TEN TRAINING TRENDS TO TRY!

                                       

Image Source: Whatfix Academy

The title of this blog is indeed a mouthful! So are the words Training and Development (T&D), metaphorically speaking, considering the pressure that HR departments face while trying to meet contemporary learning demands. There has been an overwhelming amount of new trends that have emerged in the field of T&D lately. Due to the diversification of today’s workforce, there has been a shift from traditional training methods that pushed employees to learn to a pull approach which makes employees seek learning themselves. Here I have attempted to list out some of them for your kind perusal.

1.    Use of Storytelling – We all agree how compelling stories can be. So why not use it as a means to impart knowledge and skills? Stories are being used in training in order to help employees get connected to the content in an emotional and immersive manner which leads to better retention and can often drive sensitization programs and attitudinal changes. Take the organization John Deere for example, who used storytelling to educate farmers on how they can be more successful using latest equipment being sold by them. Smart, right?

2.    Learner-centric Programmes – Every employee has their own preferences and unique way of learning. Therefore, training programs have started to focus more on these needs of the trainee. An example is self-paced training which proceeds based on the learner’s response, in the speed he/she prefers. Similarly, customized training programs increase engagement and provide personalized feedback. If a group likes games, they are given a more interactive module than another group that may like doing, say, research. In such programs, there is a higher focus on user experience than the content of the training.

3.    Immersive Learning – It is the process of learning that wherein one uses simulated or artificial environment that enables one to learn from the experience of being in a real-life scenario. This type of learning more often than not makes use of technology to simulate through the use of gamification, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and so on. It also sometimes uses sports and arts as a means to engage learners more holistically in the learning process. For instance, Myndscope is a training organization that uses football, golf and even theater to deliver immersive learning programmes.

4.    Developing Continuous Learning Cultures – At Google, learning is considered a process of improvement rather than an event and therefore the culture of learning embedded so deeply into the organization that every employee learns constantly and every trend is aimed at growing this culture. Concepts such as Learning Organizations, Self-Designing organisations and Built-to-Change organizations are fast emerging to fulfil this need.

5.    Collaborative Learning – Don’t some of us learn better when we do so together with others? Banking on this premise is the concept of collaborative learning which seeks to capitalize on the notion that everyone has different skills and therefore we can learn from each other. Such kind of training is usually peer-led wherein people with different skills come together on an online or offline platform to share their knowledge. Google has a employee network called g2g that offers first-hand knowledge in diverse fields and accounts for 80% of their training!

6.    Microlearning – Imagine being able to go through training by processing only bite-sized pieces of information that are necessary to help you achieve a specific objective! Since the learning units are small, the tasks are also short-term which makes sense in the ever-changing business environment of today’s time. Like always, Google sets an example by through their initiative of ‘Whisper e-mails’ which are a series of small emails sent regularly to employees with positive feedback to create a better learning environment.

7.    Pay per use Frameworks – Did you know that most organizations buy training programs in bulk to be administered to groups of employees, like sheep? But now that the advantages of learner-centric and customized programs are evident, it’s best to go for products like Working Voices which offer pay-per-use frameworks, help employers invest only in the modules aligned to their immediate objectives, ensuring no wasted T&D spend. They can even generate robust reports and analytics for ROI determination.

8.    E-learning – It is any learning that is conducted via the electronic media or the internet. The most common form of it is through online training modules with even POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) are being administered through e-learning, sometimes even over mobile phones. Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Moodle are often used by organizations to manage their learning process. Sometimes, even social media is used for socially interactive training right from virtual on-boarding to connecting experts with learners.

9.    Integrated Learning – How cool would it be skills you learn at training were not only transferable to future jobs, but also to your personal/daily life? That is exactly what integrated earning aims to do - the employees to use their learning in their personal lives as well, outside of the workplace. Flash courses have now become more than obsolete. In fact, newer integrated training programs also come with in-built refresher courses for the purpose of further sustainability and retention.

10.  Leadership Training – A survey conducted by Deloitt in 2016 stated that one of the most crucial areas in training and development in the coming years would be leadership. With its rising significance, trends like leader- led training programs and a focus on developing individual contributors is emerging. The aim is to promote people who think they can be leaders and the ones who create impact rather than promoting people based on their position in their career ladder.

Nivya Raghunandan

thoughts@kaleidoscope.org.in