How to Engage Employees During Corporate Training
Learning and the way people consume training or even how they access information is undergoing a paradigm shift. Learners are not passive entities in the process of training. They can now access information from any corner of the web. Hence, saying that training is a push technique is debatable. And this misunderstanding is a result of typical corporate training events that employees are forced to attend. It’s like the knowledge being imparted during such seminars cannot be delivered any other way. This makes it appear as forceful. Additionally, this forceful appearance is not limited to classroom-based training only. Even eLearning-based content that is not planned around your learners’ true learning needs will appear as needless training pushed down your employees’ throats. Instead, it all comes down to engaging employees during corporate training initiatives.
eLearning or classroom-based training – which is more engaging?
As already stated, employees can already access information from any corner of the web. Additionally, as millennial employees steadily take up entry-level positions with each passing year, the global office demographics is shifting towards a tech-savvy workforce. These employees know that anything that can be taught in a classroom setting, can be learned much better online at their convenience. This increase in control over how training is accessed and consumed is what makes eLearning a more attractive way to learn.
Does ‘eLearning’s attraction’ tactic make it a ‘pull technique’ towards corporate training?
Yes and No. It is not just about eLearning attracting learners by virtue of being a comfortable way to learn. Instead, learners can access information from anywhere on the web. Just like that, learners can also ‘pull’ information from a defined repository provided by your organization. In addition to comfort, eLearning also provides convenience and accessibility. This allows learners access to information without an external agent acting upon them. Basically, there’s no reason why your employees should wait for a defined date in order to receive information that will help them perform better- like in the case of corporate training seminars. Learners can pull information when they need it and where they need it.
By presenting your learners with the ability to decide, you are once again creating an instance of ‘pulling’ or attracting your learners towards your corporate training initiative.
Why eLearning may fail to ‘attract’ or ‘pull’ learners’ attention?
eLearning aims to attract learners by allowing them access at their own discretion. But what happens when the content or design of the eLearning course falls flat? You may need external motivation to encourage learners to access it, and that defeats the purpose of eLearning. It’s almost similar to ‘pushing’ training on employees albeit via online learning.
The answer to this lies in planning out your content. If the content is interactive, simple to understand, and addresses your learners’ current needs, it will attract learners to your training and not the other way around.
The importance of content, design, and presentation in making your training engaging
Designing an eLearning course requires special attention be given to everything within the realm of design and content. A dry course with only text-based content will drain your learners’ interest levels in no time. Additionally, information quality and quantity are not solely responsible for attracting your learners either. Delivering your high-quality content in a manner that suits your learners’ needs matters as well. Adopting a mix of audio-visuals is a great way to deliver engaging eLearning. The interactive nature or levels of your eLearning also help take the engagement metric up a notch.
Making use of presentations, videos, and images to depict the concept can increase the overall attraction of your employees.
Concluding
eLearning is not meant or designed to be a ‘push’ technique. It is designed with the intention of attracting learners to the training. This is more important for your employees than anyone else. With a little bit of planning and execution, you can aim for decent training rates and outcomes that are better than previously recorded.
We are eNyota Learning, and we help organizations build training that attracts learners to take part in your training. Ask us how it is done, write to us at contact@enyotalearning.com or fill this call-back form and one of our experts will get back to your shortly. Try our corporate training LMS – Abara LMS.