In my previous posts in the Go Beyond series, I looked at why it is now the right time to Go Beyond and what Go Beyond actually means.
The next post in the series is – How do we exactly take the steps to Go Beyond:
Defining the purpose:
Step 1 would be to undertake all learning initiatives by asking the question ‘Why’. It is important to dig deep and go to the base of why a learning intervention is needed. This leads to a lot of other questions pertaining to the business, learner disposition, the dynamics of the domain, etc. Once we have explored the initiative well, we are on track for most things — right from the expected outcomes to how they align with the business needs and goals.
Focusing on the Learners:
The next step is to recognize the learner who is going to be the end user. Today’s learner is a modern worker who could be extremely busy. So, we need to ensure that we tailor make our learning interventions keeping our learners in mind. We craft the learning objectives, design the structure of learning, incorporate the right mix of multimedia elements and collect ideas on how to improve the experience keeping the learner in mind. It is learners who drive the design and not the content.
Designing for motivation:
The final step is to go beyond the design of learning or training material. The idea is to create the most effective learning intervention instead of just focusing on eLearning as the only solution. It is not mandatory to go for elaborate eLearning when employees would actually benefit from a set of contextual videos or even a game. Such a shift in perspective can work wonders for employees’ motivation levels.
It is important for L&D to think about Going Beyond by understanding why the learning initiative is being undertaken in the first place, who the learner is and then to create a solution that works in all ways for the learners. If L&D approach learning interventions in this way, they will certainly be able provide some very effective learning rather than simply ‘ticking the boxes’.
