{"id":56352,"date":"2020-08-12T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=articles&p=56352"},"modified":"2020-08-12T12:13:19","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T16:13:19","slug":"content-development-the-best-practices-of-great-training-organizations","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/articles\/content-development\/content-development-the-best-practices-of-great-training-organizations\/","title":{"rendered":"Content Development: The Best Practices of Great Training Organizations"},"author":52,"featured_media":56362,"template":"","tags":[227,13908,4976,1321,2812],"class_list":["post-56352","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-content-development","tag-content-development-strategies","tag-great-training-organizations","tag-training-content","tag-training-reinforcement","global_topic_tax-content-development"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Hope Williams","author_image":38451,"author_bio":"Hope Williams is an associate editor at Training Industry, Inc.","excerpt":"Great training organizations understand that the development of training content is integral to enhancing the overall performance of the workforce and achieving business objectives.","main_content":"In the modern workplace, training content development has moved beyond writing a thorough facilitator\u2019s guide or crafting a handy job aid. It\u2019s even gone beyond relaying the information workers need to execute tasks on the job. Great training organizations<\/a> understand that the development of training content is integral to upholding company culture, enhancing the overall performance of the workforce and achieving business objectives.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn order to\u00a0motivate, engage and retain our workforce, along with improving efficiencies and increasing the success of the business, high-quality, flexible content is indispensable,\u201d says Julie Kirsch, CPTM, director of training and development at Calibre CPA Group, PLLC. Let\u2019s assess the best practices great training organizations leverage to ensure training content serves the business\u2019 strategic goals as well as the unique needs of the employees.\r\n

Reinforce Learning With Experiential and Job-relevant Post-training Activities<\/h2>\r\nGreat training organizations understand that they should not focus on one-time training events. \u201cDon\u2019t just assume learning has occurred,\u201d says Dr. Bill Brantley, CPTM, senior human resources specialist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. \u201cIt\u2019s the Monday-morning phenomena: I take a great training class, I get back to my desk on Monday and I\u2019ve probably forgotten half of what I learned in that class last week.\u201d\r\n\r\nTo ensure your training content doesn\u2019t result in scrap learning<\/a>, engage learners with hands-on post-training materials that contain job-relevant information to keep learning top of mind. This content may come in the form of case studies developed by subject matter experts (SMEs)<\/a> to offer a practical application of the principles taught in the classroom or post-training assessments to check learner comprehension. \u201cTraining organizations can\u2019t have the mindset [that] one training solution fits the company,\u201d says Trent Bartholomew, CPTM, lead instructional designer and course manager for safety, compliance and training at Amtrak.\r\n\r\nOffer \u201crobust and experiential learning opportunities that take place over a period of time\u201d by incorporating activities such as pre- and post-classroom reinforcement and social learning<\/a>, says Kirsch. \u201cIt's important that learning and training leaders help people develop the required competencies in the most effective and efficient way and to support the transfer of learning to the job.\u201d","full_width":false,"content_band":[{"acf_fc_layout":"social_callout","blockquote":"Engage learners with hands-on post-training materials that contain job-relevant information to keep learning top of mind."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_area","wysiwyg":"

Don\u2019t Assume the Latest Trends and Technologies Are Suited to Your Learners<\/h2>\r\nIt can be tempting to gravitate toward modern authoring tools<\/a> with the latest and greatest in content development and curation<\/a> capabilities. However, just because a technology promises a sleek, intuitive user interface and rapid content development<\/a> capabilities doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the right fit for your learners or your organization.\r\n\r\nMore important than implementing all the latest trends is the ability to engage employees in learning at the point of need. \u201cJust because the industry says eLearning [and] social learning are the best formats or the most current doesn't mean [they\u2019re] right for your learners,\u201d says Kirsch. \u201cKeep an open mind to how they learn, and meet their needs.\u201d\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s important to remember where your learners are going to use the skills and knowledge your training seeks to instill. In Amtrak\u2019s case, workers are often performing tasks and repairs in warehouses or on train tracks. In this environment, pulling workers off the job to complete an eLearning module takes them away from their work \u2014 and not having the hands-on application and guidance necessary for technical procedures creates a high-risk work environment. Bartholomew says, \u201c[Employees are] out putting breaks on a train engine wheel. They\u2019re on the ground \u2014 literally on the ground. They\u2019re in a big shop. There\u2019s no computer there.\u201d\r\n\r\nTo meet the needs of their learners, Amtrak developed a YouTube channel containing \u201cshort demonstration videos,\u201d says Bartholomew. Developing these videos enabled Amtrak to both enhance the training and keep employees learning back on the job. You don\u2019t have to have the most modern tool, but you do need one that will enable you to create content that\u2019s memorable, accessible and relevant to your learners.\r\n

Listen to the Business and Your Learners<\/h2>\r\nStrategic alignment<\/a> is the foundation of any great training organization, and strategic alignment between training content and the needs of the business is the first step in identifying and developing the skills your workforce needs to drive business results. In highly effective training organizations, training content reflects the company\u2019s culture, mission and objectives. Bartholomew shares that training content should \u201c[meet] the needs of the learners and the company, because if you just focus on one or the other, you might miss the boat.\u201d\r\n\r\nTo achieve strategic alignment, learning leaders must listen to their stakeholders, including their learners. Often, training requests come from well-intentioned executives who see a need for training and prescribe a solution without fully understanding the problem at hand. In these instances, Brantley suggests asking, \u201cWhat is the problem we\u2019re trying to solve, and what impact do you want to have on the person?\u201d\r\n\r\nGreat training organizations design training content that\u2019s optimized to engage learners, with job-relevant materials that support behavior change. \u201cEffective training content should support informal learning \u2014 including coaching<\/a> and mentoring<\/a>, on-the-job instruction, apprenticeships<\/a>, shadowing, [and] action-based learning, with the added component of on-demand access to eLearning,\u201d says Kirsch.\r\n\r\nTraining content is a powerful resource for training managers to equip employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive business outcomes. Great training organizations<\/a> recognize that content development must be strategically aligned to the company\u2019s goals and the learners\u2019 needs to optimize business performance."},{"acf_fc_layout":"social_callout","blockquote":"You don\u2019t have to have the most modern tool, but you do need one that will enable you to create content that\u2019s memorable. "},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_area","wysiwyg":"[hubspot type=\"form\" portal=\"47185625\" id=\"78bd8162-29a8-45fb-8540-1b3a83ffca35\" version=\"v4\"]\r\n\r\n