As 2017 comes to a close, you are probably putting together your plans for learning development for the coming year. Chances are, you are balancing your organization’s aspiration for bigger and better results and feeling the need to engage with employees in a more impactful way. Something needs to change. If training content is created for real people to get real results, we need to consider the company goals and the audience when designing and developing it.
For instance, let’s say you’ve been told that the organization wants to grow revenue by 30% this year. In order to make this possible, you need to create and implement a program to build a new set of skills in your sales organization. But there is a catch. You’ve also been told the sales team needs to spend as much time out in the field as possible, meaning you can’t bring them in for the typical sales training workshop. With less employee facetime and a similar budget, you need to find a way to drastically shift performance.
And then it hits you.
What if there was a way to use technology so that the team could access learning content prior to a meeting that updated them on the new selling approach, presentation style, product features, and positioning statements on demand? Not only would it fit the fast-paced workflow of the team, it would give them easily consumable, need-to-know chunks of knowledge that they are looking for. Suddenly mundane “training” is now something they actually use (and remember) in real-life situations, which benefits them just as much as it benefits the company.
While many companies strive to reach this level of efficiency in their training programs, their content and delivery simply aren’t there yet. Without a real change in the way these materials are designed and developed, business will continue on as usual.
If your company is ready to transition toward more modern and consumable training material, here are a few common roadblocks you may encounter along the way:
Lack of Internal Capacity to Design and Develop Learning Solutions
It takes a special group of individuals to create content that is as equally engaging as it is thought-provoking. The collaboration of talented graphic designers, developers, illustrators, and animators is needed to create the unique experiences required by learners today. Often times, companies do not possess the right people, time, or budget to create these tools on their own.
Content is Outdated
As time goes on, things like changing learner demographics, digital format changes, misaligned performance outcomes, or just plain dated designs depreciate the value in training content. Without consistent updates, the effectiveness of the material greatly diminishes leaving learners frustrated and disengaged.
Not Knowing Where to Begin
Revamping training content to align with current company goals takes time, organization, and knowledge. With a project as critical to improvement as this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
If you find yourself in any one (or maybe a few) of these boats, let us help! We pride ourselves in turning ordinary training materials into the extraordinary. And if you don’t believe us, check out our portfolio and see for yourself!
Want to learn more about how an SDI learning