Learning is a beach

I was doing some work for a client in Florida during my family’s annual sojourn to the beach so the timing was perfect to combine work with pleasure. I spent many hours working but found some time to enjoy sand and surf with my kids, building sand castles and boogie boarding. While waiting for that “perfect wave” I had a thought about how training organizations function.

Boogie boarding is not hard which is why I do it. It’s a fun activity for my kids and I to share that doesn’t require too much fancy equipment. I find myself constantly telling them to wait for the “right” wave and to be patient. Here lies the connection to training.

Often training professionals spend too much time waiting for the perfect moment to unleash their solutions on the organization. We bog down in “economic times”, “operations initiatives”, and “strategic focus” and don’t act when we know that we have solid solutions that would improve the organization. We find ourselves trapped because training is considered an add-on to the day-to-day events.

By shifting from training to learning, the learning organization can release its solutions and all members can avail themselves of the knowledge as needed. Of course, this only happens when the training department has built credibility and the business respects the output of the training department. In other words:

1. The training department has to be clued in to the business.
2. The solutions created have proven to have impact on results.
3. The training department has to have a seat at the operations table.

By incorporating more on demand solutions in the form of performance support tools, job aids, and social media, learners utilize learning tools when they need it, rather than when it’s convenient to roll them out.

At the same time, there is something to be said for “striking when the iron is hot.” Just like waiting for the perfect wave, sometimes the training department needs to be patient and wait for that perfect opportunity to launch a learning tool or program. When the conditions are right, that kind of launch will allow for a cool ride rather than a short spurt that doesn’t provide that needed rush of enthusiasm.

The demand for training often emulates the ebb and flow of the tide. If we just relax and watch for the right moment, we can catch that perfect wave and ride it into quality learning. At the same time, like a ship at sea, we have to adjust to the motion and make the best use of the resources at hand to keep the ship and crew on course.

Training with the Experience in Mind

While perusing the blogs I follow, I reacquainted myself with this article from Josh Bersin. I was pleased to see that my ideas align pretty well and I was able to learn a few new things. I love the focus on informal, casual learning and the value of networks. I've been blogging about informal learning quite a bit and was pleased to see I'm on track.

I also enjoyed some of the specifics regarding human networks outlined in this recent article in CLO magazine. It got me thinking about the power of people and the kind of experience they have getting the information they need in a practical, timely fashion. User experience always brings me back to the work of Lou Carbone and his book Clued In: How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again. This book really changed the way I viewed the guest experience and as such changed the way I think about developing learning tools.

1. Develop tools with the end user in mind. Specifically, what is the emotional connection you want users to make with the tools or learning experience? Developing learning interventions can become fairly methodical. Great learning professionals also consider the overall experience of the user and strive to measure the degree to which participants feel confident, secure, knowledgeable and prepared.

2. Develop tools with the customer in mind. Your clients eventually interact with your organization's clients. How would those individuals describe your people? The tools prepare learners to perform on the job, but are they performing in a way that creates an enjoyable experience for the guest and a profitable experience for the organization? For example, sales teams are provided plenty of material on "up-selling" or "adding value." I would ask how the guest perceives the outcomes of the training. Do they feel like they are getting a better service experience or do they feel are they being pushed to purchase things they don't want.

3. Keep it simple. Make learning tools easy to obtain, easy to use, easy to reuse, easy to share. The Bersin article calls it "Facilitating Learning." Learning organizations have plenty of informal tools and can guide and enable learning rather than focus on delivering training.

To come full circle, I think high-impact learning organizations also make the learner experience an important part of their design process. More than just a look at the user requirements, training solutions should be built within the context of the entire learning structure and organization's cultural experience.