In times when we are accustomed to a quick lifestyle and want everything to be delivered to us instantly, learning must also adjust. Corporations must understand that training new and existing employees is crucial for consistent performance. You must reinforce your employees with what they already know. But at the same time, it is important to give them new knowledge and skills which they can apply to their job such as in microlearning environments. That works as a motivating factor for the employees too.
But with the general culture in most industries today, it isn’t easy to have employees pause work to sit for classroom sessions where one is handed a stack of information they cannot process easily. This challenge is overcome by microlearning. Microlearning is the new age of learning. Its strategy is to provide small chunks of information in bite-sized content. Learners can access this content anywhere, anytime, through their smartphones. The benefit here is that it is feasible to fit into your daily schedule, and it avoids cognitive overload by providing only key points, all because it is a short form of content. It makes learning quick and effective.
Corporates can leverage our microlearning strategies to plan their microlearning program suitable for their specific purpose and staff. Below are some ways you can use this nugget content technique in your organization.
-
Onboarding and Orientation
Onboarding can become tedious and frustrating for both the employees and managers with the load of paperwork one has to complete. But it doesn’t have to be so. Onboarding should be a process that the employee enjoys while learning about the company’s culture, ethics, visions, goals, and their own responsibilities. The managers can take this time to speak to the new hires and explain what they expect of them in this job role and how it adds value to the organization.
Microlearning can make this process less overwhelming. You can introduce all the key information in a digestible and attractive format instead of volumes of text. The new hires can only receive what is relevant to them, be clear about their role, and have a warm welcome from the team through short videos and microlearning strategies.
-
Upskilling
All your employees, especially those handling customers, need to upskill themselves to use relevant techniques to make sales, bring outputs, and perform to the best of their abilities. Microlearning is the best way to learn the skills they need. It will help them prepare better before facing clients. Using animations, short videos, infographics, etc., will create a visual image that they can remember or create cheatsheets, flashcards, or refreshers to take a quick revision from them.
Investing in upskilling and using an effective method like microlearning for it can significantly impact your company’s profits. Because your employees will feel well trained and up-to-date with the latest knowledge, they will be confident in their work and perform well for positive results.
-
Safety Training
Workplace safety is important from all aspects, and it must be a priority for your company to train your employees about safety measures in their workplace. Because different workspaces operate differently, make sure your employees know what to do in cases of emergency from their office.
With microlearning, you will not have to invest much time in the training itself but can ensure that all the necessary details have been relayed to the employees– from potential hazards to handling equipment to exit routes. Employees can quickly understand the demands of safety compliance and act responsibly.
-
Compliance Training
You can now introduce the compliance concepts important for your team through microlearning. You can explain new rules and regulations or industry trends to update your employees with short documents, illustrations, and graphics. The repetition or summary at the end can put everything together and help them remember what they spent time learning.
Ways to Use Microlearning for Training
What are the options you have while creating a microlearning program? You can get as creative as you may need. Here are ways to apply microlearning in training your team to be competent in the industry.
-
Qualitative Self Assessments
Improve your microlearning program by adding self-assessment tests using interactive tools and simulations. Learners will be able to assess their mastery of the taught skills independently. Additionally, they will be able to identify the problems they are facing in moving forward. Don’t keep the lengthy evaluations. They must be short and quick so employees can get quick feedback and take the necessary actions to progress their development.
-
Micro Webinars
Who said webinars had to be long and boring? Think of webinars that are crisp and to the point. They would be much more effective. Keep a narrow topic of discussion and stick to that topic for a 15-20 minutes long micro webinar followed by assessments or activities to check the understanding of the session among the attendees.
-
Powerpoint Presentations
If you have a concept to explain to your team that may seem complex, use a PowerPoint presentation– short and quick. It makes explaining complicated problems easier and provides tools you can use to present data comprehensively. You can experiment with graphics, texts, animations, and images and include both auditory and visual inputs to help the learners grasp the concepts better.
-
Task Performance Evaluations
If you plan to use simulations in your microlearning program for training, you can focus on tasks linked to your employees’ jobs. Based on their performance, you can provide timely feedback to identify strengths and potential for growth. This functions as a substitute for the traditional method of on-the-job evaluation. But it is much more feasible since the manager does not have to watch over the employee performing the task. These evaluations can help your employees become more proficient and take the right routes for growth.
Conclusion
Microlearning is the way to go if you really want it to work. With the right strategies and goals, you can be on top of your training game. Plus, keep your employees happy by supporting them in developing their skills. It is an investment that should be taken seriously. Try to use it in the ways mentioned above and find more ways to implement microlearning that suit your business goals.
