Category: Alternate Delivery of Training
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- In today’s fast-paced business environment, is it difficult for your employees to find time for training?
- Do your employees do training on their own schedule (when they want it vs. when the training department offers it)?
- Do you need to reduce travel and other related training expenses while still providing the same quality experiences as “traditional” classroom training?
- Would you like your employees to learn a significant amount – without spending significant time getting trained?
- Would you like a training approach that’s memorable, engaging, effective and fun?
Then you need the innovative Learning Burst training approach.
Introducing Learning Bursts: A Different Way to Deliver Training
APRIL 5, 2012 2:00PM-3:00PM EDT
Please join me for the first of my webinar series Making the Most of Corporate Training Dollars .
Chief Learning Officer Newsletter published an article on my Learning Burst approach in their March 14, 2012 issue titled Short is Sweet in Learning . In it I discuss the concept of learning bursts and the benefits of the approach. The writer uses the term microlearning which is a nice way of describing the approach. I especially like the way he wove in analogy to a box of chocolates.
Case studies are descriptions of a real life experience, related to the content in Learning Burst training , which are used to make points, raise issues or otherwise enhance the participants’ understanding and learning experience. The account usually follows a realistic scenario, such as a management or technical problem, from start to finish. Because they provide practical examples of problems and solutions, challenges and strategies, they support more theoretical material and often make the “lesson” more memorable and believable for the class.
Simulations in Learning Burst training are simplified versions of reality; they place participants in realistic business environments where they are asked to complete tasks with legitimate business goals. They capture the essentials of a workplace environment in a way that allows participants to apply new skills, try different approaches and explore the implications of decisions and actions risk free.
A Learning Burst is made up of 2 components: the audio cast and the accompanying workbook. The workbook completes the learning burst content and adds to the topics taught in the audio segment.
Over the past few weeks I have been posting about the Learning Burst method. In today’s post I share the first 2 steps I use to create Learning Bursts. Additional steps to follow in the next few weeks.
Step1: Determine if content is appropriate for a Learning Burst.
Consider what skills you are training, and how you want your employees to use those skills in their jobs. Answer the questions below and decide if you have a candidate for Learning Bursts.
- How many employees need to be trained? How quickly? Learning Burst work well with larger number of employees so that he savings are realized. However, I have done sessions with 5-10 people and it works well.
- What is the geographic distribution of the participants? Learning Bursts work well when the participants are spread over many geographic areas.
- Can Learning Bursts be used in conjunction with the face-to-face training you currently use? This method works very well to provide participants with foundational knowledge of concepts – this reduces face-to-face time or allows more time for application practice.
- Is the culture ready to make Learning Bursts a success? If your culture already is or is ready to use alternate forms of training then Learning Bursts have a chance of success. If not, you may not want to use Learning Bursts.
- Can the content be broken in small independent pieces? Each Learning Burst has a target length of 20 minutes (listening to the audio and completing the workbook). This lends itself to each burst being a single topic or concept. If your training content can be broken down into small, single topic segments, then it is a good Learning Burst course.
The Learning Burst method goes beyond standard training expectations and provides something “more” while adding little or nothing to its cost. Learning Bursts deliver a teaching approach that is practical, simple, and to the point instead of the more traditional courses delivered either in classrooms or online. It is a teaching vehicle that is tailored to the changing work styles and learning behavior of today’s employees in a cost-effective, individually customized, and company-focused manner.
So what are some of the ways that companies are using Learning Bursts?
In today’s world in the midst of a recession companies have trimmed their labor forces while keeping or expanding the same level of service and product offerings. This places stress on an already task saturated workforce who simply cannot afford time away from the job for training. Couple that with new skills and capabilities needed to meet market demands along with reduced training budgets and the need for a different and cost effective way to deliver training has risen.
Learning Bursts puts the needs of the participant first. While employees can no longer afford days away from the job for training I uncovered through years interviewing students that they could find 20 minutes a day to learn something new related to their job. And they need it on their schedule not that of the training department. Next, they want these “bursts” of training to be independent of each other – meaning they want the nugget of learning that they need without having to wade through dozens of learning experiences. Finally as I walked around and met with these employees, I noticed on numerous occasions that they had hundreds of screen captures printed from e-learning courses. I came to realize that even in this digital age, they want and use paper!
Over the next few months I will be introducing a training method that I use which I call Learning Bursts. My intention is to provide you with a different way to delivery training. So in the next few months I will blog about the methodology and how to do it. I hope you find it useful.
What is a Learning Burst?
The Learning Burst training method gives participants the opportunity to learn without having to disrupt their daily workflow. A Learning Burst is a combination of an 8 to 10-minute audio cast (in a talk show format) and a workbook of supporting material. At times simulations and case studies augment the Learning Burst. The workbook material contains further elaboration of the audio topic, a short quiz, and a prompting exercise to get participants to think about how they would apply what they have learned to the business or workplace. Workbook chapters for each Learning Burst are 3-5 pages in length with each Learning Burst being a self-contained discussion of a particular topic. Audio segments are in a MP3 format and can be played on any compatible.