How do you make HR Operations training content engaging?

Young people are so often distracted by their phones, I often use interactive tools like Kahoot and similar to engage them “where they already are”. It includes concepts like “Gamification” and “Social Interaction”, all of which can give your engagement a boost.

First, make sure it is needed and being provided to the people that need it. No one gets excited about spending a day training for something that they can't use on the job. Once you can establish a need, then you can explore ways to engage your audience. I like to use programs like Mentimeter as an anonymous way for participants to inform me about what they already know. For example, I can set up a Mentimeter in advance and ask the participants "what is burnout?" and their answers they pop up on the screen for all to see, in real time, without singling anyone out. Competition is also a great way to get engagement. This can be done with flip charts or online tools like Kahout or Jeopardy Labs. Finally, get vulnerable, share stories.

Making HR Operations training content engaging is crucial to ensure that employees not only absorb the information, but also stay motivated throughout the learning process. But when I started as a Learning and Development Officer, I didn't really know how to captivate my audience through my content and I admit that the feedback was quite negative. Then I used the feedback to improve myself. Depending on who I had in front of me, I recreated adapted content and this allowed me to achieve the training objectives because my audience was able to feel like they were part of the training.

In a more operational setting, what I do is to identify my audience training needs or conduct gap analysis through their outputs. I mirror their expected competencies to their actual competencies. More often, it’ll be lessons from incidents, in delivering such trainings; I make sure they learn from the known to the known, also I consider the active interaction method of delivery. This method helps participants to bring out their concerns wholeheartedly. Then there’s a practical exposure to whatever is thought in the classroom. A follow up is done to measure the effectiveness of the training to find out whether the training objectives/goals were achieved.

1. Storytelling: Incorporate real-life scenarios and case studies to illustrate concepts and challenges faced in HR operations. Stories make content relatable and memorable. 2. Interactive Elements: Use quizzes, polls, and interactive exercises to keep learners actively engaged and assess their understanding. 3. Visuals: Incorporate visually appealing elements like infographics, videos, and charts to break up text and convey information in a more engaging way. 4. Gamification: Introduce gamified elements like badges, leaderboards, or challenges to create a competitive and motivating learning environment.

When I owned my consulting business, I did a lot of training. Almost invariably after a training class, I’d have someone come tell me that they loved my stories. It’s the best way in the world to keep the attention of the audience. I’ve often wondered why more trainers don’t do it. You always hear stories from the best speakers and comedians.

Training content should not be just PPT slides or online videos, there has to be story to each of the pointers so that the person can relate to the team s/he will contribute to and the company s/he will work with. Storytelling approach also helps in better understanding and remembering stuffs.

I like to say that the perfect brain for PowerPoint died long ago. From an evolutionary perspective, our brains are descended from those who learned via oral tradition. We inherently pay attention to and remember stories; thinking and structuring your lessons with a narrative arc in mind is a powerful tool.

When I am running Orientation/ Topic Training classes, I like to tell three quarters of a story. Then, I prompt my learners to go and talk to the others from the story to get the rest of the details. This helps promote follow up as well as helping them get to learn others, building relationships in our work environment.

To make HR Operations training content engaging, employ a multifaceted approach. Begin with clear, concise language and visuals, breaking down complex concepts into digestible modules. Use real-life scenarios and case studies to illustrate practical applications, making the content relatable. Incorporate interactive elements like quizzes, discussions, and role-play exercises to encourage active participation. Leverage multimedia tools such as videos and infographics for variety. Personalize the content by tailoring it to the specific needs of the learners and allowing them to explore topics of interest. Finally, periodically update the content to stay current and relevant in the ever-evolving field of HR operations

At my company we used a simple Jeopardy game that we downloaded for free off of the internet. It made the class a bit competitive and fun. It was one of the best ways to not only take material and juice it up, but the retention of knowledge was greater than expected.

Content should be relatable, relevant with established needs with examples and scenarios. Outright application of the information is important, a trainer with applicable experience helps.

I hate that gamification so often gets boiled down to points and leaderboards. Those are easy and high-visibility applications of gamification, but they are a single facet of the gem that is game-based instruction. Growing up as a "gamer," there are so many elements of games that make them deeply engaging: short feedback cycles, mastery of skills, the minimum effective dose of instruction, powerful story, gradual disclosure of content, etc. Creating engaging learning experiences that are inspired by game-based design is worthwhile and rarely requires a scoreboard.

Integrating gamification elements into HR Operations training content is a dynamic strategy to boost engagement and motivation. By aligning elements such as points, badges, levels, leaderboards, and rewards with learning objectives, training becomes interactive and enjoyable. Points track progress, badges recognize achievements, levels increase difficulty, leaderboards foster competition, and rewards incentivize participation. This approach not only provides immediate feedback but also adds an element of excitement, turning training into a dynamic and engaging journey. Regular updates and social integration further enhance the overall learning experience, making gamification a powerful tool for effective HR Operations training.

Where employees are required to complete training as a condition of their work, they may not necessarily be intrinsically motivated to do so. They, therefore need external motivation that is compelling enough to keep them plugged in so as to fully attain the benefits of the training. The thrills that games afford by allowing learners to follow a compelling narrative, track their progress, ascend to new levels, and earn badges, can create the drive that employees need to voluntarily interact with the content.

Confucius once said; “ I read and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.“ The use of audiovisual techniques/aids has gone a long way to assist learners move from the abstract world to the real world. It depicts what actually is expected of the learner at the end of the training. Once in a while, I do get feedback from people who have been in my sessions before about a video they’d watch during the session. They could remember every scene and it kind of reminds them of the message we were sending at that moment.

Do you remember watching the Bills game on January 2nd, 2023? Damar Hamlin took a shot to the chest and collapsed on the field, and the EMTs provided CPR. The broadcast, announcers, the crowd were silent for minutes. Later on, NFL fans rejoiced to hear that he was okay, due to the quick witted medics providing him CPR. From that time forward, I told my CPR instructors to either show students the video of that incident, or to explian in detail what happened to drill home how important CPR was to Damar's life. Having the right multimedia can truly supplement a course. Pick your media wisely.

Creating interactive learning experiences is a surefire way to drive motivation during training because it transforms the disposition of the learners from passive to active.

Enhancing HR Operations training content involves integrating multimedia and interactivity to cater to diverse learning styles and boost engagement. Multimedia, encompassing text, images, audio, video, animations, and graphics, enriches the learning experience. Interactivity tools, including quizzes, polls, simulations, and discussions, actively engage learners. To maximize effectiveness, ensure these elements support learning objectives without causing distractions. Maintain a balanced approach to prevent cognitive overload, choose appropriate formats, and prioritize accessibility and user-friendly design. Real-world case studies and discussion forums foster practical application and collaborative learning.

If you conduct Classroom learning, encourage participants to get up and break up into smaller groups every so often. Shift the groups around for different perspectives along the way. Allows for relationship building and collective thought problem-solving.

When it comes to training adults the biggest thing to remember is that adults want to be valued. Their past experiences and current roles should all play a part in your courses. Calling on someone and asking how they might do something that you have just demonstrated in their department or using their background engages adult learners in a way that is enjoyable and will increase retention.

In my experience, we found out that one of the best tool or a concept of HR operations Training what is called “OJT” i.e. On-the-Job Training which increases employee engagement and makes the training process more efficient and thorough. Allowing employees to learn by doing means they will contribute to work as they train or shadow and be able to perform well in their roles quickly. The process can be structured or unstructured, and it gets everyone involved in the whole process.This type of training is so useful and important because it helps the employees adapt faster to their job, develop their skills and encourage their career progression. Its is a COST effective, productive, and satisfying the workforce.

Promote autonomy when defining processes, so the subject matter experts become the members of the team who are living and breathing them. Training new team members (and retraining on process changes) is then delivered on a peer to peer basis, with the benefit of intrinsic knowledge gained from living in the processes day in day out. Fostering collaboration here also encourages continuous improvement and development of processes.

When incorporating adult learning styles into the training environment, I have learned that the learners must understand the "why" of what they are being taught. They do not want their time to be wasted. Even if the training is to meet a state or federal requirement, invite the learners to share their experiences and what they learned from them, this will bring value to the content and increase retention.

Pair younger employees with senior counterparts for mentorship. This not only promotes knowledge transfer but also fosters intergenerational collaboration.

The trick is to connect their role with the bigger picture. Incorporate in the training questions that will spark conversations regarding the impact of their work to the overall success of HR Operations and consequently the employees, the company and the clients. It is all about understanding the actual impact they are creating and not focus only on the detailed and maybe boring tasks of the job. Also help them choose the right music to listen through their headphones when having to execute administrative tasks. It can be less boring and more productive.

Have a library of activities that you can easily switch to in the event participants are not responding the way you would expect. That way, you can quickly change up the next activity and get more interaction than previously.

Understand the learners learning styles and abilities and using various instructional methods (IM) such as debates, discussions, case studies, roleplay and etc will help engage the learners and meet the training outcomes. The IM must align to the learning outcome and appropriate for the learners.

Empower your employees to champion your company brand by involving them and transforming their ideas into reality. Building an internal brand founded on employees' unique viewpoints can shape your company's narrative. The most compelling endorsement is when a passionate employee promotes their product. Seek out those voices and consistently integrate them into all your efforts.