An interesting Business Week article estimated that U.S. companies spend $50 billion on talent development - and those were 2005 dollars. Whatever your company is spending on learning and performance improvement, here are a few tips to help your investments pay off.
1. Market Your Training: Yup, you heard right, market your training – just as you would market a product. The average American adult is bombarded with approximately 5,000 advertising messages every day. These are critical viewers. You have to convince them that what you’re offering is worth their time and energy. So whether your pre-program promotional campaign consists of flyers or Flash or video, you’ve got to get the word out in a way that breaks through the noise. Focusing on the What’s In It For Me is usually a good place to start. In a nutshell: you’ve got to reach people before you can teach them.
2. Make Your Programs Engaging: Fear and anxiety trigger the release of certain brain chemicals that can limit people’s capacity to learn (adrenaline cortical response). So, when you’re creating new programs you can improve performance by considering learner’s emotional states.
3. Do Some Research: Check out Harvard’s Dr. Ellen Langer.(The Power of Mindful Learning) Her twenty-five years of learning research has uncovered the value of establishing a personal context for learning before delivering the drill down details. Dr. Langer has also proven that the use of humor and novelty are two key tools that enhance long-term memory. So don’t forget the fun factor.
The most successful learning programs win both hearts and minds. Here’s an easy-to-remember model that should help you get off on the right foot:
The “E-Z | E3″ Model
- Engage
- Establish Personal Meaning
- Essence Before Details
