The pace of your training can often dictate the success of your program delivered via your corporate LMS.
Given that we all respond to training as individuals, there are some general guidelines that can be implemented to make sure you hit the training “sweet spot.”
By analogy, when you train for an ocean swim you have to consider a number of variables which include: wind (direction and strength), tide (high or low), current (direction and speed), swell (size and strength), boat traffic (nearness to swimming course), water clarity (opaque, clear or somewhere in between), goggles (fit and comfort), length and duration of swim (1k or 12k) and your energy level (did you eat breakfast?, are you hydrated?).
The same kind of considerations can also be found in planning your corporate LMS (Learning Management System). Generally speaking, you want to train when conditions are optimal. But like ocean swimming, that is rarely the case. There is always something that will make it challenging to reach your goal so you don’t run head on into another swimmer just off shore or get run over by a careless jet skier.
Photo: Robert H. Mann
First, you should define when you are going to train. Will your trainees be doing it during work hours in between jobs, outside of work hours, or as part of a dedicated block of time that has deadlines? The beauty of ocean swimming is that you can theoretically go out at any time of day but chances are you wouldn’t be swimming at night with a head lamp. The same flexibility may not apply with your training. You have to pace it.
If, for example, you are asking your team to train twice a week on the clock, then you want to make sure you training is simple, step-wise, and doesn’t involve a lot of collaboration. If, on the other hand, you want to encourage project-based collaboration, then your training can be more complex and be done in a seminar room for larger blocks of time. Your training can become more theoretical and scenario-based blended learning with an online assessment component.
So it is important to decide if your training is like a 1k swim or a marathon ocean effort with chase craft with lots of follow-up.
A general rule of thumb when ocean swimming is that you should maintain a steady pace otherwise you will tire yourself out quickly and perhaps swallow salt water. Not a pleasant experience.
The same can be said for training. If you race through a course, you will most likely forget what you learned. So you need to design a course using a corporate LMS that delivers your basic concepts and reinforces them using a variety of means. Let’s say on your mobile training, you get a “question for the day” testing for product knowledge. It pops up and your trainee answers it with a simple tic. A small interruption during the course of the day.
At My Learning Space we can help you design and deliver your corporate LMS so you keep your head above water.