The pace of change over the past two-plus years, both related and unrelated to the pandemic, has increased the need for targeted, just-in-time learning to supplement traditional learning. Below are four reasons to invest in a micro-learning approach to corporate training.
Reason One – Continuity in Development Despite Being ‘Busy’
Quick micro-learning, like the Power Hour concept, enables teams to experience immediate skill development despite their schedule. This shows both your commitment to providing workplace learning opportunities to your team and your respect for the pace and demands of their work.
Neglecting learning opportunities because it is too difficult to schedule long periods of training time will inevitably start to impact innovation and employee engagement. Incorporating short micro-learning opportunities encourages learners to be connected and engaged in a time when it is easy for some to feel isolated and disengaged.
Reason Two – Consistency Across the Organization
Unlike longer, full or half-day sessions which are time-consuming and difficult for an organization to scale, microlearning courses or sessions can be offered multiple times during a month, week or even the same day to enable greater enrollment, continuity of learning and capability building across the organization.
Creating a common language through common experience (micro-training sessions) can help your team stay connected, enabling the incorporation of agreed-upon corporate values, skills, and ways of working.
Reason Three – Micro-Learning No Longer Means a Cookie-Cutter On-Demand Webinar
Ensure the microlearning modules or bite-sized courses you offer your team are tailored and specific to the needs of right now. Training offered should incorporate examples, learning activities, and interactive content relevant to your organization and be delivered in real-time by relatable people to generate engagement and impact. Gone are the days of 1990s VHS training videos.
Providing shorter micro-learning sessions will allow for variety in how information is delivered from one session to another. Creating microlearning content and delivery methods that are inclusive will allow everyone to benefit regardless of their learning preferences. Mix it up with highly visual content like short videos, lecture-style delivery and interactive involvement. Some people love content that they can read at their own pace and digest slowly – offer optional additional reading and resources for those that want or need more time with a subject matter to ensure an effective learning experience for everyone.
Reason Four – Screen Time Fatigue Means Less is More
With more people working from home and spending most of their workday on their laptop and in virtual meetings, keeping learners engaged for any lengthy amount of time is difficult. The likelihood of being distracted by other pressing work demands or being “checked-out” for some downtime is a real concern when it comes to learning and development opportunities. The length of concentration time just seems too daunting, and people give up before they have even started. If we focus on micro-learning opportunities, there is a better chance that everyone can stay focused and reap the benefits.
If micro-learning sessions become a regularly scheduled event, they can be planned for both logistically and mentally. Schedules do not have to be re-worked around large blocks of training time. Alternatively, when larger blocks of time are needed for development, create microlearning modules to allow for breaks and time to reflect, absorb and manage business deliverables. This will help to maintain focus and continued corporate learning.
Embrace Micro-Learning Strategies Today
When training is delivered at the right cadence, in an engaging inclusive manner and that is relevant to the work people are involved in, everyone wins. Start developing your organization’s microlearning strategy now and make it a routine event that your team can start to plan for and look forward to.
At Bright Wire Leadership, we can help you successfully implement a microlearning leadership strategy, so you can start taking full advantage of the benefits of microlearning for your organization. Contact us today to learn more.
