EVIDENCE-BASED ACTION
The 4th Industrial Revolution is here.
According to the World Economic Forum, (yuck) 42% of the core skills required to perform existing jobs are expected to change within 2 years. For better and worse, AI, technological advances and emerging fields are migrating into the marketplace. Attention is currency. Adaptability is a necessity. Education is priceless.
Upskilling helps companies (and individuals) future-proof.
Knowing how to teach your audience is integral in communicating your message, training or
The commonality of any project, whether for personal enjoyment, to be executed for market, narrated to consumer, or developed for internal structure, is the importance of communication. Well-researched learning and development invites curiosity, enables united competency and encourages engagement from both employees and potential customers.
Modern consumers prefer marketing that is both informative and inspiring. When people learn something, they are more likely to trust it, contribute and share it.
The same is true for employees. In a recent survey, according to Deloitte, “learning and career development are 2x more important to people than compensation, benefits, and work environment.” Additionally, lifelong learning is imperative as the life-span of a skill is currently 3-5 years.
Once you’ve simplified the complex structure, it’s essential to employ accessible, attainable, action steps that influence both your internal world and organizational stragetgy.
This can look like updating manuals, integrating employee training online or hosting informative, morale-building retreats.
LEARNING STYLES FOR ADULTS
When working with adult clients, in training material or managing a narrative, I like to use an andragogical approach.
Unlike pedagogy, where the learner is dependant on the teacher supplying and evaluating sequential, logical topics (think of chapters and units in high school history class, with a teacher at the board) andragory engages the learner with more independence.
Andragory is a method of encouaging autonomy, self-evaluation, depth and direction of the learning process. Life expereinces serve as a foundation and are applied in real-life scenarios. Learning is reinforced through self evaluation, information sharing to peers and problem-solving.
Sometimes, a combination of learning theories is best placed into action. For example: perhaps a manual needs updating, in which case could be instructional. However, creating uniqye engagement opportunities for your team to have practical experiences offers reinforcement and reflection for improvement.
CREATING LEADERS
Hiring is expensive and inefficient. Today, 83% of executives support employee learning (Deloitte).
But how do you keep and encourage employees in an environment where humans are generally becoming less attentive?
The average human attention span is 8 seconds. Goldfish have a 9-second attention span.
Yet, the average worker is on their phone 150 times a day and checking emails at a rate of every 2 minutes (30x/hour) and consuming information at a record pace.
This is possible because the brain is neurologically programmed to intake, decipher, cognitively make decisions and store memory via the fastest, most effective avenue. Microlearning uses what we know about the neural network of the brain and human psychology to craft quick, accessible content. We see examples of this in instagram stories and app updates. Here are some benefits of microlearning:
CUTTING EDGE INFORMATION: like refilling a station on a buffet versus preparing an entire meal, content is easily offered and up-to-date
ACCESSIBLE: microlearning does well in many formats. Social media, apps, employee communication systems and audio/video links create creative, fingertip information
BRIEF INFO: think of microlearning like the brain’s flash cards. Concise, condensed information allows for optimal participation and retention
AUTONOMY: within a thoughtfully designed andragogical program, microlearning encourages team member responsibility and readiness to self-invest in personal growth, thereby contributing more creatively, resiliently and quickly than those who do not continue learning
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