Training Tools, Tips & Resources
Training resources blog by Corexcel. Your connection to everything related to training.My husband and I recently welcomed a beautiful little girl into the world. I had no idea how many toys and gadgets there are to help promote infant development!
While our focus as parents is to stimulate her growing mind, her goal is to have as much fun as possible. What she doesn’t know is that all of her fun is actually helping her grow!
That’s when it hit me. Although we, as adults, may not get as excited over a rattle, we still enjoy having fun. We enjoy laughing, movement and learning new, interesting things. But, seriously… where HAS all the fun and excitement gone in our learning experience?
When was the last time you really enjoyed yourself during a training session? Or, better yet, when was the last time you retained information from a boring one?
It’s true. An enjoyable training session is going to be more effective than a boring one. And, if your training program is memorable, that means that you, as the facilitator, are also memorable.
So, how exactly can we bring the fun back into adult learning?
Ice Breakers – Start off your training with some type of group activity or game, instead of your typical speech. It will set the tone for a positive, energized training experience. Don’t know where to start? Try conducting a Google Search of “Fun Adult Training Icebreakers.” There are hundreds! Pick the one that works best for your group.
Introductions – “I’m Jonelle and I love to… jump!” Have fun with introductions. Have everyone introduce themselves using letters of their name. If your group already knows one another, find an interesting way to introduce yourself to them. Skip the long, drawn out introduction and mix it up a bit. Share your hobbies and interests in addition to your experience and certifications. This can be a great way to make yourself memorable.
Make a Game out of it! – Games can be a fun, easy way to reinforce information. Whether you use a white board to play Family Feud or BINGO or create a computer game to test your group’s knowledge, try to think of other ways to test your group rather than using a traditional quiz or exam. If you’re a part of a training department, think about utilizing computer games or simulation to present information to trainees.
Group Activities – Group discussions, projects, role-play and other interactive activities can help keep the energy up in your training program. Working with a group can help the team get to know each other better and foster new ideas. If you’re hesitant about adding a lot of fun to your training, this is a safe way to go. Interactive activities can break the monotony of a lecture without straying TOO outside the box.
Know Your Audience – The most important thing to remember when creating a training program is your audience. You need to know who is making up your audience before tailoring a training program to fit their needs. Although you want your training to be memorable, you don’t want your audience to remember it for the wrong reasons! Know who your audience is – what is their DiSC® style? What are their professions and experience levels? Being familiar with your audience before they walk through the door will give you the upper hand.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can present material in a fun and effective way.
Remember: a memorable training is an effective one. Put yourself in the position of your audience. Would you enjoy your training?
Microlearning: The New Trend in Training
The new online training buzzword is “microlearning.” Although the term may be new to you, this particular learning theory has been around for hundreds of years.
Experts agree that learners only have about a 10-15 minute attention span. In order to keep your participants’ attention, effective training programs “chunk” information into bite-sized pieces with frequent, brief breaks.
Microlearning takes this learning theory a step further by implementing “micro-courses.” These online courses are only about 10-20 minutes in length focused on one particular topic. Learners will learn the most relevant, important information in the shortest amount of time. Maximize training; minimize time. Microlearning also packs a punch by utilizing multiple training methods within one course. A topical micro-course will have lecture, case studies, video and possibly some simulation.
Businesses looking to capitalize on this new trend are making these courses readily available to employees, at the drop of a hat. Employees can access these courses anytime they need to – especially right before they NEED to use the information. Using your company Intranet or a LMS, courses are hosted and available to your staff, 24/7.
Neat, huh?
So what are the benefits of implementing on-demand microlearning in your organization?
Keeps Training Costs Down
Although setting up courses on your company Intranet or LMS platform may take some initial funding, businesses will save money in the long run. Companies implementing a microlearning strategy will save money on facilitator costs, travel expenses, training materials and time spent preparing and implementing such training programs. Which brings us to the next benefit.
Saves Time
Since these courses are short and readily available, a lot of time is saved by both the training department and trainees. Your training department will save time negotiating with facilitators, working out schedules and handling travel arrangements and your employees will be able to learn what they want, when they want to just by the click of a mouse.
More Memorable
Another important benefit of microlearning is the fact that employees can access the material at any time. And, because the courses are short, employee can access the material right before they need it. This means that the learner will be interested in the material they are learning – any trainer knows this is half the battle when trying to get a team invested in a training program. Because the employees need to know the information that moment, they are more likely to pay attention and retain the information. If Steven is about to conduct an interview, he’ll likely tune in quickly to the “Effective Interviewing Techniques” micro-course, taking notes as he goes along.
Continuous Learning
Employees will find this method of learning helpful and effective. They will also appreciate that they can learn information when they need to. Because microlearning is very easy for employees, they will be more likely to use the courses more frequently. Not only will employees retain information, they will be excited about training and grow interested about other training microlearning topics they can find.
Moving Forward
Corexcel is proud to be a part of this innovating new method of training by offering two microlearning courses, The Manager’s Edge and The Leader’s Edge. These online courses can be broken up into brief, 25-minute sessions or taken together in a self-paced course. They offer brief, focused scenarios, expert video commentary and industry best practices.
The Manager’s Edge accelerates the development of supervisors and managers by having participants work through 21 industry-related scenarios on important topics such as:
The Leader’s Edge helps sharpen leadership skills through its unique narrative learning approach. Our 15 scenarios engage leaders by asking them to think through common leadership challenges in the workplace, including:
For more information on these or any other courses, contact us at learn@corexcel.com or call us today at 1-888-658-6641 (M-F, 9am – 5:30pm ET).