How Τo De-Stress Employees Before Online Training
Employees are constantly taking on more responsibilities, with less time to devote to developing their skills. But gaining the right skills will save organizations time and make their staff feel less stressed. So, why is online training a tick-box exercise that employees have to be chased to complete? What can we provide so as to help corporate learners recognize the value of their online training journey, and prevent them from getting confused or aggravated? Here are 7 of the best ways to ease your corporate learners into an online training program, helping them stay focused and enthusiastic.
1. Present Clear Learning Objectives Upfront
Explain what benefits the online training course will bring to the learner. Understand how online training will help them perform better and how making life easier can be a powerful motivator. Express your expectations for their passing the online training course. Your learners may wonder: "What does success look like?", "Do I get another try?". Take their uncertainty and nervousness about passing or failing away. As corporate learners are expected to complete online training, managers must also provide them with time to focus without being disturbed. It'd be even better if you could film senior leaders who support, and have already done, online training too. They can help you communicate the training plan and provide you with context on how this supports business objectives.
2. Design Accompanying Games That Help Present The Topic
Show them that the online training program is fun and interactive by providing a quick game to introduce the topic. You can even take a break during the online training course and present a game to play, helping concentration. Gamification, in all areas of life, is hugely popular, and the same goes for online training. Introduce employees to new online training with a few games that highlight some interesting elements of the topic. Just remember to keep and feel tightly in line with the course template, so corporate learners don’t feel confused. And make it optional; not everyone will enjoy this type of activity. We are trying to relax people here!
The game won’t only help corporate learners familiarize with the topic but also with the technology they’ll be using. If you align with learning objectives, it will also help knowledge retention.
3. Provide An Individual Training Tracker
Use your LMS to provide an overview of the topics, timescales, and format of the entire series. You can create a checklist so that corporate learners see the progress they are making, as well as understand what’s left. Just make sure you provide adequate time for completion so that you don’t create more stress. Build in breaks within the online training program to allow for leave, sickness or absence so that no-one gets left behind.
4. Provide Guidance On An Ideal eLearning Environment
Presenting a short video about how employees can prepare for online training shows that you care about your staff. Let employees take the time to get ready, just as they would if they were attending ILT training. Here is some advice you can give:
- Set yourself up to listen to the online training material properly if there is sound or video.
- Get yourself a snack and a drink.
- Go somewhere you feel comfortable, as for example to the staff café or any quiet area.
- Think about the light so you can focus on your screen properly.
- Allow yourself some time to focus. Block out that time in your diary.
5. Provide Useful And Timely Support
Use social media or your intranet to create a platform for corporate learners to communicate with each other about online training. Ensure your online coordinator is checking in to answer any questions or deal with uncertainties as they may arise. Use the platform to let corporate learners provide feedback, and show that you’re listening by updating online training resources as necessary. Involve leaders in the feedback loop. At the same time, allow for technical issues to be easily reported. Ultimately, corporate learners should be able to focus on the online training content, not the tools.
6. Spark A Social Media Discussion
Launch a closed social media just for your employees, where they can discuss online training topics with peers and overcome their apprehensions. For example, co-workers who have already participated in the online training course can share their experiences and alleviate some worry. Social media groups also give them a platform to offer and receive tips on how to get the most out of the online training experience. Online blogs are also great platforms for peer-based support.
7. Introduce Memorable Characters They Can Relate To
In addition to a clear online course summary that gives employees a sneak preview of what’s to come, you can also introduce a relatable character. This in-course guide helps corporate learners through every stage of the training program and offers valuable tips and tricks to put them at ease and improve their understanding. For best results, use character cut-outs or images to enhance the immersion. Given that some employees may not appreciate a character pop-up at every turn, allow them to opt-out if they choose so. For example, you may ask them at the beginning of the online training course if they’d prefer the character guide or a traditional version.
Launching an online training program requires communications planning to ensure it will have the desired impact. Think carefully about how to frame the online training course by explaining the benefits and improvements provided by online training. Get the senior leaders who are involved to show that they are supportive. Allow employees some time to really engage with the online training course and set themselves up for success. Supplement your online training course with on-message games, quizzes, and videos that give an insight into the fun and interesting online training content. Finally, look forward to your most successful online training program so far!
Your employees are already pressed for time. They are dealing with tight deadlines, piles of paperwork, and personal obligations. As a result, they don't need high-pressure online training courses to make things worse. Read the article 8 Tips To Create Online Training Courses For Stressed Employees to discover the 8 top tips to developing online training for stressed employees.
