Make learning more engaging
with L&D Thought Leader Jeanne Bakker.
“Learn as if you will live forever.” Whether this was first said by Ghandhi, Erasmus, or someone else entirely, the fact remains that learning is a lifelong process – which creates a bit of a challenge in this busy modern life. To find the best ways to keep learning - and help others keep learning - we sat down with GoodHabitz coach Eva Kool and 2023’s Learning and Development Thought Leader, Jeanne Baker. Together, they reflected on some key ideas in learning.
One way that this plays out is in how people think about learning to begin with. “I think when people think about learning, they don't think about the things they do every day -because we learn every day!” Jeanne explained. “But I believe people start to think about sitting in a classroom, where somebody forces you to listen to topics, topics that you don't really like and you don't see the relevance of.” That can mean people have a mental block around the idea of learning as an adult, when in fact, there’s much more to it than classes and e-learning.
When it comes to learning at work, there’s the added challenge of mandatory trainings. This is where investment becomes even more important. Employees need to understand what the training is for and what they’re getting out of it. For example, Jeanne showed trainees the type of headlines that could arise if the material was overlooked and found higher engagement. “Or you can say: let's look at the three biggest mistakes that young leaders very often make,” Jeanne offered. “Then: let's make sure that you as young leaders are never going to fall for those.” Competition can be another fun way to get ongoing engagement.
Both Eva and Jeanne pointed out that this really depends on the definition of fun. Sometimes learning can take you out of your comfort zone, which can keep you on your toes and make you feel the effort of stretching your abilities. A better metric is that learning should be engaging, with it feeling relevant and the time flying by. For example, instead of the long introduction rounds in most trainings, Jeane might start by splitting them into teams for a quiz, which breaks expectations and gets people’s brains engaged early on.
Another important approach is to use a variety of tools because there are so many ways of learning. There are also different stages of learning. We start by learning the idea, then thinking about - and even researching - how it actually works. After that, it’s time to try it out, but this is where people can hesitate. A training is an excellent opportunity to give people a chance to put learning into action. Two common faults with trainings are not allowing students to apply the new skill and managers not encouraging the skills in the time after the training.
There are several issues with the current practice of rating training experiences. First, the criteria are often unclear. Are trainees rating their enjoyment or the results? And if it’s the results, isn’t this something that should be assessed once the trainees can implement it? Jeanne suggests trainings should be assessed on their results and what sticks with people over time. This would also help both companies and trainees get clear on what they are hoping to achieve, as they could set specific goals as part of the training setup or beginning.
Jeanne suggests the model developed by Donald Kirkpatrick, which has four levels for evaluating training. Level one: are people happy at the end? This is all many current ratings measure. Level two: have they actually learned something? You can evaluate this with a test or knowledge assignment. Levels three and four look at what happens after the training. Have participants applied what they’re learning? Is the company seeing the changes they sought? This can be judged by KPIs or managers.
One challenge organizations face is attitudes towards learning within the company. For example, well-meaning managers will sometimes celebrate hours spent learning as opposed to the results of those lessons being applied. Jeanne has also noticed that most organizations will have different types of people within the company, some of whom are open to learning and some of whom come across as very dismissive. “This is normal human behaviour,” she explains. “We're scared. So, we just say, I know everything.”
Jeanne believes that instead of starting with doubters and naysayers - which is many companies’ first impulse - you should start with people who are already enthusiastic about the training. “Always start with the yay-sayers!” Sometimes, she will limit the spaces in the first round of training, so interested people across the company have to apply. That gets the people who are most likely to learn the topic and show its benefits in action. The trainings will evolve as they’re given, and the naysayers will arrive having seen their efficacy. Cocreation, where companies and trainees are part of building the training, is also an excellent way to get buy-in.
Learning is a valuable process for employees and companies, but it’s important to be thoughtful about goals. The experience should be engaging and, hopefully, time flies. Most of all, a training should be judged by its results. How are people implementing what they’ve learned and what results are they finding?
Want to listen to the full episode?
Discover more insights, tips, and tricks in our podcast episode 'Learner engagement: from boredom to brilliance'.