Learning is an action word: Building engagement and interactivity into learning!
As I shift my business over to focus on Learning & Development, I thought I would share some of the learning strategies that I have utilized over the past 10 years. Here is the first of these blogs, enjoy!
We all know that employee training is a crucial component of a successful business, however, making learning engaging and impactful is not only an “age-old” problem, but also an increasing one. With employee’s time being more and more constrained, and attention spans getting shorter, training that not only engages a learner, but also creates an impact on the business is critical. Traditional methods often fall short in capturing participants' attention and ensuring long-term retention. To make training sessions in a business environment truly engaging and impactful, organizations must adopt innovative approaches that cater to diverse learning styles.
One of the ways that trainers and facilitators can be innovative in their approach to learning is to utilize interactive learning methods.
When I deliver training sessions, I use a very conversational model. I occasionally need to adopt a lecture style, where I am delivering information, but I work hard at structuring content in such a way that the learning becomes a conversation, right from the beginning. I will ask participants to give their thoughts and opinions on a topic, before revealing the various topics within the content. The content comes afterwards, once they’ve had a chance to share. By engaging learners right from the start of the session, they are more active learners, and it appeals to a wider variety of learning styles.
Of course, this isn’t the only methodology that needs to be incorporated into engaging training sessions. Additional tactics include simulations, role-playing activities, and hands-on exercises that encourage active participation.
Obviously, all these tactics would be useless if the learning isn’t applicable to an employee’s daily experience. By offering immediately applicable, real-world scenarios, you not only make the learning experience more enjoyable but also facilitate a deeper understanding of the material. Interactive modules promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling participants to apply their knowledge in practical situations.
“How do you create interactive learning when you are upskilling or “future-skilling”?” you might ask, since you can’t really have the training be “immediately applicable”. This is where you need a Learning & Development consultant who brings a lot of creativity to the job. Leveraging technology like AI tools, to allow participants to interact with “what might be”, is a great option. Perhaps teaming up with technology partners in your space who are trying new things, would be a great opportunity for both the tech provider to get immediate and ongoing feedback on their development, while your team gets to utilize the muscle they’ve trained to use.
Additionally, things like setting up coaching opportunities, allowing people to try new things, without fear of failure, and in general allowing for innovative thinking, will take both your “immediately applicable” and the “futureproofing” training from theoretical to applicable.
What are some of your favourite ways to incorporate engagement into learning?
If you are struggling with knowing where to start when it comes to setting up Learning & Development programs for your organization, reach out to me to better understand how I can support you in setting up, and maintaining, an engaging and impactful learning environment.
