How To Create Effective Corporate Training For Millennials
But what does this mean, effective corporate training for Millennials?
According to a survey conducted by Gallup, approximately 50 percent of U.S. employees were not engaged in 2015. For companies aiming to be an exception to this statistic, corporate training is often their knee-jerk reaction. Employers see corporate training as a means to increase employee productivity and commitment to the organization they work for. But let’s be real. In a work era of information overload, it can be difficult for your employees to organize corporate training opportunities into their work schedules. Even if they manage to squeeze in some professional development sessions, they might end up detesting the whole experience (if you’re interested in learning the reasons why corporate programs fail, read this article).
Your employees are an invaluable resource. So what can you do to make the process more efficient, effective, and enjoyable for them?
My advice is to try the concise bite-sized lesson approach, also referred to as microlearning.
What Is Microlearning?
Microlearning is a condensed, responsive delivery of information that helps employees meet learning objectives efficiently. The method is marked by its interactive quality and usually includes a form of rich media -whether it be video or audio- as well as a short exercise to reinforce learning.
Think of it like building blocks. Instead of getting mammoth-sized portions of information in a typical training session, microlearning allows employees to pick bite-sized lessons that can be applied on the job right away. Lessons and courses are built upon one another, can be accessed across mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and are platform independent.
Who Needs It?
Microlearning can benefit employees across echelons of age, industry, and skill sets. With a generation accustomed to information at their fingertips, Millennials are particularly apt to on-the-go learning with their hand-held devices. The learning method caters to shorter attention spans as well as industries with high levels of employee rotation.
For industries that can’t have long learning processes -such as sales, hospitality, and retail- microlearning is ideal for employees who need rapid training on the job. Bite-sized learning can also benefit professionals who travel frequently - such as consultants and sales professionals.
What To Include In A Bite-Sized Lesson
Here are are few basic elements you can incorporate into your microlearning lessons to create effective corporate training for Millennials:
1. Video.
By including a video, you engage learners both visually and auditorily. Keeping attention spans in mind, the clip should be under 5 minutes. Feel free to be creative by using soft background music, captions, and graphics. Also, be sure to clearly identify the learning objective for that specific lesson.
2. Audio/Podcast.
Podcasts and audio books are an increasingly popular means of gaining new information. It’s an easy way to keep learning while you’re on the move or in rush hour traffic.
3. Activity.
An exercise at the end of a lesson -such as a pop quiz or discussion- gives your employees a chance to put their newfound information into action and will help reinforce what they’ve learned.
4. Next Step.
Part of putting your employees on a pathway to success is by guiding them in their next steps; you can do this by encouraging them to continue their professional and corporate training by taking another course.
Start Small And Improve Over Time
As a company or employer, you shouldn’t feel pressured to make an initial big investment into a training program. Instead, start off with a few courses, get feedback from your employees, and then make an adjustment based off of their feedback.
So if you want to create effective corporate training for Millennials, spend some time researching what works best for your organization. There is an abundance of learning resources on the web, many of which provide learning materials in bite-sized lessons. Free contents are available as well as low cost solutions such as Skillnatic. Solutions such as these require little upfront investment and are easy to adjust and scale as needed.
Final Thoughts
It’s also a good idea to find a solution you can customize according to your organization and employee's’ needs. If you don’t know what features to look for in a solution, check out my other article, 6 Essential Features In An Online Corporate Training Platform – And Why You Can’t Afford To Compromise.
