From Boring to Absorbing: Our Strategies for Engaging Learners
- Rebecca
- Aug 12, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 13, 2024
If Learning Design was as easy as putting information in front of people, there would be no need for Learning Designers. You could just give your workforce links to paragraphs of dry information and call it a day.
Jump to the 6 Strategies here
I have a story that many of you can probably relate to. I'm at my desk, doing my job. I'm answering chats and emails, I'm attending meetings, I'm trying to juggle five different tasks at once. And then I get a notification that I need to take a training.
You might be able to imagine my reaction as a Learning Designer. I love taking and making training. Training is my job. Training is a huge part of my life. So naturally....
...I groan. I'm immediately a little frustrated, a little suspicious. Why do I need to take this right now? Don't they know how much I have to get done by the end of the month? Don't they know how busy I am?
That is the reaction of many busy people in the workplace, no matter how little or how much they love to learn. And that is the uphill battle that training faces in the workforce, especially when people are told to take it rather than choosing to take it.
Finding ways to make your busy workforce want to stop and pay attention to the training is a large part of the Learning Design process.
Below are 6 tactics that, when done correctly, can keep your workforce engaged with a training.
1. Leverage Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most important elements in effective learning design, if not THE most important element in effective learning design. Humans are a mix of logical and emotional, which is why we love stories that both flow in a way that makes sense and makes us feel something in a satisfying way.
Learning needs to do that too. Great learning uses stories themselves, but it also uses storytelling techniques. When we make a training, we plan out how to order the content it a way that builds off of itself in a logical way until it crescendos into the most essential point. We also plan to mix positive messaging and cautionary tales in a way that engages learner's emotions.
Storytelling is one of the most universal human experiences, and good training uses stories and storytelling techniques to make the information stick with learners.
2. Sell the "Why"
Most teachers have heard "why do I have to learn this? How will I use this in my life?" in their careers. As humans, we start pushing back and questioning the "why" behind what we're learning early. Adults are no different.
Most busy people in the workplace will not have the motivation to learn if they don't know exactly how the learning will benefit them. They want to know how this training will save them time or make them money. How will the training get them promoted, or make them better at their jobs?
Very early in the training, we make it clear why your workforce is there and what they can expect to get out of it.
3. Show Testimonials
A powerful subset of storytelling in the workplace are testimonials. Tell your workforce stories about a time when someone did the thing you're trying to teach and it worked out wonderfully for them.
And also tell them about a time when someone didn't do the thing you're trying to teach and it went badly.
The good stories provide a model for your workforce on what we want them to do while also maintaining positivity in the training. But don't discount the power of sprinkling in the cautionary tales. Cautionary tales are often more powerful in changing hearts and minds and stick in people's memories better.
Using a combination of both positive and cautionary testimonials at the right times can be crucial for your training.
4. Use Thoughtful Interactions
No one wants to sit there and be talked at for a day, half a day, or even an hour. Whether they are listening to an instructor speak or going through an eLearning, they need chances to participate, get feedback, and engage their minds.
However, not all interactions are made equal. Pressing the next button in an eLearning is NOT a thoughtful interaction. Interactions shouldn't be obnoxious barriers to continue the lesson, but opportunities for reflection or a chance to have some control over their experience.
Well-done interactions will both maintain your learner's attention and serve to reinforce the lessons you're teaching.
5. Choose Visuals That Reinforce the Content
Many people fall into the trap of seeing visuals as nothing but decoration. It's true that visuals are wonderful for breaking up text and making a training nice to look at, but they can be so much more than that.
When chosen carefully, visuals can make it easier for our brains to make connections and digest complex information. Choose images that really match with the spirit of your content. Choose icons that people could accurately guess what they represent even if they don't see the text. Think about how visuals can create a shortcut between your content and the minds of your audience.
When designed and used correctly, visuals can help turn abstract ideas into concrete understanding, helping learners to internalize what they're learning more effectively.
6. Don’t Overdo the Information
One of the hardest parts of Learning Design is keeping the right amount of information. When asked which information learners need to know, subject matter experts will often say "everything! They need to know everything!"
But there's only so much time allocated for the training, and there's only so much information you can stuff into people's minds at one time. SMEs and the Learning Designers need to work together to determine which information serves the learning objectives and which information would be better as additional training or follow-up learning materials.
When a training can focus on hitting the most crucial learning objectives, it has a much better chance of having the time and depth to make those learning objectives really stick in people's minds.
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