Training tips that triumph
Memory science, microlearning and what actually makes workplace training stick.
Why the customer’s always right – finding the value
There’s an old saying in the customer service industry. ‘Give someone a good experience, and they’ll tell twenty people, give them a bad experience, and they’ll tell forty’. Never before has it been so true, and more importantly, so easy for them to do. In these review dependent days you can post your opinions onto several sites before the experience has even finished; good customer service is everything. The consumer is king, and negative reviews can cause genuine, lasting damage to an establishment’s reputation. Every customer becomes an advertisement, and every opinion counts. Although organisations understand this, the link between good customer experience and real value is sometimes less clear. As time moves on, so does the way in which people interact with organisations. Their expectations and demand from each experience is changing. Organisations are competing to create a consumer experience that is faster, smoother and easier. People expect the same convenient and speedy service from Amazon as they do from Costa Coffee or Uber. Whether the customer is an individual or another business, we want them to return, not to go elsewhere. All too often, business leaders introduce new ideas or initiatives to enhance the consumer experience without actually
The need for digital skills in the boardroom
Here in the world of eLearning, we talk of the rise in the workforce of Millennials and how they react and interact with technology. We discuss the increasing demands of our new digital workforce for communication. With the workplace becoming our learning space, a digitally connected world of work is what we seek, what we’ve come to expect, and increasingly, what we need. Companies bring in eLearning providers, encouraging this digital workplace culture. We embrace it, and celebrate its many benefits. The Millennial workforce enjoys engaging and interacting in this way. They would. It is after all, their world. They are the digital natives. What about the boardroom? Can the same enthusiasm be expected from CEOs and other members of the management structure? Do they share our passion? Our experience? Do they even share our knowledge of the digital age? Or is it a world they fear, absolutely necessary but at the same time totally unfathomable? It may be time to reboot the boss. There is certainly a gap in digital skills at senior management level, and for a variety of reasons. The point about the Millennials isn’t a joke. Those who were born after the mid 80s are the
Let’s stay together – keeping learning social
The modern world of work has become a learning space; the workplace is our classroom. The workplace learning we engage with is no longer a single event with a sole focus. Life is the lesson, and our learning is ongoing, holistic and social. It all started with a caveman’s drawing on a cave wall. Ever since, our natural human instinct has been to connect, share and discuss our experiences. From birth, we learn from our surroundings; from our relationships, by collaborating with others and by seeking advice. We observe, we think and we enact. By sharing information and ideas in debate and in discussion, we learn and develop. We’re all familiar with the concept of social learning. The 70/20/10 model shows clearly how it is fundamental to our growth, both personally and professionally. In terms of Learning and Development, we could be forgiven for thinking that social learning is a contemporary idea or a recently developed buzzword. Nothing could be further from the truth. The theories of psychologists (such as Albert Bandura), detailing the social nature of our learning, actually date back to the late 60s. Before the digital age, the standardised way in which organisations operated left little room
Video gamers have the skills to pay the bills
Gamers are part of a large and diverse community. They come in all shapes and sizes, (as well as both sexes). People who enjoy playing video games live perfectly normal lives, with the same hopes, dreams and aspirations as everyone else. They’re quite different from the stereotypical vision we have of someone who enjoys playing video games. We all have that vision. The lonely gamer, sitting in his room (for some reason, it’s always a he in our stereotype), with the curtains drawn, toiling away through the levels. He lives in the dark, so has no need for day or night. Occasionally, for a break, he’ll listen to some loud and heavy music, usually metal, before immersing himself back in the virtual world on the screen. His skin is pale from lack of exposure to sunlight, he lives on fast food, rarely leaves the house, and is happy to lead a solitary and sedentary life. In fact, video gamers may actually have an edge on the rest of us, particularly when it comes to learning. Recent studies tell us that gaming can help increase brain function and problem solving skills. Further benefits can include an improvement to spatial reasoning,
Keep on keepin’ on – the benefits of overlearning
Learning something new takes time, enthusiasm and, above all, practice. The more practice the better and that means repetition. We perfect our skills by repeating the use of them towards a certain goal. Once we reach that goal, we’ve achieved ‘adequate learning’ and when we’ve perfected that skill, we move on to something else; a new challenge. We’ve achieved enough. Learnt enough. Right? Well, actually, no. We keep going or, at least, we should keep going. Practice makes perfect and it’s all about the repetition. It’s all about the repetition. It’s all about, well… you get the idea… For instance, sports professionals don’t ever stop training. In fact, they spend more time training than they do in competition. It’s the same with musicians and people from many other fields; they ‘overlearn’. They repeatedly go beyond their original targets to stay on top of the game. In whatever field, the process of ‘overlearning’ – or repetitive practice – has far reaching benefits. It can take a person’s performance from good to great by improving their retention and recall. It’s that repetition that makes all the difference; the more familiar we become with a particular skill, the more mental capacity we leave
Interleaved learning – the new spice of life
Interleaved learning. Many people aren’t familiar with the term, yet it is by no means a new development. It was first described as varied or mixed practice some 30 years ago. Increasingly though, Interleaved Learning is being seen as a powerful technique for enabling more efficient learning. The technique is a proven way of building your knowledge and skill set across a broader focus, strengthening recall and improving retention. Interleaved learning centres around us varying the skills or subject matters we learn, rather than focussing on one at a time, the theory being that the variation improves our memory recall, and brings greater retention. The path of our learning takes many turns. It can rise and fall, up peaks and down troughs. Butcher, baker or candlestick maker, we all have to learn new skills through our life. Our learning certainly doesn’t finish at the end of our formal education. We move forward, seeking growth, development and the opportunity to better ourselves. Our workplace eventually replaces the classroom as we seek that growth, those opportunities, in our professional lives. In the modern age, digital technology assists us in that goal, bringing us the opportunity for professional development through e-Learning. And we
The Internet Of Things – Can it really help?
The future is never far away, and more often than not, it is actually already with us. We hear much talk these days of The Internet Of Things. There is much talk of fridges that can send a text message when you run low of milk. Central heating systems that switch themselves off when you leave the house (having noticed that your phone has left with you), and contact you while you’re out to ask when you’ll be home so they can warm the house for you ready for your arrival. Maybe even boil the kettle in time for your arrival, assuming you got the message about the milk, of course!! This discussion of a new world continues to gain momentum, this new way of living, app and data controlled and interlinked, the various aspects of our life united through a wifi connection. A life designed to be easier, with technology on our side, what could possibly go wrong. But will it really change our existence for the better? Do we really need a message from our white goods to tell us that the washing’s done? Haven’t we come this far by managing to pick up some milk from the
Why is online training growing in business?
For many young individuals today, online learning has become a ubiquitous aspect of life. However, not long ago, this mode of learning was nonexistent. The advent of online learning depended on widespread internet access, which gained momentum in the 1990s with the proliferation of personal computers in households. The popularity of online learning surged alongside the internet’s rise, offering substantial opportunities for learning and training providers. They could now extend their reach globally, reducing the costs of delivering training to end-users significantly. Convenience The rapid growth of online learning can also be attributed to the recognition of its benefits by both service providers and companies procuring these services. The convenience of online training eliminates the challenges of coordinating in-person sessions, allowing individuals to access content at their convenience from any location. Cost Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of online learning is apparent, as training can be delivered to multiple individuals worldwide at a fraction of the cost of traditional on-site training. This shift is particularly advantageous for large corporations, as it eliminates the expenses associated with organizing extensive training events that involve travel and accommodation for numerous employees. Scalability Scalability is another key advantage of online training, especially for organizations with a
How to remember not to forget
We know that we all absorb knowledge in different ways, and at differing rates. We have individual methods that help us assess and filter information in order to learn, and we all benefit from our learning in different ways. But we have one thing in common. We need to learn. And by the same token, we need to remember what we’ve learnt. So we need strategies for both absorbing the knowledge and for enhancing our powers of recall. Strategies to school our brains in recalling not only the right information, but at the right time. And now, more than ever, some would say, that statement is even more important in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with rapidly changing information, a world where more demands are placed on our time. The need for strategies is clear. Strategies to help us remember how not to forget. Prior knowledge forms the foundation for our learning, and in order to put any effective strategy for learning and recall in place, we must first recognise that there are two kinds of prior knowledge. Clearly, we need to have an understanding of the basics of any given subject. The facts. Dates, numbers, times etc. but
Tin Can API or SCORM : Which is best?
Organisations wishing to embrace eLearning face something of a dilemma when it comes to deciding between the two standards SCORM and Tin Can API. Some organisations already using SCORM to deliver courses may wonder if a move to Tin Can is worth the time and monetary investment. Weighing one against the other, however, may be a false comparison in many ways. The two are different beasts, and bring differing pros and cons to the eLearning table. Its all about strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately, it would also all depend on the type of courses organisations wish to deliver. It can seem like negotiating a minefield, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. The first step here, is for businesses and organisations to understand exactly what they want for their staff, from any eLearning protocol. Once that becomes clear, then the decision should be fairly easy, but they are two individual journeys to a final destination, in effect. Two separate methods of realising similar results. In the world of eLearning, SCORM has been around for some time now, and while it still delivers results, its powers are limited. Tin Can API is the new kid on the block, the
The Millennial Question: Whose tech is it anyway?
Towards the end of 2016, a short video emerged on social media, featuring an interview with Simon Sinek, entitled The Millennial Question, which featured in an interview with Tom Bilyeu on www.insidequest.com Sinek is a renowned motivational speaker, marketing consultant, and the author of several books. He has worked with organisations as diverse as Disney, Microsoft, Costco, Ernst & Young, Pfizer, and the US Military, as well as sharing his ideas in talks at the United Nations, the United States Congress, and many governmental bodies in the US and around the world. His talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action is listed as the third most popular TED presentation of all time. He is known for his casual and relaxed style of delivery, as well as his unswerving and determined optimism. Sinek is, by his own admission, an idealist, and looks at the world of work as such, focussing on the worth of interpersonal relationships, and the potential for growth in every individual. His understanding of leadership is informed by the the influence of psychology and biology on the human condition. For many, it is this which gives his work, his writing, such a sense of currency and helps make it
Success for Wranx at Learning Technologies 2017!
We had a fantastic time last week at the Learning Technologies exhibition, which took place in London Olympia. The event is Europe’s leading showcase of organisational learning and the technology used to support learning at work. With more than 7,500 visitors each year, the exhibition really is the place to be if you are in the L&D sector! Our stand this year was a great success- it had three giant itabs and even a glowing brain!! People really loved the design and we definitely stood out! The stand was constantly busy with people looking to find out about Wranx and how we can help. Check out some of the feedback we had on the stand: “We haven’t seen anything like Wranx before” “We thought Wranx was another LMS but it’s not, it’s much more engaging” “Of all the exhibitors we feel Wranx is the most evolutionary” “So this is what bite-sizes learning should look like” The standard of customer engagement offered by the Wranx team is first class” All in all we had a great exhibition and are excited to continue the fantastic conversations we had over the two days! Didn’t make the event? One of our sales team would be happy to organise an online demo at
Reading about it is the easy part
See what daily retrieval practice looks like running on your own training content.