Getting to the guts of it

Designing learning that works isn't something that happens over night or in a couple of weeks. It can take a year or more.

Why’s that?

It's because it’s a journey. We’re embarking on a journey with our clients that in turn will build more relevance and value into our learner’s journey.

Over the past year I've been working with a client to design their leadership programme that goes across multiple levels of leaders, sites and locations. It's been an amazing journey so far, there's been blood, sweat and tears (literally) and a year in we are, in some ways, still very much in the beginning.

It's bold to say we design learning that works, but it's true. I've been a part of it, right from the conception of what that learning could look like, through to the delivery of what it ended up becoming and being able to see the ‘aha ’moments and value added first hand.

The process we take to design, develop and deliver great learning is just as important as the outcome itself. That’s what a growth mindset is about as well, right? Celebrate the process, not just the outcome.

So, why has it taken a year to get to where we are?

Because we’re invested in what happens, we're true partners in the solution and feel the pains and joys alongside the client.

We're designing for specific people and we needed to get to know those people first hand. We needed to find out who will be a part of the learning, so we went out and visited them. We saw them in their day-to-day environment, we talked to them about their frustrations, challenges, celebrations and what gets them out of bed in the morning. It wasn't just lip service.

This laid the foundation for the tone, language and the experiences we were able to create for them that would challenge, push and give these guys what they needed to grow, not just as leaders, but as individuals as well, while being true to who they are.

We talked to their leaders, their leaders of leaders and HR, By doing this we were able to form a picture of what great learning looks like across the organisation, share themes, messages and insights and weave everything we took away into what was created.

In a way, we’re still near the start of the journey; who knows what’s around the next bend.

When the designing started, the conversations continued, they got deeper and that partnership was beyond valuable and has grown tenfold. As the conversations grew, so did the depth of the learning and it showed in the delivery.

So far, I’ve been lucky enough to facilitate the Emerging Leaders programme and observe the Operations and Engineering Managers programme, and man, it was an experience to remember. Having taken that time up front, to really get to know the business and the ins and outs of who we were and are designing for really added value and context to the experiences we’ve created. I can’t emphasise it enough, it was seriously amazing.

Seeing learners’ reactions, involvement and outright enjoyment of the experiences we created was mind-blowing and energising. To see it in action is an experience like no other and to top it off, being able to deliver something you've designed and been a part of since the start, and have it land with those in front of you is the most rewarding experience for me as a learning designer. It's why I do what I do, and why I love my job.

For any learning designer out there not sure how their learning has landed, get out there and experience it. It's the best thing you can do.

This phase of our design and development journey for this part of the programme may be coming to an end over the next few months, but the delivery is coming in strong and who knows where we’ll go next. I look forward to this year (and beyond), spending more time with those now on their leadership journey and hearing how their frustrations, challenges and celebrations have evolved.

We're still only scratching the surface.

Gemma Sides is the Leadership Design Manager at Inspire Group, an international learning design provider. She develops learning experiences for leaders of varying levels, from emerging to senior, giving them the time and opportunity to discover, reflect and grow.