Too long to do, too quick to remember

People sometimes ask me what World Learning Hub does.  I tell them 'we are rapid immersive learning  creators, with a bent to animation'.  We are not  simply eLearning providers.  When delivering a recent face to face learning piece for iHR Australia, i was reminded why I label us this way.

There is a real problem for some organisations at the moment. Should I say, there is a real challenge for an increasing number of Learning and Development professionals. Getting people participating in learning activities is getting very difficult. Tough times and profit seeking across the western world has meant that productivity is the king, time is the enemy and Learning and Development is under greater pressure than ever before. Many so called eLearning providers have responded by churning out multitudes of short compliance ‘briefing’ pieces that have an evaluation process tagged to the end of them. These are sold as ‘eLearning suites’. Actually, in my view, this approach has little to do with education and a lot more to do with products that are designed to allow time poor organisations to cover their proverbial…..you know what I mean. It often creates a bad training experience which, in turn fosters, a negativity to participating in future eLearning interventions.

Interestingly, according to World Learning Hub’s recent training survey, the use of face to face training by Australian organisations is currently greater than eLearning interventions. Having had a number of years working across Asia, I have no doubt that this trend is being replicated across the region. The quality of eLearning tools is not always highly regarded by their users and some dedicated training and development professionals are struggling to find eLearning materials that they believe really provide an adequate learning experience.

With most western countries keeping their heads just above recessionary waters, higher levels of productivity is not just a wish, it is essential. In some organisations, there is a general disdain for activities that take people away from the ‘real’ job at hand. The expectations of workers around lifestyle balance is also high, meaning that being asked to complete compliance or organisational based training at home is regarded by many as a social ‘no no’ , while for some, an unequivocal breach of personal rights.. The perfect learning and development storm is here. It puts those assigned with the task of seeking out interventions and content under real pressure. It is of real concern for me when I hear learning and development professionals hunting down 10 minute interventions for often complex and critical learnings. On the other hand, I totally understand their challenges.

Yet in the context of our current environment, I am convinced that good training prevails. Once you get people to undertake learning that is engaging and relevant, they will enjoy it and probably want more of it. On the other hand, if the experience is drab and irrelevant people will want to avoid it. I was reminded of this other day. I did a face to face compliance piece with a group of executives and senior managers for one of the worlds leading investment providers; a high pressure industry, full of people with little time and lot’s of good reason to be focused on achieving high targets. A dose of ‘Appropriate Workplace Conduct’ training was probably the last item on their wish list. A couple of hours after walking into the training room a little confused about why this might be so important, people were leaving the room clearly moved by what they had learned. Hand shakes, individuals wanting to share their stories and views as well as comments suggesting they want more of this ‘stuff’. What was it that turned them around? Here are some facts::

1. There was the backing of the Group Head. At the commencement of the session he made it clear that this was important and he wanted his key people focused in the session.
2. The Learning and Development people had worked with the senior executives and been able to explain why it is important to take time out to participate in the intervention.
3. The message of the training intervention was designed to be relevant and clear. No Fluffy activities.
4. Events within the program did not necessarily replicate the workplace, but they were identifiable to the audience.
5. The approach was unique and powerful. Using our actors to demonstrate or accentuate specific learnings generally captures the attention and emotional space of participants.
6. The pace was intense but allowed for interactions.
7. The conclusion was about bringing together the program with the world that participants were to walk back into.
8. The organisation’s leader reinforced his enthusiasm and commitment at the conclusion of the program. Therefore, the participants felt comfortable being committed to and enthusiastic about what they had learned.
9. A follow-up dialogue was invited so people wanting to learn more about the specific subject or related content could be supported

It was a great learning moment in an intense business environment. I loved doing it.

There is no doubt that given the current environment, people do not respond favourably to ‘slow to get the point’ training experiences – especially in the eLearning space where a person’s expectation on the pace of the learning experience is substantially heightened. On the other hand quick tick and flick eLearning experiences are of little value to learners other than they can be completed quickly.

In my view, the solution to the modern learning challenge is to replicate what happened in my recent face to face training experience. All of those nine points can be applied in the eLearning or face to face environments. And remember, if senior leadership support tick and flick and consistently reject well constructed high retention training events on the basis it takes too long, the learning professional is probably never going to create an effective learning culture.

https://sbellihr.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/too-long-to-do-too-short-to-remember/

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