Microlearning In Corporate Training – A One-Stop Solution
Microlearning is the ideal choice to train today’s workforce that suffers from dwindling attention spans. Using microlearning in corporate training provides instant answers to employees' most pressing issues. They can access training on the device of their choice, anywhere, anytime, even on-the-go. But, where does microlearning work exactly? Is it limited to some industries or applicable to just a few training programs?
Great relief in store for training managers who anticipate answers to these questions!
1. Sales Training
Your sales teams are mostly on-the-go and prefer just-in-time learning that can be applied directly to their jobs, in the field. Providing nuggets of information useful for a sales pitch or sharing latest updates in a bite-sized format that can be delivered through mobile devices, will be of immense help to them.
Animated sales videos and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are some microlearning formats you can try in sales training. Short animated sales videos will engage your sales teams with a good script, clear narration, background sounds, and illustrative animations. Compiling FAQs posed by prospects, and giving precise answers to them in microlearning modules will help create teachable moments for your sales force.
2. Compliance Training
You can develop short interactive modules to make employees aware of new laws or updates to existing regulations. Microlearning modules can be used to cover all key compliance concepts. Add scenarios, videos, or latest news events, followed by questions to test the acquired knowledge and give feedback to reinforce major concepts. In the end, you can give actionable takeaways such as ‘Things you must know’ and ‘Things you must do’ to be compliant.
3. Safety Training
Employees need helpful information at the time of accidents or mishaps. For example, to be safe, you need an evacuation route map at the site, and user-friendly instructions to use safety equipment. This can be done through microlearning.
Using visually rich content such as images, videos, and charts makes your microlearning content more engaging. Making your micro safety training multi-device compatible helps deliver training through mobile devices. You can also provide activity-based assessments to reduce cognitive load on the learners.
4. Software Training
Through microlearning, you can provide instant information on how to complete a task. Developing micro Watch-Try-Do simulations as per users’ roles and responsibilities will simplify software usage.
Develop short videos for learners to ‘watch’ how a particular software functions, offer bite-sized modules to ‘try’ what they have learned and practice in a mock/simulated environment, with guided help and hints.
Users can use the software directly in the ‘Do’ mode, but help is available as and when required.
5. New Hire Training
New hire training is crucial to retain newly recruited employees. That will leave the first impression about your organization on your employees’ minds and hearts. You can cover important aspects such as knowledge required to perform his regular tasks, the organization’s culture and mission, and adhering to compliance regulations.
Microlearning for new hire training is useful to:
- Introduce new hires to the office campus through a short video.
- Deliver a welcome speech by the CEO.
- Provide bite-sized modules to familiarize new hires with corporate jargon.
- Train new employees on their job roles and responsibilities.
6. Product Knowledge Training
An ever increasing product portfolio, frequent updates to existing products, these make microlearning inevitable for product knowledge training. Employees prefer just-in-time learning due to increasing workload and pressure.
Microlearning can be used for product training in 3 ways:
- Pre-training: To bring about an awareness of the product; providing short videos, infographics, diagnostic quizzes, pre-tests – all these motivate your employees/learners to go further.
- During Training: To emphasize the important aspects of the product, i.e., features and benefits. You will have ‘need-to-know’ and ‘nice-to-know’ information in every training program. Include important features and benefits in your short and focused microlearning modules.
- Post Training: For reinforcement. Providing references, additional resources, job-aids for performance support, all these reinforce learning without repetition.
7. Process Training
Understanding your business process is crucial for employees to work better; you can help them become familiar with that process with microlearning. A step-by-step approach reduces cognitive load and explains each step clearly. For effective learning, a process can be broken down into several steps, with each step being covered in a microlearning module.
All courses that comprise the steps of the process can then be packaged as a series.
So, provide nuggets of knowledge and reinforce learning through microlearning to better engage your employees and facilitate effective learning. Don’t forget the ubiquitous nature of microlearning, leverage it wherever necessary. Provide relevant content to fill the knowledge gap of your learners in no time. For more insights into microlearning, read the eBook Microlearning: A Beginner’s Guide To Powerful Corporate Training.
