How to use communications to multiply the value of learning & development

Businesses can not only maximise but multiply their investment in training and development by using a communications platform to embed learning and make culture change stick.

This is especially true for change projects, aiming to make people do something differently.? It’s not enough to expect colleagues to adopt a completely new way of doing things after the first time of asking.

It’s human nature - we snap back to our old ways sooner or later. It’s the rubber band of cultural elasticity.

The best way to break free from habit’s elastic is to keep the conversation going after a specific training programme or workshop has finished.

The communications platform performs several roles:

??? A repository for learning materials - so that participants can revisit and revise what they’ve learned.? This is especially useful for elements which colleagues may not use regularly.

?A forum for colleagues to ask questions and get answers from their peers & leaders - in an increasingly digital and distributed workplace it’s more difficult to make a quick stop at someone’s desk to get some advice.? Colleagues may have already asked the same question, so this Q&A can be searchable, or curated into an FAQs section.

?? A podium to celebrate wins and progress - a fundamentally important part of making change stick is making sure everyone knows what good looks like, publicising examples of great work, and encouraging more of the same.

?? A crucible for innovation - if you can create and nurture a culture of psychological safety to ask great questions, like ‘how can we do this better?’, you’re paving the way for innovation within your team.

?? A support network for maintaining consistency of best practice - at Positive Momentum, we see clients with teams distributed across multiple territories who often say that they want to be able to learn and share best practice from each other.

?? A stethoscope to gauge what’s working and what needs more development - when you have a team making full use of a comms platform, and getting benefit for themselves and helping others at the same time, leaders have a source of anecdotal evidence to back up other measurements and give a fuller picture of where folk might need more help and support.

It’s also possible for your comms platform to be launched, enjoy a honeymoon of enthusiasm and then slowly wither on the vine.? So how do you ensure that doesn’t happen?

Find out what’s most important

If you don’t know already, ask your teams what they need to make it easier to do their jobs.? You can do this by talking to them, or by publishing a short survey.

Make a start

Don’t try to build the ocean in one go!? Progress beats perfect. Start with an informed bet on what’s likely to work, but don’t be afraid of a prototype.? You can take people on the journey with you to make it better as you go.

Make it useful

It sounds obvious, but digital products which aren’t continually useful don’t get used.? A Q&A section is not much use if it doesn’t answer the questions, so make it does, one way or another!

Make it rewarding

It’s a simple value equation.? If people get more out of the platform than they put in, they’ll come back to it again and again, and it will grow.? If you recognise and reward great collaboration and contribution, you can hope for more in the future.

Make it simple

Focus on solving the challenges which are most pressing to your team.? No need to bamboozle them with lots of options.? Minimise the number of clicks anyone has to make to get what they want done.

Make it easy to do

Not everyone is a technical whizz. Your communications platform should preferably use existing technology which is already used in your business (eg. Teams or Slack). If you’re introducing new technology, make sure it’s best in class (proof of the pudding and all that).

Make it open

A communications platform is a microcosm of leadership.? If it’s open and people know it’s OK to express themselves authentically on it, it will be better used than one which is tightly moderated, or exists in a work culture where people feel afraid to put their head above the parapet to ask questions.

Make it fun

Don’t shy away from levity.? Some of the most effective teams are ones which do great work and have fun doing it. Capitalise on the positive energy of your colleagues.

If you'd like to find out more about multiplying the value of your training and change programmes, get in touch!