How can I make corporate learning more engaging?
How to make corporate learning more interesting and engaging
Table of contents
Engagement is one of the most important parts of a good learning experience. If your learners aren’t engaged, then they’re unlikely to retain information. So why do many corporate learning solutions fall at this hurdle?
With corporate learning, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of information overload. Instead of making interactive programmes, we build folders of information with the hope that employees learn from them.
When we are children, teachers use every tool possible to keep us engaged. Why should learning be any different for adults? Humans need mental stimulation to encourage growth. Good learning is key to our development, especially at work.
Corporate learning can be challenging. Not only does training need to be engaging, but it also needs to be tailored to suit employees. Every job role is different, every person is different, but training still needs to be relevant to each learner. Here are our tips for keeping learners engaged and interested, in any subject.
Interactivity and simulations
Hold your learners’ attention by engaging them physically. Get them involved in their own learning. The primary aim is to avoid information overload from a sheet of paper or report.
Generate a learning plan or strategy that includes an interactive element – question and answer (Q&A) sessions or group work, for example. Encourage learners to engage with each other and the training manager. This should reassure you that the information provided is being absorbed.
If you’re struggling to get learners involved in discussions, try using scenario-based learning where learners have to engage with their subject matter as they work through a scenario.
For example, for customer-facing roles, you could assign a mock phone call or customer query based on the information provided. Many people learn by doing, and this is an excellent way to enhance motivation and keep learners interested in the session.
Digital experiences are a way to engage learners in scenario-based learning. They can be created to suit a variety of scenarios, offering different experiences on different subjects. These are particularly useful if it’s more challenging to get learners in one room at the same time. For example, with remote learners or to resolve the issue of scheduling conflicts.
Multimedia learning
Learning is about more than just reading information and trying to remember it. Good learning incorporates a variety of tools.
Make use of different types of media for your training sessions. Consider including videos, webinars, games and more. Video content is more engaging, and gets learners invested in a story.
The digital age has given rise to more learning options than ever. Learning tools can be more varied thanks to digital technologies. Digital experiences are just one way that technology has revolutionised training.
Multimedia learning is also particularly important for remote learning teams. It’s harder to engage a learner when they’re at home surrounded by other distractions. Try to avoid sending tons of information for the learner to read, and create a more engaging resource instead.
Gamification
Gamification, or other learning techniques, can be used as a different approach to digital experiences. Gamification is the application of game principles or elements into non-game contexts. In training, this could be a kind of reward system, or friendly competition.
Digital systems can offer reward systems within the experience. This also allows you to monitor progress, and offer real-life rewards and feedback.
Outside of digital experiences, consider running some kind of leaderboard for group training. The leaderboard might demonstrate individual learners’ achievements per week, or make comparisons between teams.
Think about what rewards your workforce might find valuable. People look to feel rewarded and valued in the workplace. Encouraging your employees to engage with learning will result in more productive teams.
At BAD, we understand the challenges of learning in the workplace. We create digital experiences for a variety of industries and learners. Get in touch with us today to discuss your training needs.
Related stories
Time to change…
Why do we behave the way we do? It can be hard to change our less desirable behaviours when they are highly ingrained and have become habits we perform automatically without thinking.
Moving on up! BAD’s increased growth and performance recognised in 2024 Fosway 9-Grid™
BAD are delighted to have advanced along the highly anticipated 2024 Fosway 9-Grid™ for digital learning.
The inaccessibility of dark patterns
Even if you haven’t heard the phrase Dark Patterns, the chances are you’ve almost certainly come across them — both online and in the physical world.
