The One Phrase Learning Teams Dread (And How To Prevent It)

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?Learning professionals everywhere live in fear of a specific phrase. It's not so much even the phrase itself that evokes a long drawn out sigh from its listener. It's more-so the beginning parts of the sentence that immediately sends us into panic mode.

It was 2013 and I was at a turning point in my career. I'd been on a learning team in a role managing vendors, creating standards for our technical specifications, and working directly with training managers on projects. 

I made the transition to the role of Instructional Designer, so that I would be able to have more influence over learning projects. I was in my new role for a few days when I noticed two of my senior teammates in a highly animated discussion. They were talking about a stakeholder who contacted them in regards to a project. My two teammates were clearly frustrated. I heard comments along the lines of, "We are not Burger King." "They can't just have it their way." "We are consultants, not a drive thru."

That conversation stuck with me. I bring it up quite often in order to make a point. 

It made even more sense to me as I became active in the learning community. It's one of the biggest pain points for learning teams. It's a little phrase that says so much. The one phrase that learning teams dread hearing goes a little something like,

"Can you just make me an elearning course?"

Oftentimes, it's that or another variation of the phrase, same concept different wording. It's the moment your stakeholders tell you what they want, instead of going to you for help.

There is an inner battle that learning professionals go through. They know they shouldn't fold and say yes to every request, especially when they know elearning isn't the answer. The question goes through their mind, "How can I make my stakeholders happy in this moment and still win in the end?"

It took me a really long time to come to the realization that we've become order takers and we're the only ones to blame.

Don't get me wrong, it's really hard to combat this identity crisis. However, there are some things teams can do to help win back their identity of strategic partner and learning consultant. Here are just a few.

1. Put yourself in your stakeholders shoes

Before trying to solve the problem, it's good to know where our stakeholders are coming from. In many cases, your stakeholder has absolutely no idea what you "really" do. They see that your team makes elearning, videos, classroom training etc. They have a problem they are trying to solve and they're looking for a solution but they may have one in mind. 

They see you as a team that makes stuff. It's only logical that they would come to you with specific requests. Not only that but there are so many learning teams that function like a multimedia team. That means new folks you are working with may assume your team functions in the same way.

2. Set roles, responsibilities, and expectations every chance you get

Learning professionals are hearing all of the time that learning needs to be close to the business and a part of the business. Being in key meetings and close to leadership allows you to get across your team's identity to the org. 

Whenever you take on a new project, it's a great opportunity to set roles, responsibilities and expectations. Create a brief elevator pitch on how your team helps the business, what you do, and how you typically work with stakeholders. Sell them on why the most important aspect of a learning project is determining what will help learners perform better and then how to reach them to do so.

3. Put on the brakes

When a stakeholder comes to you with a request, don't make a decision right away. Put on the brakes. Try to find out where they are coming from by asking questions like, "How do you think elearning will solve this performance gap?" or "Why elearning versus a job aid?"

This is a good point to break out needs analysis questions to start to steer the conversation away from a request and more into the direction of a consultation. After you've gotten into that conversation, you will be able to have more information to back up a different approach. That conversation might go like this, "Based on the information provided it seems like a job aid would help with this performance gap and also save the business time from a development standpoint and time off of the job for the learner."

4. Wordsmith your way to success

Being cognizant of your language seems a little silly but makes a world of difference. Say that you are doing technical training on using a CRM system and you absolutely know that video would be the best option for the learners. Here's a look at two ways of approaching a stakeholder with your determination.

Approach 1: "What if we did video for this project. Are you OK with that?"

Approach 2: "Based on x,y,z the best approach for this project is video. Let's discuss next steps."

The first response leaves you open to other suggestions, it doesn't back up why video is the best approach. Secondly, by asking if the stakeholder is OK with the suggestion it suggests that they make the determination. It shouldn't be about if they are OK with it, the concerns should be set around if it will be best for the learner.

The second response is better because it backs up why you are choosing video for the approach and keeps the project moving along by discussing what's next. Any concerns about doing video should be alleviated during the analysis phase.

5. Be the ultimate advocate for your learners

It's in our nature to want to jump to yes and make our stakeholders happy. However, it's doing a huge disservice to them and to the people we are truly trying to support. Our responsibility as learning professionals is to be advocates for our learners. We need to realize that by doing right by our learners we will make our stakeholders happy. It's not immediate gratification but it's more than well worth it. 

When approaching solutions with stakeholders, talk from the standpoint of what the learner will experience. Better yet, conduct user research and bring data points from similar projects where your approach worked.

These are just a few tips to help you get started on the road to shaping how your learning team is viewed. Get to know where your stakeholders are coming from, educate the business on your value and how you work as a team, take a step back to reflect before responding, and approach conversations in a different way.

What are some tips that you've found helpful in promoting your team as a strategic partner? Share in the comments!

Illustrations are from unDraw.

-Mel