning at work still clings on fiercely to the classroom?
Whatever we learn at work should mirror the ease with which we learn elsewhere. So, in my case, that’s TED talks, or Duolingo, or – if I can’t work out how to do something on the iPad – my ten-year-old son.
Read more: Why training temps is a win-win
The best corporate learning departments give you the resources you need to develop whenever and wherever you want to, whether that’s through a course, a checklist or simply a coffee with a colleague.
Give people what they need, when they need it
How many courses have you been on that were pretty interesting at the time, but forgotten by the time you sat back at your desk? And how many titbits of knowledge have you picked up from an away day or an eLearn that you use every single day of your working life?
If we can apply what we’ve seen, heard or practised straightaway, then not only will we use it straightaway to do our jobs better, but it’s also more likely to stick.
I’m not saying this is going to work all of the time – if someone shows one of your colleagues which fire extinguisher to use and when, you’d be a bit worried if they started testing them out when they’re back in the office. But where possible, the best chunks of learning are the ones that we use sooner rather than later.
Watch your language
And if people still don’t sign up to a course or use a resource? Then maybe it’s because the language learning departments are using to sell them isn’t doing them any favours. Learning departments could take a good look around to see what really inspires us, and take note. Sheryl Sandberg didn’t force women to actively raise their personal profile in corporate environments – she just suggested we “lean in”.
Read more: How to get your staff to do mundane tasks
The words we choose shape how people perceive who we are, what we have to offer and why they should care about whatever it is we’re saying. And once learning departments realise that, they’ll have a much easier task convincing us to bother learning at work.