By Jason Silberman, Marketing Director, WalkMe, @tstationblog
The purpose of any corporate training strategy is to help employees achieve the knowledge and the set of skills they will need in the long run. However, it must be mentioned that for the best results, the training has to be memorable and effective - one of the biggest mistakes many large organizations tend to make nowadays is that they put emphasis on the financial aspect of training, rather than focusing on making the training as memorable and as effective as possible. Only this way the employees can make good use of what they have learned. Having said that, here are 4 efficient ways to make employee learning hard to forget:
1. Make Sure That Every Training Session Is Short And That You Avoid Overwhelming The Learners
The longer the training session, the more exhausting it will be for the learners - and it is a known fact that a tired or bored employee will not process the information very well. This is why it is essential to keep the training sessions short and entertaining: focus mainly on media files rather than plain text, and don't forget to take coffee breaks every once in a while. "Feeding" the learners too much information at a time will have the opposite effect.
2. Make Good Use Of Learning Games
Learning games are not only interactive, but very useful as well - this is a very powerful learning tool, if used properly. Traditional working/learning is overrated, but using learning games will certainly keep the learners stay engaged and retain information a lot better. Gameplay learning techniques are also widely used in schools these days, given the fact that they are pleasant, easy to implement and they involve a lot of teamwork.
Teamwork plays a vital role within every organization, and this is exactly what learning games focus on - they teach employees how to help one another and how to balance their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, these games also stimulate logic and critical thinking. Bunchball is great in this regard.
3. Making The Learning Interactive, Physical And Social
Try to put yourself in the shoes of the employee - would you feel comfortable sitting at a desk for 4-5 hours straight, just to process all the information that is being given to you? Of course not - this is why learning should be interactive and social, it should be physical rather than dull and boring. The benefits of interactive/social learning are many, and one of the most notable advantages is that this will support friendships and professional connections between employees. Learning can be great for social bonding purposes, if used correctly.
This involves taking the employee engagement to the next level - a skilled and well-trained manager should know that training does not rely exclusively on textbooks and manuals, but rather on physical and social learning strategies. Give your employees social examples throughout the training sessions, help them draw a parallel between the social world and the professional field, give them two comparison terms that will stimulate their critical thinking.
4. Provide Post-Training Performance Support
Last, but not least, every manager must understand that no training session, regardless of how well-designed or professional it is, cannot address all the potential issues that may arise. They can indeed help the employee get in-depth knowledge in a certain field, but the chances are that the employee in question will still require some help and support after the training - after all, nobody is perfect and one can never know everything.
This is where performance support systems such as WalkMe step in and guide employees, offering them fast, efficient and detailed answers to all their questions. WalkMe is comprehensive, easy to use and it has a user-friendly interface that makes it fast and easy to navigate as well, therefore this can turn out to be a great addition to every company!
Want to join the conversation and learn more? Join me for a special webinar, “Making Employee Training Stick,” with Rajat Paharia from Bunchball at 1 pm Eastern (10 am Pacific) on Sept. 10. We’ll discuss the latest trends and tactics to improve long-term training.
Jason Silberman is Marketing Director at WalkMe, an interactive online guidance system and engagement platform, which reduces training times and costs, while raising performance levels. He is the lead author and editor of Training Station, a blog devoted to news and ideas on training, learning and employee performance. He recently published a free eBook – “Express Train: How to Accelerate Employee Time to Competence”– with tips on overcoming some of the common challenges in employee training.Follow him at @tstationblog