Today the demand for high quality learning and development programs has grown exponentially. Covid19 accelerated the rates of change and digital transformation we are experiencing today. Organizations have had to adapt.
Many employees now work from home. Organizations have changed policies, procedures and their offerings to better meet their customers changing needs. New software and technology has been introduced across nearly every industry.
Now a large part of the current workforce needs reskilling to help them keep up with these changes. High quality learning materials are a critical component that impacts training effectiveness. Organizations need engaging materials to engage and train employees. There are 5 easy different ways you can improve your corporate training content to maximize effectiveness.
Update Your Content Structure
One simple way you can improve your corporate training content is by updating the structure you use for development. Modern learners today have busy schedules witch competing priorities. Some employees also work from home. Finding time to fit long form training courses into their day can be a challenge.
Breaking content into smaller bite sized segments can help improve both levels of engagement and knowledge retention. This strategy is called microlearning. Recent studies have found that microlearning can significantly improve knowledge retention (1).
Breaking content down into smaller segments helps prevent information overload. Shorter pieces of content also helps learners work training into the flow of work.
Using a microlearning approach to restructure your training content can also help your organizations deliver more personalized learning experiences. By keeping learning modules focused on a single topic you can make it easy for learners to only take the courses they need.
Develop Mobile First Training Content
Another way you can improve the effectiveness of your corporate training materials is by using a mobile first approach. Developing mobile friendly training content gives employees more access and flexibility in the way they learn. Mobile first training programs can be accessed with a smart phone from nearly any location at any time.
A mobile first approach is already familiar to most learners. Mobile first also does not mean mobile only. When you use this strategy you make it easier for employees to access online learning resources on whatever device is suits their needs.
Integrate Social Elements
Covid19 has left many people feeling isolated. Not just from family and friends, but also at work. Employees who work remotely often feel less connected to their peers.
LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report for 2021 shared that learners are more engaged when they learn together. In fact, learners who used social features such as chat and social sharing elements watched thirty times more learning content than those who did not (2).
You can incorporate elements that promote social interaction into your corporate training programs such as gamification, VILT, chat and sharing features. Integrating elements that allow learners to be social can significantly improve level of engagement.
Align Learning Content with Your Business Needs
One of the biggest mistakes L&D professionals often make when it comes to content development is to create quality content that does not support the organizations business goals. Unfortunately, even the best training content will have little to no impact on productivity if it is not strategically designed to support your organizations business.
Align each piece of training content so that is directly supports a business objective. For example, a product knowledge training program designed to teach employees about your organizations new line of offerings could be designed to support the sales team by equipping them with the knowledge they need to effectively assist customers. A more broad sales training program that does not cover the exact products employees need to know about would not be an effective solution.
Use Training Methods that Create Context
Another way you can level up your training content is by integrating methods that help provide greater context around complex topics. This can be done in a variety of ways. One of the most popular ways you can create context in your online content is with scenario-based learning modules.
They use visual story telling and life-like scenarios to make training materials more relatable. This method shows learners how they can apply what they have learned in real life situations on the job. Providing context and opportunities for learners to practice skills in a risk free environment.
Final Note
The quality of your corporate training materials significantly impacts the effectiveness of your employee development programs. Using the right strategy for content development can help set your organization up for success. Learn more about corporate training strategies that build business resilience. Watch the webinar replay of From Surviving to thriving: Overcoming Today’s Digital Learning Challenges.
