You need your employees to pick up new skills and hone their existing talents to ensure the future success of your organization. But what’s the right delivery method for your skill-based online training?
Top Tips To Best Deliver Your Skill-Based Training
The goal of every online training course is to not only achieve the objectives but convey information in a way that’s easily digestible. You want your employees to come away from the experience with a broader skillset and a better understanding of the training topics. But finding the ideal delivery method that engages, entertains, and educates them on the core L&D issues. One of the trickiest tasks is developing skill-based online training that sticks and leads to real-world application. Here are some top tips for delivering content that puts everything into context and gets your employees hooked on talent development.
1. Identify Your Employees’ Needs, Wants, And Expectations
You first have to figure out what your employees expect from the experience. Which skills do they need to hone, based on their personal opinion? Are there are any work-related challenges that might be eased with a skill-based online training course? Which activities and resources do they prefer and why? This data gives you a guide to follow as you develop your content so that you accommodate your employees’ goals and gaps. Conduct surveys, focus groups, and evaluate assessment results to see where they’re lacking.
2. Evaluate The Subject Matter
Ultimately, you need to choose a delivery method that suits the subject matter. For example, interpersonal skills are difficult to convey through text-based stories or even infographics. It calls for hands-on experience. They need to see how their actions affect others, courtesy of a real-world simulation. Or learn how to decipher body language by participating in a branching scenario. While more basic delivery methods might suffice for other skills. Such as using personal anecdotes or examples to help them hone rudimentary problem-solving skills.
3. Cater To Different Learning Preferences To Keep Engagement High
Though pre-diagnostic tools might reveal that a majority of your employees prefer one method over another, it’s still wise to incorporate diverse methods. For example, podcasts that auditory-learning corporate learners can enjoy on the go. Or serious games to engage your tactile employees who want a more interactive experience. Evaluate LMS metrics to determine which resources they’re fond of, so you can give them more of the same.
4. Focus On Real-World Application
Skills are a precious commodity. Unlike little gems of knowledge that they must memorize and use in the real world, they’re based on experience. Employees must be able to apply what they’ve learned to benefit from their mistakes in skill-based online training. Which allows them to continually hone their talents and identify personal areas for improvement. Your delivery method must be based on real-life application. Give them the opportunity to engage in scenarios and simulations that reduce on-the-job errors. These interactive resources also allow them to make skills application second nature. For example, they’ll automatically use positive communication skills when interacting with clients. Due to the fact that the immersive simulation exposed them to customer personas and enabled them to practice their approach.
5. Make It Mobile For On-The-Go Employees
Whichever delivery method you choose, accessibility is a top priority. Employees must be able to log in to the training platform whenever the need arises. For this reason, you should consider a responsive design tool that supports multiplatform-friendly viewing. Employees must be able to train not only when it’s most convenient for them but when they identify a crucial skill gap. For example, they’re in the middle of a task and realize that they lack a vital skill they need to complete it successfully.
6. Weigh The Benefits Of JIT Training
This brings us to the next skill-based online training consideration, which is the need for JIT training. The ideal delivery method supports employees when they identify areas for improvement. For instance, they’re working with a client and discover that their active listening skills could use some fine-tuning. Thus, they access the online training materials to participate in simulations and watch video demos that help them in this regard. The next time they meet with the client, they’re better equipped to identify their needs and expectations thanks to stronger active listening skills. Even the resources themselves may prompt them to seek out additional JIT training. As an example, a branching scenario highlights leadership skill gaps they never knew existed. In response, the employee uses bite-sized tutorials, games, and videos to hone these abilities.
7. Consider Live Delivery Methods
Online training gives you the ability to reach beyond asynchronous or self-paced delivery methods. Why not host live events that give employees the power to interact with peers and address their skill-based online training concerns immediately? For example, every week, host an event that centers on a specific work-related skill. LMS metrics, certifications, and assessments reveal which skills you should cover. During the event, offer tips employees can use to develop the skill and incorporate role plays to help them master its nuances. You can also add group collab projects to your strategy to offer peer-based support and feedback. For instance, employees must work together and use relevant skills to solve a problem or develop a presentation.
Picking the perfect delivery method ensures that your employees brush up on vital skills and identify undisclosed talents. The key is to get their feedback, consider the subject matter, and center on real-world application. The objective isn’t to get them to soak up the skill but to apply it on the job so that they improve performance. It’s time well spent when an employee is able to utilize their newfound abilities to boost your bottom line.
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