4 practical tips how to inspire learning in your business

First published by the eLearning Industry, on December 23, 2018

How to inspire learning in your business

Do you want to offer fantastic training opportunities for your employees, to help them grow within your organisation?

Do people keep telling you about all the awesome new training technologies that will totally transform the way your employees learn, like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and VR (Virtual Reality)?

Do you then look up examples of how other companies have implemented these?

Do you discover that you most likely cannot compete with a PwC and their own app called Digital Fitness? This is an app where employees see how they compare against their department and organisation and a tailored learning plan is created. You cannot even compete with IBM’s Skills Gateway, which offers learning journeys, events, and career planning with IBM training advisors. All these due to the fact that you do not have the same resources.

If you answered yes to these questions, then fear not. In this article, I will provide you with 4 examples that will come in handy:

1. Create spaces to share existing knowledge

In my first article, published by People First, I explain how you can create a ‘culture of learning’. It’s fairly simple: you need to give your employees space and time to learn, when and how they want to. You do not need expensive learning software for this. You just need to draw on what you have: the talent in your company and their desire to connect and develop.

To inspire learning in your business you can facilitate weekly learning groups, where people share a part of their job or company knowledge with others. This can be recorded for people who are unable to attend in person or online.

You can use existing communication tools such as Skype, Slack, and even WhatsApp for your employees to talk and ask each other questions with the result of (near) immediate responses. All of these technologies are free of charge. Most people know how to use them, and you can also share documents. This is particularly useful if not everyone is in the office all the time. It will help everyone to connect, and it doesn’t have to be restricted to work topics.

2. No need to reinvent the wheel

YouTube is one example that has a lot of content covering a vast variety of topics. Your weekly learning groups can follow a specific topic, which is further discussed in your Skype or WhatsApp groups.

Let your employees find useful videos regarding this topic and share them on social media. Reward the most liked/shared/helpful video with a prize at the end of the week! For example, this video about Fire Safety.

3. Work with experienced freelancers to draw from their expertise

If money is tight, the training department is often the last to receive funding or budget allocations. Maybe you don’t have a training department. The above-mentioned methods are easy to implement. However, often you will need someone to facilitate them, especially in the beginning.

You might also want to create training workshops or online modules that are tailormade for your company. That’s where freelance training consultants are a great option. You can flexibly work with them on a case by case basis, rather than having to justify the money for another employee.

4. Look into off-the-shelf online platforms

There are several online HR and learning platforms that you can use, which offer a flexible approach to the way people learn. People First’s Chatbot, which is a form of AI, allows employees to lead a daily, confidential diary which they can use to reflect back on. This makes it easier to share any struggles they might have with their manager. Litmos offers a fully functional platform and accompanying content with one of their newest additions, Litmos Heroes. You can also upload and create your own learning courses. GoodHabitz has a similar approach, offering selected content at a flat rate price. They add new courses every month to provide ongoing learning opportunities.

It all depends on your company and the ideas you have for its future, and the talent within!

Go ahead and try it out. In case you need help, ask me anything.