Since You Only Live Once (YOLO), periodically defining what you want to do More Of and Less Of (MOLO) is a helpful exercise.
In the realm of learning, we have many good things to build upon and shift from best practice to norm as well as numerous trends that belong in the last century.
Here’s a list of my top 10 MOLO for learning:
More of
Social learning: Learning from others through course breakouts, mentoring, networking, peer coaching, collaboration, knowledge sharing, etc.
Development programs structured in cohorts/pods: Relationships foster program commitment because development no longer feels selfish. The group matters more and lends a diversity of experience.
“Homework:” Namely post-course action learning projects that enable application, trial and error, repeat practice …and still better, a final presentation.
Live facilitation: While everything could be an eLearning, not everything should be.
Accessibility: We need to reach learners where they are rather than having them bend to us. This broad umbrella includes translation, closed captioning, color contrast, ease of navigation, font size, alt. text, etc.
Challenging others to think differently: Enable lightbulbs to go off by expanding learners’ minds and how they perceive their abilities.
Creating environments for insight rather than instruction: Immerse learners in memorable experiences where they lead learning rather than sitting in the traditional role of pupil to a wise sage.
Curation to reduce endless searching: Reducing “time to learning” is important so that precious development time is used well. Advances in technology and predictive AI helps, yet professional curation and learning pathways guide development when marketed well.
Digital communities for remote working: Remote workers should not have to learn alone. Learning can bring people together across any and all divides.
Keep it simple and economical: Overproduced content, endless options and high pay walls are not advisable. Simple ideas are more digestible and actionable. Countless quality resources are free or nearly so and can be paired with paid resources to expand learning opportunities.
Less of
Low quality eLearning: Just because anyone can record a voiceover PowerPoint does not mean one should. The same goes for eLearning built by authoring tools.
Read & Acknowledge pencil whipping: Quick reference guides, FAQs and checklists absolutely have their place as training aids; however, the return on investment is low for traditional, stand-alone Read & Acknowledgements and companies should not hide behind an auditable training record that consisted of reading 30+ pages in under 3 minutes. Employees deserve more.
Training as a “treat:” Learning is an enabler for those who dedicate themselves; it is not a bonus check and should not be treated as a coveted, limited golden ticket for the favored few.
Nap-inducing death by PowerPoint: Learning materials should be sharp and snappy. Graphic design matters.
SMEs that teach in Greek: Not all experts should teach. A special skill is needed to deconstruct complex ideas and share them with the common Joe.
Solicitation and steep discounts: Webinars that promise value within the hour and then string you along until the last five minutes…. where suddenly….they promise to provide all of the answers if you buy into their 10-week program that is discounted 75% yet has countless positive testimonials. The bait and switch must stop.
Training when it is the “easy” but inaccurate business solution: The best learning partners are able to understand business problems and effectively advocate for when learning is NOT the solution. Often times, leaders assume a band-aid will heal the injury when physical therapy would be more appropriate. Confusing the two only hurts the business long-term.
Over outsourcing: So much wisdom can be shared from within; be mindful if, how and from where you outsource. First, it is expensive, and second, it can disempower your team. Similarly, do not treat your internal Learning & Development team as external made to order content producers. We do not say, “Would you like fries with that?” Instead, we are more like organizational nutritionists that see the big picture.
CYA training: Do not train from a place of fear, but from a place of possibility. Similar to pencil whipping, CYA training risks tainting all learning to being viewed as a “necessary evil.”
“Butt in seat”-only metrics: Measuring usage and time spent is only the tip of the ice burg; please do not treat it as the best and only metric. Learning experts should articulate their value using the metrics the business already tracks. Compliance training laws focus on training completion, frequency and minutes spent rather than effectiveness seen through sustained positive behaviors. While your annual anti-harassment training may be 120 minutes long, that genuinely does not tell me much.
To the Point
More of learning as a strategic enabler and development propeller; less of learning as a necessary evil, risk mitigator and order taker.
תגובות