'Active Learning and L&D Tips'

A few months ago, the well-known organization World Economic Forum published the top 10 skills that will prevail in 2025.

In this table we see two very important elements. in my personal opinion. First, that once again prevail the so-called soft skills as the most important elements for individuals and professionals. such as Analytical and Critical thinking, creativity, complex problem solving, leadership, resilience etc.

But I would like to focus on the second most important element that we see in the table which is the Active Learning and Learning Strategies.

I have seen the previous corresponding tables of the WEF and it is the first time that the organization includes the Active learning as an important skill and in fact in a high position.

 

As a Learning and Development specialist and Trainer, I would like to share some of my ideas and suggestions, through my knowledge and experience.

• Learning requires active involvement. People prefer to learn in different ways through visual stimuli, verbal interactions and learning by doing.

• Through my knowledge & experience I know that If you try to teach trainees new information, new knowledge and things at once or in a short period, their mind will blast and you are not going to receive the required results and income. You must train participants in a space repetition for a longer period in short sized courses, to construct it brick by brick and step by step, which is more effective with more successful results.

• The training should be very engaging and must deliver courses in short bite- sized and repeat across regular intervals. How much learners can retain the knowledge and skill they gain in training, is a key indicator of how effective the training was.

•  A key point for the success in training sessions is to have in mind that people retain things better when they can connect a new ideas to old ones.

• Always as a trainer establish clear strategy to let your partners know what you will need from them and why it’s important. Connect with the other departments (HR, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance etc), to report deeper levels of measurement for your learning programs.

• To be effective as an instructor must understand your audience, the company’s culture and the history behind the need for the training.

• People learn better when they learning multiple skills at once. 

• Key elements

-        Understand diverse perspectives.

-        Empathize with other perspectives.

-        Think and communicate ideas visually.

-        Use analogies and relations to see the big picture (strategic thinking).

-        Inspire creativity.

-          -        Connecting the passion to participants.

-          -        Create the appetite for continuous learning.

-        The personality of the trainer has a lot to do with making things engaging.

-        The level of learning should be very understanding.

‘The more you learn the more you earn, cause the more you know the more you grow’

Effective training starts with measurable goals and creating KPIs that matter.

 

Attributes of strong KPIs

1 Align with business objectives (Strategies and goals for the company)

2 Crystal Clear (Focus on what the outcome should look like) – expected outcome

3 Easily tracked and measured (Data points, can we measure it effectively)

4 Stakeholder Agreement (Structure accountability around the project)

As a result for KPIs measure training effectiveness focus on three important elements…

• Did learners learn anything of value?
• Did the training increase their performance on the job?
• Did it contribute toward generating the desired business results?

You should always function and react as an inspiring leader and the stronger the culture you have as a trainer, will help you to be more confident and effective, flexible, adaptable, opened, to create strong interpersonal relationships, more diverse as a personality and background.

What makes you a great trainer?

·      Very good Knowledge about your topics. 

·      Creative and Innovative Enough.

·      Balance and Equality between the Trainees. 

·      Embrace Inspire & Motivate.

·      You know how to Accept, to Receive and to <Collect>

·      High level of analytical and critical thinking. 

·      Leader.

·      Engaging.

·      Flexible.

·      Diversity and Pluralism.

·      Balance between IQ & EQ.

·      Coaching and Mentoring.

·      Connect and Interact.

·      Asking a lot of questions and motivate the participants/trainees to ask questions as well.

·      Cs – Collaborate, Communicate, Conciliate, Cognitively flexible.

·      Approachable.

·      Create a structure dialogue.

·      You are a Trainer and Trainee at the same time.

 ‘A Trainer’s job is not only to teach trainees. A Trainer’s also responsibility is to teach trainees to know how to learn, as well to give them the motivation at the same time to constantly want to learn’.

Great trainers drive change. They introduce new techniques and elements to the training – a blended learning methods.

A great trainer will feel the reward of delivering something that really adds value for the participants and is passionate about what he/she does. He/she will always must to experiment with new ideas and activities, each time reflecting on the success and development.