3 tips to design training from your learners’ perspective

Your team leader and their team members are at the center of the learning experience.  That might well sound like, of course, why wouldn’t they be. 

However, over the past 30 years we have often been called on to design learning programs in a wide range of learning modalities and environments.  It’s only on very rare occasions that learners are involved in the design process.   

We are usually briefed by the learning and development or human resources team.  We are introduced to a few subject matter experts and we are expected to get on with the task of designing a new curriculum, a revised onboarding program or perhaps a guide to new systems. 

Here are 3 tips to focus on including the team members who will be the end users of the learning program: 

• Gain the learner’s trust and include them as part of the process by holding a simple focus group.  This can be done online or in person.  It’s a way of ensuring that they feel included in the design process and it’s an incredibly useful and fast way of uncovering key information – 
  • How do they prefer to learn? 
  • Where do they see their skills gaps and needs? 
  • What format do they usually prefer to learn in? 
  • What would they see as the end product that would benefit them? 

• Observe the intended learner group in their usual setting.  If they are in call centre for example, feel what it is like to answer calls and use various systems. There is little value in being too removed from their reality when designing a program that has to be implemented in context that might be very different from what you have pictured or imagined. We call this part of the process: A day in the life of the team. Once you make the connection with the context in which the learning modules are used, there is a far greater likelihood of successful usage and implementation.  

• Hold as many casual conversations as possible.  Speak to the subject experts as well as others in the team who will have useful insights for you. These don’t always need to be formal meetings.  They can be quick calls or chats to enable you to see things from the perspective of the people who will be the end users of your learning modules. 

Ask questions such as: 

• What has worked well in the past for you – and what hasn’t. 
• What would be the ideal outcome of this training for you? 
• What type of learning modality would work best in this particular environment? 
• What are your expectations for this learning experience? 

This is the type of experience that you can expect when the Play4Business team partners with you to design your learning programs in a range of different modalities. 

Speak to us for more details on how we can assist you to design and develop programs that suit your needs: info@play4business.com