A white sandy beach, shallow clear waters, a palm tree basks in the sunlight while slow dancing to a gentle breeze. You? Well, you’re relaxing on a cabana sipping your favorite beverage with the sound of ocean waves hitting the shoreline.

Sounds like a paradise dream, does it not? There’s one tiny itsy bitsy problem. You’re in the middle of a training seminar about new company initiatives and you’ve mistaken the conference room for your bedroom. Wake up!

Man asleep at meeting

We’ve all been guilty of at least once being sidetracked or dozing off in a meeting. Even as companies advance in a versatile marketplace, they lag in the training department, and it has nothing to do with the money. Businesses spend a pretty penny on training. According to the Association for Talent Development, organizations invest $165 BILLION yearly on training programs. Yet, the focus appears to be on practical learning rather than on empowering the individual. Teams are often class-based, and employees have little influence on management attitudes.

We have some tips that can transform your trainings into memorable learning experiences and turn ZZZ’s into AHA’s.

It’s Not You, It’s Me

The phrase synonymous with breakups can apply to your trainer. Not everyone is qualified to train people, whether they have education and management degrees or not. Trainers should be direct and to-the-point. They should also be patient and enjoy answering questions.

Your Own Personal Trainer

This form of learning is making great strides in education, and the corporate world is taking note. With adaptive learning, employees can be monitored individually and in real time to determine a learning approach that best suits their needs. This practice is effective at improving efficiency, as well as employee engagement and retention, since it allows workers to build confidence and overall expertise.

Short, Sweet & Straight to the Point

Micro learning, commonly referred to as bite-sized, is an engaging and highly effective practice. Rather than learning all material at once, participants can learn small chunks of information at a time. This makes comprehension easier without spending too much effort. Trainers can set the speed at which topics are presented to learner needs, make use of more or less repetition to reinforce learning and bring back content where learners show weakness.

Play Games

Yes, you heard right. Gamification involves applying game design elements and principals to engage and motivate learners with the intent of achieving a set goal. People have the opportunity to compete in a fun and collaborative learning environment, resulting in a more enriched training experience and increased retention.

Going Social

Businesses are starting to embrace social media and invest in collaborative learning tools to enhance employee engagement and foster a better learning environment. Currently, document sharing, discussion forums and blogs are being utilized.

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