From a smorgasbord of online learning courses to thousands of blog posts and TED talks, not to mention the endless stream of social media shares, it’s hardly surprising that many employees today feel overwhelmed. Add to this the more than 156 million emails sent every 60 seconds and it’s easy to see why information overload is now a real problem.
On top of this, if your employees feel like they’re already drowning in a sea of knowledge when it’s time to deliver learning and development training that is relevant, you may be met with a lack of enthusiasm and engagement. And quite possibly some sighs of exasperation and eye-rolling too!
The good news is that as a Learning and Development leader, there are steps you can take to overcome this hurdle.
So, read on to learn 5 ways you can cut through the noise, avoid information overload when it comes to training and helps your team retain and utilise their learnings.
1. Make the Training Relevant
If you want your team to participate fully in a training course, it has to be relevant to them personally and professionally.
Take the time to engage your staff early on to find out what type of training and content they feel would most help them to grow in their role. For example, your sales team may benefit the most from business pitch presentation training whilst your senior leaders would likely get more value from a training program focusing on how to speak at and inspire an audience effectively at conferences.
In addition, make a point of explaining how the skills and knowledge learned will benefit your employees individually (now and in the future), the team/department as a group and the organisation as a whole.
Ultimately the more involved your people are in the training selection process the more the training will feel tailored and relevant for them. This in turn will ensure they embrace the training opportunity when it becomes scheduled.
2. Make it Timely
Be mindful of the workload of your team and aim to schedule any training for a time when participants are not already overloaded. For example, don’t book training for your accounts team as the end of the financial year approaches, or for your sales team right in the middle of a peak selling period! When your employees are already struggling to keep up, they’ll likely be distracted by thoughts of looming deadlines and growing to-do lists. You’ll get far more engagement when your team are able to dedicate the time and headspace needed to focus fully on the training.3. Make it Personal
Sending a generic group email out to announce the training is unlikely to rustle up much enthusiasm. On the other hand, when you put in a little more time to let people know why they have been handpicked to take part you’ll show them their attendance is highly valued. All the same, when choosing a training partner, look for a company that can customise the content to suit your organisation, team and the individuals in it. The difference between a one-size-fits-all generic program, and one that is tailored to speak directly to you and your people is huge – both in terms of initial engagement and long-term results.4. Make it Matter
To gain the maximum return on investment in any training that is delivered, be sure to get team managers actively involved in the training throughout the process. Get feedback from them regarding timings and provide them with a detailed brief on how the learnings are to be implemented moving forward.
It’s vitally important to take this step, as managers play a key role in the follow-up and reinforcement of the value of the training in both the short and longer term. Their role in ensuring the learnings are applied on the ground can be the difference between a positive impact and a wasted opportunity.
