Today, learner engagement is still the top concern among L&D professionals worldwide. As more organizations shift to online learning, harnessing these 4 online communication practices will keep your learners engaged:
In 2020, LinkedIn reported that 36% of L&D professionals said that increasing employee engagement in learning is a top challenge. And it’s quite surprising to see that this is still a challenge for the majority of organizations around the world today.
More so, the current situation of the world is making companies adjust to a “new normal” that has resulted in the transition of most organizations to online learning.
So this is why it’s more important to focus on learner engagement now more than ever. But can you really solve the ever-growing problem of engagement through digital platforms?
The answer is YES! Here, we give you some best practices you can immediately do to increase your learner engagement:
Harness the power of social media
With more and more Millennials and Gen Z-ers in the workforce today, it’s only necessary that you utilize the power of social media platforms.
In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, employees who use social media at work are said to be more engaged in the organization. And this is where your employees can collaborate and share ideas to solve work-related problems.
So it’s better if you can tap into this to introduce and promote your training programs.
First, you can use social media tools and platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, and such online apps and sites where you can quickly interact with learners and for them to interact with their peers.
Next, create a dedicated account or page for your learning organization and invite all your employees and target learners.
This page can serve as a hub that your learners can easily go to if they need information and updates on the latest courses and modules in your LMS/LXP. Some regular updates you can post are:
- Program announcements
- Reminders for learning
- Trivia and other fun posts that engage your followers/learners
Create more videos
With microlearning proving to be an effective learning strategy, it only makes sense to leverage it to increase learner engagement. This is because learners who continuously receive short bursts of information are said to improve their overall learning comprehension rates.
The videos that you need to create must be specific and relevant for it to be effective. It should then be personalized. For example, you can create videos that summarize the points to remember in every training course/module.
On the other hand, videos can also be used to inspire your learners to learn more and improve as to encourage continuous learning.
To do this, you can create videos through open-source web editing and animation websites or apps. First, you can research studies, anecdotes, articles, or talks from experts about learning. Then, you can use these materials to create a video that can further inspire and engage your learners.
Display creative posters in common collaboration platforms
Another sure-fire way to promote your L&D programs and keep your learners engaged is through creative posters.
Before, it seemed to be enough to hang posters that promote your training programs in high traffic areas around the office (e.g. conference rooms, pantry, wall next to the water cooler, etc.).
But in today’s “new normal”, you should step up and start creating digital posters that aren’t only seen in your office locations, but also in virtual sites that your employees usually visit.
If most of your learners use LinkedIn, it’s better to regularly post digital posters there to reinforce the importance of training and sustain interest. But to better boost the relevance and level up your digital posters, you can access easy-to-use and free design applications and websites.
One way is to create animated posters through GIFs to better liven up your digital posters. You can also bring more life to your posters through using open-source websites where you can easily start using free templates.
This way, your employees can better appreciate the work your L&D department has put into not just creating training programs and curating content, but also in the marketing and promotion.A common misconception towards learning any skill is this: You can know a lot about something and still not be good at it — not unless you apply it.
Host exciting and fun-filled learning activities
You can never go wrong with hosting learning activities to keep your employees engaged in learning.
Actually, events are avenues for you to introduce and reintroduce training programs and course offerings to them.
You can start by doing a kick-off event to launch the program. Remember to make this event exciting. Keep in mind that first impressions usually last.
Interestingly, how you introduce your training programs can either make or break your training engagement and overall productivity. So make sure that the impressions you leave your learners are memorable, moving, and motivating.
Another event you can do is lunch-and-learns.
For example, if you’re having a language training program in your organization, lunches are great opportunities for your employees to apply what they learn in a social setting (even through video conferencing).
As a result, this serves as practice for them and a way to promote social learning in your workplace.
Lastly, it’s great if you can organize a TEDx-like event with guest speakers.
Here, you can maximize your subject matter experts (SMEs) and let them talk about their learning experiences and the important information they have related to your learning courses.
Another thing is to invite speakers from outside your organization and let them inspire your learners and further educate them on the topics that their courses cover.
Most of these events can be done online through webinars, video conferencing, and other virtual spaces especially if you have remote teams.
Conclusion
There are various ways to keep your learners engaged. But since most people are now using smartphones and other mobile devices, it’s only requisite for organizations to harness the power of social media and eLearning tools to further upskill their employees.
