Employee training is a vital part of any organization's success, but it can also be a challenge to get everyone on board and engaged. How do you create a positive and motivating learning culture that inspires your employees and stakeholders to participate, learn, and apply new skills? Here are some tips to help you get started.
Before you design or deliver any training program, you need to understand the needs and goals of your target audience. What are their current skills, knowledge, and attitudes? What are the gaps or challenges they face? What are the desired outcomes and benefits of the training? How will you measure and evaluate the impact of the training? By conducting a thorough needs assessment, you can tailor your training content, methods, and delivery to suit your audience's preferences, expectations, and learning styles.
One of the most common reasons why employees and stakeholders are not excited about training is that they do not see the value or relevance of it for their work or career. To overcome this barrier, you need to communicate the purpose and benefits of the training clearly and convincingly. Explain how the training will help them solve problems, improve performance, or achieve goals. Provide concrete examples, case studies, or testimonials that demonstrate the results and outcomes of the training. Highlight the personal and professional rewards of completing the training, such as recognition, advancement, or satisfaction.
It is critical to frame the value of a specific training in order to achieve learner buy-in. In addition to TELLING the learner how important and valuable the training is, it should BE of actual value to them as well. Training overload is real.
Another way to get your employees and stakeholders excited about training is to involve and empower them in the learning process. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, give them some choice and control over what, how, when, and where they learn. For example, you can offer different formats, modes, or levels of training, such as online, blended, or face-to-face, self-paced, instructor-led, or collaborative, beginner, intermediate, or advanced. You can also encourage them to share their feedback, opinions, or suggestions on the training content, design, or delivery. By giving them a voice and a stake in the training, you can increase their motivation, engagement, and ownership of their learning.
Employee choice and skill levels are critical to our successful training program. Some trainings have to be mandatory, but sometimes learner choice is possible. Offering higher difficulty courses as options to advanced learners is particularly important in a society where training fatigue is so significant.
Training does not have to be boring or tedious. In fact, it can be fun and interactive if you use creative and innovative techniques to capture and sustain your audience's attention and interest. For example, you can use games, simulations, scenarios, or stories to make the training content more relevant, realistic, and memorable. You can also use quizzes, polls, surveys, or challenges to test and reinforce the learning outcomes. You can also use social media, forums, chats, or blogs to facilitate communication, collaboration, and community among the learners. By making the training fun and interactive, you can enhance the learning experience and outcomes.
Finally, you can get your employees and stakeholders excited about training by recognizing and rewarding their achievements. Recognition and reward are powerful incentives that can boost the morale, confidence, and loyalty of your learners. You can recognize and reward your learners in various ways, such as certificates, badges, points, or prizes. You can also celebrate their success stories, testimonials, or feedback. You can also provide them with opportunities to apply, share, or showcase their new skills or knowledge. By recognizing and rewarding your learners, you can acknowledge their efforts, progress, and results.
In addition to gamification within a learning platform, I suggest offering physical rewards and live in-person recognition of top learners. Companies should celebrate their top learners, and make sure that top learners' peers know of their excellence.
A themed learning platform which frames learning as a quest can be fun. Check out Amazon's "AWS Cloud Quest" for a fantastic example of how learning and gamification can tie together for an interactive and fun experience.
Helping your stakeholders to see what the future can look like (with your training programs) is often an easy way to get them motivated and excited. Sharing all of the possibilities, and the way the program can grow and iterate over time, helps people recognize the value of the training. Also, sharing positive data from previous experiences that went well can get people excited - they want the same successes for their programs!