An effective Learning & Development strategy benefits the entire company. 93% of employees say they will stay longer at a company if it invests in their career development. Employee retention is a key objective for companies that can be fulfilled with a strategic learning & development plan. Increased productivity is another benefit provided by learning & development practices, which can lead to a more efficient and effective workplace.
The key for Learning & Development Managers who want to experience these benefits is to create great learning experiences that reflect the company’s distinctive values. By providing amazing learning experiences, Learning & Development Managers can engage employees, which can, in turn, motivate them to work harder for the company. This can also help boost the business brand as a whole, both internally and externally.
1. Encourage Social Learning
Social Learning Theory was proposed by Albert Bandura. It emphasises the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others in learning. The key to social learning is the sharing of information. Group exercises, mentoring on the job, and establishing formal or informal learning networks are key to social learning. These experiences allow learners to ask questions and share ideas, which creates more effective learning experiences that increase memorability.
2. Make Learning Visual & Engaging
When it comes to learning, vision is the strongest sense and learning that is delivered in a visually engaging format is typically most engaging for learners. Using visual learning materials such as video, flow charts, flashcards, and other visual focal points helps to retain the learner’s attention and interest.
In addition, with adult learners, it’s important to be aware of learning preferences and the different ways that learning materials can be delivered to ensure training is as engaging as possible. The most effective learning programs will have a balance of visual, audio, and practical methodologies to optimise the learning experience.
3. Learn in Context
According to Tulving (1974), when learners process information, they also encode details about the environment in which they learned that information, as well as their physical and emotional state at the time. Tulving suggests that learning in context improves recall of information when the learner retrieves that information in the same environment. This means that creating learning experiences that reflect the environment in which the learner will apply the information is key. A blended learning solution can achieve this, where learners complete some of their course requirements at their place of work.
4. Focus on the Critical Components First
The Pareto Principle is founded on the idea that most things in life are not distributed evenly, and for any event, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. When it comes to learning, this means that the structure should focus on the critical 20% of information and cover these parts of the course first.
5. Learn Towards a Goal
Learning for the sake of learning is not typically effective, as learners lack motivation, and as such, do not achieve long-term results. Instead, learners must know they are working towards a goal or business outcome to increase their motivation to learn through meaning and purpose. Learning & Development Managers should be constant in their focus, and ensure learners know what they will gain from the learning experience. This can be achieved by providing constant reminders of the end goal to keep learners moving forward.
6. Create Peer-Based Learning Support Groups
It is important to provide learners with a safe space that lets them ask questions and express their opinions to their peers. Having this space facilitates peer-based knowledge sharing and is a valuable online training support tool, as learners can help each other get more value from the course and overcome shared challenges.
7. Ensure Course Design is Responsive
Responsive eLearning is the process of ensuring a course will look and perform well across a range of devices and screen sizes, such as mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. Responsive course design empowers learners to work through the course easily and efficiently by ensuring materials are available and accessible wherever they are and on whatever device they are using.
In Conclusion
Remember that delivering awesome learning experiences is one of the most effective ways to engage employees and boost the entire business. It is important to choose the most appropriate learning solution to fulfil your requirements, and a successful learning solution should comprise an effective mix of the right content, supported by a good platform.
Cahoot Learning helps organisations promote collaboration in employee learning using a cohort-based learning platform. Together with our strong learning design team, we help create awesome learning experiences that increase the performance of your workforce. Consider using our active learning model to educate your workforce using the most up-to-date methods certified by the Education Alliance Finland, and start learning with us.
