Both the science of learning outcomes or objectives and adaptive learning originated at about the same time in the 1950’s. They have been connected ever since. The goal of both is to enhance cognition which comprises the mental processes involved in knowing, understanding, and thinking. Learning Objectives In the 1950’s, Benjamin Bloom invented a cognitive taxonomy embraced by American educators. Revised in 2001 by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl, Bloom’s Taxonomy became more dynamic, reflecting the interactivity of contemporary education contexts. The list has six categories. It moves from the simplest form of cognition, knowledge/remembering, to the most complex, evaluation/creating.* By connecting Bloom’s scientific categorization of teaching and learning, educators could measure instructional and student achievement more precisely. The learning objective,  which was gaining traction in education at about the same time, has become that connector. Learning objectives are statements that describe an act that can be measured. A learning objective always includes an action verb  and a specific goal to be achieved, showing learning through performance. The type of verb used can indicate which level of Bloom’s is meant to be accomplished. For example "define" engenders remembering; "describe" engenders understanding; and "build" engenders creating. A robust learning program includes the whole range of Bloom’s taxonomy in its learning outcomes. Adaptive Learning Adaptive learning has come a long way from its 1950’s origins in B.F. Skinner’s primitive teaching machine which focused on immediate feedback, individual pacing, and incremental learning. Adaptive learning today involves the use of technology to provide students with a customized experience based on their previous accomplishments and progress with subject content, practice activities, and assessments. The student is offered hints to help them succeed and is presented with more or less challenging materials based on their learning process and performance. In order to measure and adapt based on "progress," adaptive courseware has to articulate the objectives of that progress. So as in formative assessment, learning objectives or outcomes are integral to adapting student learning pathways. In Acrobatiq courseware , learning outcomes reflect Bloom’s taxonomy in hierarchies from simple to complex. For example, achieving the complex learning outcome, Analyze the causes of World War II, depends on students achieving simpler cognitive levels of learning objectives such as: Name the nations in the Axis powers and the Allies. [Remembering] Discuss economic conditions in Europe before World War II. [Understanding] The learning objective determines the type of activity attached to it. For example, a simulation supports application while a matching exercise supports remembering. Most importantly, Acrobatiq adaptive learning courseware captures data as students go through the program to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses on the way to achieving the more complex objective. And, of course, the student is provided relevant material to  strengthen their learning on lower-order cognitive levels or skills to ensure their success at higher-level thinking. *Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Original/Revised Description Knowledge/Remembering Recall facts and basic concepts. Comprehension/Understanding Connect concepts through interpretation and organization. Application/Applying Solve problems using acquired knowledge. Analysis/Analyzing Use evidence, knowledge and data to draw conclusions, infer, and conclude. Synthesis/Evaluating Create a plan or product based on elaborated ideas/Present opinions based on criteria. Evaluation/Creating Assess based on criteria/Present new ideas or solutions by innovative organization of evidence    

As instructors implement the flipped classroom with their students, enthusiasm for this learner-centered strategy grows. Learn more about the flipped classroom from these sources: History of the Flipped Classroom Flipped Learning Founders Set the Record Straight by Stephen Noono In this interview with Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, the high school teachers credited with originating the flipped classroom, they discuss how it all began. In 2007, inspired by new recording software, they decided to make lecture videos for students to view at home. In essence, they "flipped" the classroom: students learned  new material at home, then did their "homework" or practice in class. According to Bergmann and Sams, "it’s not just about the videos." The flipped classroom is more about the activity-based learning taking place face-to-face with students in class. In this interview, they discuss how their ideas have changed as they’ve used this model. The Flipped Classroom in Higher Education The Flipped Classroom, Webinar  by Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman Inside Higher Ed editors Jaschik and Lederman, lead a webinar on the basics of the flipped classroom. They comment on the use of data analytics courseware  in the flipped classroom and the difference between the flipped classroom and blended learning. What Is the Flipped Classroom? See the University of Washington’s brief illustrated outline of how to start using the flipped strategy. Where Flipped Learning Research Is Going  by David Raths Raths discusses the challenges of testing the efficacy of flipped learning. A lot of the research is informal with professors setting up one class as flipped and another as a control group. And there’s debate about the criteria used to compare them. Thomas Mennella, Bay Path University, is looking not only at test scores but the quality of instruction. He’s found that students in the flipped classroom learn in more depth than those in traditional settings. Experiencing the Flipped Classroom Three Evolving Thoughts about Flipped Learning  by Robert Talbert Early supporters of the flipped classroom emphasized how the classroom lecture isn’t an effective way of teaching. An early adopter of the flipped model, Robert Talbert at Grand Valley State University, has found that a short targeted lecture inviting discussion can still be helpful when students are engaged with in-class activities. He writes about how out-of-class study doesn’t have to be about mastery as early advocates proposed. Rather, the videos can make an even greater impact by motivating students to ask meaningful questions when they come into class. Mini-lectures as discussion starters can be very effective in helping students find the answers to their questions. How Did I Get Here?  by Teresa Collins Collins, who teaches at Tiffin University, was flipping her writing class before she even heard of Bergmann and Sams. This method helped her students fulfill course requirements in a more consistent way. She also writes that they have a more positive attituded towards the subject and are more willing participants in class.

Mobile learning in the workplace is the future. In the next ten years, mobile learning will not be considered a choice, but a necessary mode of learning to stay competitive. It isn’t a fad, it isn’t a trend, and it doesn’t belong in the ‘ten minutes of fame’ category predicted by Andy Warhol; it is going to become the predominant method of learning for our ever growing mobile workforces. But how did we get to this stage of development, and what’s next for mobile learning? Mobile learning environments such as Wranx have come to be thanks to the increasing sales of mobile devices, the increasing share of mobile web traffic, and the increasing adoption of mobile devices in the workplace. All of these things have led to our current ‘mobile world’, a world where people expect content to be immediately accessible and technology to support a wide variety of different functions.   To give you can idea of how intertwined mobile internet devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) are in our lives, in 2013 The Guardian reported that mobile internet devices were set to outnumber human beings. In the same coverage discussing a Cisco report, it was revealed that by 2017 the average smartphone will generate 2.7GB of data traffic a month and that mobile video will make up two-thirds of data transmitted worldwide. This shift in computing means that very soon the sales of smartphones and tablets will overtake the sales of PCs, fuelling dramatic change in the workplace. Now that people are making mobile devices their medium of preference to access the internet, they are also making mobile devices their medium of preference for mobile learning. Mobile devices can be used for a wide variety of different things, from playing games, to checking glucose levels, to checking heart rates, to measuring distances, to banking, and employees expect to be able to perform work-related tasks on their mobile devices too, from document creation, to project management, to training. Learning and training for mobile workforces prior to the mobile revolution used involve travelling across time zones with costly transport and meeting expenses. But thanks to mobile devices, learning and training can be achieved in a cost-effective and efficient manner which limits downtime and increases performance. But how can organisations benefit from this technological shift? Simply, organisations need to invest in a mobile learning strategy that’s built alongside a mobile learning solution, such as Wranx for sales teams, Wranx for new starters, and Wranx for customer services.   The Future of Mobile Learning Not so far into the future, workforces are going to be tech-savvy, digitally connected, and work with a very different mindset to the mobile workforces of today. This ‘new-age’ workforce will have grown up with devices and they will consider search, sharing, collaboration, and creation on mobile devices the norm. They will have more creative freedom than the mobile workforces of today and going by the current rate of increase in the adoption of mobile devices in the workplace, learning and training on anything other than a mobile device - most probably a part of BYOD - will seem archaic. It is inevitable that mobile learning will become a key consideration for CCOs and sales directors within the next five to ten years. It’s almost as if it is destined to happen as much as cloud computing, a concept which was universal since the inception of networks. But what form will it take? On-demand micro-learning, such as Wranx, and e-learning courseware, search, videos, podcasts, and articles are the likely form to see the most success, but social forms such as wikis, blogs, forums, social networks, coaching and mentoring will definitely have a place, as will performance support, feedback, and quality circles.   Whatever the case, as the mobile world evolves, so will the training world. Here’s some quick mobile learning developments which we think will happen within the next five years: 1) Decision-makers will adopt mobile learning in the workplace to improve employee performance, particularly for programs that deliver real ROI like sales team training. 2) More advanced, rich, and dynamic mobile learning experiences will surface to keep up with hardware 3) The emergence of technologies such as Learning Analytics will play a larger role in mobile learning 4) NFC, Bluetooth, and other device capabilities will make mobile learning more interactive. Share this post with your own audience

Nowadays, we are presented with an abundance of different teaching and learning techniques that aim to improve knowledge acquisition and retention levels. While some of these are passing fads, others have been scientifically proven to work, such as gamification. This method of training has caused quite a stir in recent years, as it not only delivers results, but can also be highly entertaining and enjoyable for the individual learning. When you compare gamification to traditional training techniques such as classroom teaching or office-based learning, it seems like a no brainer. However, understanding gamification and knowing how to introduce it is another matter. Several businesses won’t be fully aware of what is involved with this teaching technique or how it can be implemented to training situations. That being the case, here is a guide for getting started with gamification. What is gamification? Gartner recently defined gamification as: "The use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals." Game mechanics refers to elements including points, badges and leader boards that are commonplace in several video games, while experience design describes the journey a player takes, facilitated by narratives and story lines. As opposed to physically interactions, those playing games digitally engage with computers, smartphones or other devices. The basic aim of gamification is to motivate individuals to develop their skills, evoke innovation, and ultimately change behaviours. This is made possible by enabling players to achieve their goals, which are aligned with organisational aims and objectives. Understanding gamification Gamification draws upon behavioural science, motivational theory, video game design and human psychology to engage individuals, provide entertainment, teach pieces of information and change ways of thinking. The social network LinkedIn and online retailer Amazon have both gamified their systems to attract the user’s attention, get them involved, have some fun and finally influence action. The very nature of gaming makes it perfect for performing and tracking training. Games reward players for doing well, which encourages the user to progress. But in order to issue prizes or awards, the game needs to track and monitor activity. This is often presented in the form of leader boards, rankings and scores, which gives businesses a hugely useful and valuable insight into employee performance. As opposed to traditional methods of evaluation, which tend to take place after training has taken place or are simply based on instinct, gamification provides real-time analysis. This is not only beneficial at an organisational level, but for individuals as well. Players can receive immediate feedback on their performance, know how peers are getting on and gain motivation to improve. Therefore, individuals understand where their learning is going, managers gain an accurate picture of employee performance and competency, while the whole organisation knows whether training is working or not. Due to this comprehensive level of data and knowledge, gamification should not be viewed as the latest training craze. In fact, it has the power and potential to revolutionise how business is conducted as well as the training and evaluation of employees. If gamification sounds like the type of training your business could benefit from, think about the following: Look for, study and play various applications Do some research, find out what kind of applications are currently available, and see whether they would be beneficial for your business. However, playing or interacting with an app for just a few minutes won’t give you a greater understanding of a particular subject straight away. Nor will it immediately help you discover the value it could bring to your training. So, take your time, think about the advantages and disadvantages of implementing gamification, see what types of application would be best for the business and come to a reasoned conclusion. Wranx has worked incredibly hard to deliver scientifically proven games that help employees learn. Our training solution is very flexible, giving you the tools to change subject topics remotely and set specific time limits to encourage delivery. Games are played and completed over a prolonged period of time, which helps employees move knowledge over to their long-term memory. Change your own way of thinking Even though gamification can bring about a behavioural change in employees, you should alter your own way of thinking when it comes to implementing this training technique. As opposed to traditional teaching methods, gamification is meant to be a lot more entertaining, engaging and fun. Therefore, have a playful attitude, be curious and don’t restrict yourself. While a return on your investment is important, employees should feel confident and comfortable in their job role, which can be helped by gamification. After all, a happy worker is a productive worker. Wranx has recognised the effectiveness of gamification in training situations, but also knows that pleasure is equally important. With over 300 different achievements to win, which can be acquired by demonstrating knowledge in topics determined by you, employees are motivated to learn but also have fun at the same time. On top of that, members of staff can take part in training on desktop and mobile devices whenever they feel like it, adding even more enjoyment to the experience. Introduce an element of competition In certain games, the user will play against the computer and try to outwit this inanimate machine. While this exercise may help growth and aid progression to some extent, it is much more beneficial for employees to compete against each other. Humans have a natural instinct to compete with their peers and contemporaries, which gamification can take advantage of and capitalise on. Create challenges for your workforce, introduce an element of competition and encourage employees to work hard for rewards. Wranx is a great believer in the power of competition, which is why rankings and leader boards are a part of our gamification solution. Employees can compare achievements to promote rivalry, while simple incentives encourage workers to focus on delivery. All the while, you’ll be receiving valuable back-end data to measure knowledge and retention. Regardless of the hype that surrounds gamification today, it can potentially be a cornerstone of your business’ training approach and activity. Playing games, providing incentives and creating competition is scientifically proven to assist with learning and development. Share this post with your own audience

Even if you’re a bit sceptical or unsure about the potential advantages that gamification can afford, there are several instances and examples where this increasingly popular learning technique is proving to be incredibly successful, especially when it comes to corporate training.   Training and coaching For several employees, further teaching or tuition at work does not sound like an exciting prospect. Numerous individuals find traditional training fairly mundane, uninspiring and monotonous. With little interest in learning new skills, acquiring more knowledge about a particular subject or developing greater on-the-job proficiency, trainees demonstrate poor levels of retention and aren’t able to reap the rewards that further coaching can provide. To address and overcome this problem, more and more companies are exploring alternative training techniques and tactics, such as gamification. By using game mechanics and design to construct playable scenarios and storylines, individuals can become interested in certain subjects and highly engaged with learning materials. Gamification provides incentives such as achievements and awards to obtain, which increases motivation, helps leaners achieve their goals and brings about a change in behaviour. All the while, an employer can monitor user progress and adjust themes or subjects according to ongoing requirements. Here at Wranx, we are proud of our sophisticated and science driven gamification model. We have developed over 300 different achievements to win, leaderboards that compare employee performance and limits on particular awards to encourage delivery. We know that the human instinct of competition and the want of accomplishment can bring about greater training performance and better knowledge retention. On top of that, engagement and motivation levels markedly increase through gamification too. Even so, several employers believe that gamification is too casual and informal in a corporate environment. However, implementing game-based programmes can have a remarkable and long-lasting impact on everyday operations, employee proficiency and customer relationships, not just from a training perspective, but across the entire business too.   Recruitment and onboarding Before you even think about establishing a gamification training programme, it might be worth introducing this technique to your recruitment process. For example, HackerRank has developed programming challenges and competitions for prospective members of staff to complete. This enables a company to learn about a potential employee’s proficiency, while applicants can get a real feel for the job they’re applying for. "What we do is give people the opportunity to connect with any company on the planet by building a set of challenges that employ the skills required for a job there," HackerRank’s co-founder Vivek Ravisankar told CNN. "There are so many diamonds in the rough, so it’s important for companies to introduce gaming into the hiring process in order to test their skills." If gamification can help recruit knowledgeable and suitable employees in the first place, who do not necessarily require on boarding, up skilling or another form of coaching, then training could be eradicated altogether. A practical test of an applicant’s skills is far more beneficial than cover letters and CVs, which aren’t always accurate, reliable or truthful at the best of times. "It’s only a matter of time before this becomes a widely accepted way of thinking," Ravisankar adds.   Engagement and loyalty Another reason to implement gamification in a corporate environment is that several organisations have found engagement and loyalty levels can dramatically increase with this technique. At Dreamforce 2013, which is Salesforce’s annual user and developer conference, there were numerous speakers and sessions that described how gamification could be used to motivate workforces and drive meaningful results. VMware discussed how to use gamification to drive engagement from partners while NetApp and Caesers Entertainment revealed how it can transform company cultures, improve sales performance and increase productivity. Thought leaders also disclosed how to select a technology partner and implement gamification as well as insight into what the industry will look like in the future. The value of employee engagement and loyalty was one of the biggest and most prominent principles that came from these presentations. While increased employee engagement might sound like a favourable asset for your company, it can actually be fundamental to bottom line success too. A 2008 article published by Harvard Business Review titled, Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work, found that: Employee engagement drives satisfaction, employee satisfaction drives loyalty, employee loyalty drives productivity, employee productivity drives value, value drives customer satisfaction, customer satisfaction drives loyalty and customer loyalty drives both profitability and growth. Therefore, gamification could end up being consequential to the success of your business.   Relationships and interactions Although a lot will depend on the products or services your company provides, there are a great deal of corporate organisations out there that struggle to attract the attention and interests of their customers. Thankfully, gamification is here to help again, as Clickipedia has provided some examples of how incorporating puzzles, challenges and contests into ordinary activities can increase the attentiveness of consumers. Just like Mint, who made the task of managing personal finances into a much simpler and more entertaining activity. Goal trackers, visual breakdowns and easy-to-understand charts are all examples of gamification in action. As opposed to a boring spreadsheet, this colourful and enjoyable experience is much more likely to keep interest levels high. Then there is Samsung, who have increased their social footprint by rewarding users that engage with the community, participate in discussions, watch videos and review products. Badges are given out and progress is achieved by participating in these activities, which grab the audience’s attention and keep it there. While Samsung are bound to attract countless website visitors anyway, it concentrated on highlighting the benefits of getting involved and at the same time, ended up with valuable user-generated branded content. So, from recruitment and training to engagement and loyalty, gamification can help your workforce become better employees. What’s more, they will prove to be valuable company assets that deliver better bottom line performance too. However, gamification can also be used to attract and retain the attention of customers. For these reasons, corporate gamification definitely works! Share this post with your own audience

Before we explore the reasons why gamification has taken off in the corporate world, let’s take a step back and explain this term for those unfamiliar with it. According to a definition by Gartner, gamification is "the use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals." Game mechanics can include things like rewards or achievements, whereas experience design refers to the journey a player takes, such as following a story or narrative. Finally, digital engagement and motivation makes reference to our increasing use of computers, smartphones, and other similar devices. For countless companies, the concept of gamification is like a dream come true. Previously, engaging and motivating employees felt like an uphill struggle, which could only be achieved through things like monetary bonuses or the promise of promotion. Nowadays, our reliance and love of new technology has meant gamification can be capitalised on to capture the imagination of staff while keeping stimulation levels high. But why should your organisation think about adopting this approach? What can gamification be used for, how should it be implemented and who has already taken advantage of this approach?   Why choose gamification? In addition to its clear-cut definition, Gartner is also on hand to predict that 40 per cent of Global 1000 organisations will be using gamification as the primary tool to transform their business operations. The reason for such a sizeable uptake is because it can transform typical workplace activities, which members of staff find boring or tedious, into much more enjoyable experiences. In turn, this leads to a more productive and profitable company. However, implementation isn’t as black and white as this. The unique attributes of individual industries means that you can’t create leaderboards for sales staff or give out badges to top performers straight away. Gamification is much more than a one-size-fits-all solution; it must incorporate your organisation’s specific goals and corporate culture in order to achieve long-lasting results. Having said that, due to the flexible and malleable nature of technology, customising gamification solutions can be relatively easy. Take training software as an example. If an employee needs to take a quiz to get to another level, the in-game mechanics and narrative can stay the same; only the questions need to change.   What can gamification be used for? First and foremost, gamification can be used to bring about a behavioural change in employees, from increasing their skill set or expertise of a certain subject to improving customer relationships and boosting on the job focus. In large organisations, individual members of staff may feel ordinary or unexceptional. Consequently, corporate environments are struggling to keep employees engaged in their work. However, no matter how small a cog may be, it still contributes something to the bigger machine. This is a story that gamification can tell and capitalise on. But in addition to regaining employee interest, it also allows for new information to be retained and applied much more effectively too. Even so, the narrative of gamification must always consider the core values of an organisation, which run through every layer of the hierarchy. Otherwise, entry-level staff will feel like their contribution is not being recognised by senior executives or members of the board. Coming up with an enterprise-wide gamification solution is no mean feat, but something that should take precedence when employee engagement levels need elevating.   How should gamification be implemented? Rather than coming up with a program or course that takes employees away from their roles and responsibilities, gamification should be integrated with existing routines in mind. In addition to avoiding downtime, this also enables members of staff to pick up and put down gamification when it suits them. For instance, smartphone and tablet apps featuring gamification can be opened up on an employee’s daily commute or while they are home. When at work, they can continue this experience on desktop during quiet periods or at a time authorised by their superiors. Furthermore, gamification solutions that are hosted in the cloud can be changed and adjusted according to individual requirements. This also means there is no need to install expensive software, which could soon become obsolete anyway. All the while, senior staff can receive or review employee performance through in-depth analytics. This may include activity metrics, cohort knowledge retention rates, and predicted course completion dates.   Who has already taken advantage of gamification? Bluewolf - Consultancy firm Bluewolf uses gamification to get employees more engaged and involved with the brand. Its  #GoingSocial program offers points and rewards for things like external collaborations and publishing company blog posts. Keas - This employee wellness platform, which is used by enterprises to maintain lower health insurance costs, encourages client companies to earn awards and achievements for completing tasks and supporting co-workers with their goals too. ChoreWars - Gamification doesn’t have to be exclusively used for business-based objectives, it can be employed to complete mundane office tasks too. Use ChoreWars as a one-off contest or weekly high-score table with prizes for those who perform best. Gamification might seem like an approach that has no business in a corporate setting, but due to the extensive advantages of adoption combined with proven examples of successful implementation, the odds are stacked in its favour.  Share this post with your own audience

Seeing as you can’t put a price on people power, onboarding is an increasingly important priority for numerous businesses in a wide range of different sectors. Despite the fact technology has advanced to a point where countless careers are under threat from machines, the indispensable attributes of accustomed employees cannot be beaten. On top of that, the recovery of world economies in recent times has meant more organisations are bringing in new staff, which in turn calls for onboarding programs. This growth has also brought about more mergers and acquisitions, which also calls for amalgamated workforces to be taught about new core values and daily procedures. Even so, the process of onboarding is easier said than done. Turning unfamiliar and nonplussed new hires into productive and effective members of staff in the shortest time possible is no mean feat. During this time, recent recruits will also be formulating ideas about their future with the company, which forces onboarding programs to think about retention incentives too. Therefore, coming up with the right approach has given many organisations a severe headache, especially if it doesn’t have the desired effect. If this sounds like a familiar scenario, read on to find out what you’re missing in your employee on-boarding strategy.   Start onboarding before your new hires’ first day One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is waiting until a new employee’s first day before starting the onboarding process. As soon as potential recruits fill out their application forms and attend interviews, they should be given an insight into what the company is all about. Not only does this increase enthusiasm and create greater competition, it also makes a strong first impression and makes new members of staff feel like they have made the right decision. Delay the onboarding process and employees will struggle to get up to speed straight away. In the worst-case scenario, they could develop a negative attitude towards the job or pick up ever-lasting bad habits. So, to avoid this from happening, you should send employees a personal welcome note, an information pack, and maybe even a small gift. You can publicise their arrival in the company newsletter, set up their workspace, schedule onboarding meetings, order business cards, assign them a mentor, and arrange a welcome lunch for their first day.   Make onboarding a company wide process There will be a temptation to develop specific onboarding processes for particular roles. Although this can be beneficial from an individual perspective, it completely ignores the company’s culture, which should be at the heart of everything your employees do. In order to work effectively, feel connected to the business, and develop engaging relationships to their role and colleagues, new hires will need to feel a sense of belonging, which can only come about from onboarding programs that envelop the entire organisation. So, think about teaching employees about the company’s history and origin, previous victories or foregoing failures. Reiterate the company’s vision, mission, and values, and how they relate to the role. You should also consider looking into topics such as the industry and where the company fits in, typical buyer personas, the current marketplace, and financial forecasts for the year ahead. If this sounds a bit dull, consider teaching methods that are more fun and entertaining, such as the gamification model that Wranx adopts.   Don’t think of onboarding as a one-off event If onboarding is a one-off event or weeklong course, employees will struggle to retain every little piece of information they have been told. What’s more, they probably won’t enjoy themselves very much and might think less of the business, which won’t do anything for motivation levels. But by thinking of onboarding as a process rather than an event, new recruits will absorb and retain what they are told much more effectively. Also, you avoid the risk of boredom, cynicism and disillusionment. When it comes to initiating this process, make sure employees know what is expected as they progress and create scheduled goals that align with broader business objectives. Establish checkpoints to gauge their progress and adjust onboarding accordingly. Although you may want to ease new employees in, it is important to establish minimal productivity as soon as possible. This way, they will feel like they are contributing from the get-go and can keep on improving.   Getting existing employees involved The vast majority of your existing employees are bound to have an extensive amount of knowledge just waiting to be tapped into. This wisdom should be taken advantage of and used to help new employees in any way, shape, or form. Even though staff who have previously been in their position will be of efficacious assistance, senior employees such as managers and executives must also get involved to truly establish a feeling of being in the same boat. With most organisations and industries, recent recruits will hugely benefit from a mentor or coach. From providing on-the-job guidance to having conversations over lunch, this relationship can also address informal issues that aren’t in the welcome pack. But in spite of involving the existing workforce, new hires must be responsible for their own development process, which includes asking questions where necessary but also using initiative and making independent decisions.   The need to regularly review onboarding programs Follow the aforementioned advice and you should be able to implement an effective onboarding program. However, you shouldn’t assume this will be perfect first time round, as every organisation’s requirements are different. So, have a system in place that allows for regular reporting, which can measure and monitor the progress of new hires. This should not be limited to their attitude or morale either, as you will need to bear in mind the financial aspects of onboarding too. Business metrics will relate to the prescribed timeframe of onboarding and how long it took to reach minimum productivity. Whereas recent recruits should be asked about the barriers they encountered but also what worked and helped them out the most. Do this and you should be able to incorporate new hires into your business with the greatest of ease. Share this post with your own audience

Imagine a workforce made up of highly skilled individuals that have a comprehensive grasp of what is required from them on a daily basis. Not only do they have a great deal of adeptness and expertise, these employees also recognise the company’s core values and act in accordance with this. Sounds like an ideal scenario doesn’t it? However, if they don’t have confidence or belief in their own abilities, this knowledge will surely go to waste. A lack of conviction or commitment could be devastating for your company, as targets won’t be met and deals won’t get closed. In recent years, more and more businesses have looked to prioritise Confidence Based Learning over other training tactics and techniques. This way, the organisation can rest assured that its workforce has trust in what they are doing and can work towards shared goals with aplomb. But what else do you need to know about Confidence Based Learning? Here is an overview of its main facets and features.   Origins of Confidence Learning Dr James Bruno, a Professor of Education at UCLA, explained much of what we understand about Confidence Based Learning today. Through extensive research, he established a link between knowledge, confidence, and behaviour. Through the combination of knowledge and confidence, appropriate behaviour will come to fruition and give individuals the empowerment to act. Furthermore, if confident about being correct, people tend to be more productive too. However, this self-assurance can be a curse as well as a blessing. Those who are confident about false information can end up doing something that leads to negative or even harmful results. On the other hand, those who aren’t convinced by their own abilities can freeze in urgent or critical situations.   Establishing competency and confidence among your workforce For most organisations, the only way of knowing whether employees understand their responsibilities and can apply knowledge in a quick, confident, and reliable way is to test them. However, there is a chance members of staff will answer questions correctly with a lucky guess. On top of that, standard testing doesn’t get to the route of finding out the confidence and competence levels of employees. Thankfully, Dr Bruno has also come up with a methodology for this as well. His 2-dimensional assessment generates a metric for correctness plus confidence for each question answered. Consequently, it is possible to discover what members of staff know and how confident they are about their knowledge. This assessment model is a great way for organisations to identify what areas of learning employees need to concentrate on in order to achieve suitable levels of adeptness and expertise. Generally speaking, there are four types of employee according to Dr Bruno’s assessment model: Masters - Those who know the facts and can apply this knowledge confidently Doubters - Those who know the facts but sometimes act with hesitation Misinformed - Those who do not know the facts but are confident in their actions Uninformed - Those who do not know the facts and recognise their knowledge is lacking   How to implement Confidence Based Learning One of the best ways to implement Confidence Based Learning is through an eLearning platform. However, organisations wanting to do this must make sure their choice of software or solution already contains Confidence Based Learning functionality. For example, an appropriate eLearning platform would encourage employees to learn a theme or topic quickly and then be tested on how well they can retain and recall this information over a prolonged period of time. In many respects, this is what Wranx’s spaced repetition solution attempts to do. Through the use of daily quizzes, where employees answer how well they understand a question, both competence and confidence will grow. Members of staff won’t get lucky with a guess but can be honest in their own assessment instead. Themes or topics they aren’t overly familiar with will keep on appearing until an acceptable level of understanding has been achieved, which is when new concepts can then be introduced. You will find that employees are much more receptive to new information when it is spaced out over time rather than consumed all in one go. In addition to better long-term memory retention, this approach can also result in greater presence of mind and level-headedness as well.   The importance of Confidence Based Learning In any working environment, the last thing you want is members of staff simply guessing what they should be doing. At the same time, you wouldn’t want employees doubting their own abilities when a grave or serious situation arises. For these reasons, adopting a Confidence Based Learning approach when teaching or training your workforce makes perfect sense. By establishing a strong and positive link between competence and confidence, you will know what areas and which employees need the most attention. Once any obstacles have been overcome, you should end up with a more proficient and professional workforce, capable of applying conviction to every decision they make. Share this post with your own audience

Despite the fact some organisations used to be somewhat sceptical about adopting eLearning for training purposes, the progressive capabilities of technology mean this form of teaching is now difficult to ignore. In fact, more and more businesses are implementing electronic media and communication technologies for educational purposes in the workplace. However, just like any other aspect of technology, it is crucial to stay on point with the latest trends for fear of getting left behind. So, what exactly is the latest trend for corporate eLearning? Well, in recent years we have seen a number of tactics come and go, with varying degrees of success. For example, Big Data has been on hand to justify expenditure through analysing the ROI of eLearning courses, while personalisation is yet another way of adjusting teaching materials to individual employees. But it seems as though microlearning is really causing a stir in corporate eLearning circles right now. Combined with spaced repetition and gamification, this particular trend could transform the way you upskill and educate your workforce.   How and why is microlearning the next big thing? As opposed traditional methods of training, which favours tedious and ineffective classroom-based coaching, microlearning is concerned with teaching individuals in small yet specific bursts. In addition to maintaining staff attention, microlearning can also improve knowledge retention rates. One of the reasons why this trend has taken precedence for various companies is because of the nature of learners. By 2025, millennials will make up around 75 per cent of the workforce, but the average attention span of this generation is just 90 seconds. For this reason, short and snappy microlearning is seen as a much more productive way of teaching future workforces about critical concepts. But what practices and procedures can you implement to make microlearning work for your business?   Take things one step at a time With microlearning, you cannot adopt the same approach as other training techniques. This means previous courses containing an abundance of learning materials must be broken down and split up into distinctive objectives. Take things one step at a time and make sure the learner knows exactly what is required of them with each module. Only focus on one objective to ensure knowledge is transferred effectively. If you have too many expectations or intentions, the whole purpose of microlearning will be lost.   Use video or other entertaining mediums When it comes to interacting with content online, millenials love videos. In fact, 70 per cent of this generation will visit YouTube on a monthly basis. And there is no reason why you can’t take advantage of this with eLearning, as employees will be much more receptive to something they are familiar and comfortable with, such as videos. However, you may want to explore this idea further by adopting other entertaining or interactive mediums too.   Don’t skimp on quality Regardless of how useful a video’s content may be, leaners won’t respond well if there is a distinct lack of quality. Millenials will instantly reject training materials if the footage is grainy or the editing shoddy because they have gotten use to a certain standard of video. Thankfully, making videos is remarkably easy these days, which means you shouldn’t struggle to produce something that your employees react and respond to positively.   Don’t waffle on for too long Along with quality, the length of video training materials should also be a key concern. Learners will want to know the purpose or meaning of a video straight away, so try not to stray over four minutes with each objective or concept. Don’t waste time on explaining something your employees can find out elsewhere and have confidence they already understand the fundamental aspects of what you are going on about. Avoid talking down to them or adding insincere dialogue either.   Ask learners to demonstrate their knowledge There will be no point in producing a slick video if your learners can’t actually demonstrate what they found out. So, think of ways you can prove learning took place, which also capitalise on the benefits of eLearning. For example, you could get your employees to make their own 30-second video, which explains the lesson’s most important points. Alternatively, you can take advantage of two other recent eLearning trends.   Spaced repetition and gamification With spaced repetition and gamification, your employees will be taking part in a form of microlearning, but also demonstrating their knowledge at the same time. What’s more, staff are bound to enjoy and be engaged by the medium these two are presented on. Spaced repetition takes advantage of the fact we remember or learn items when they are studied over a prolonged time span. Due to this lengthy learning process, each individual teaching tends to be quite short, just like microlearning. With Wranx’s spaced repetition solution, employees are asked how comprehensively they understand a question rather than simply taking a guess. This makes it is possible to prioritise topics the leaner doesn’t know too well, which is a much more effective way of improving someone’s long term memory. Spaced repetition can also be combined with gamification, a science driven technique that incentivises employees to take more lessons and compete with colleagues. Motivation and engagement levels remain high, as gaming is a format millenials have an interest in and are familiar with. So, even though microlearning might well be the latest trend for corporate eLearning, you shouldn’t ignore the potential of using this in conjunction with spaced repetition and gamification.  Share this post with your own audience

On a daily basis, the vast majority of households up and down the country will receive at least one nuisance telephone call. Regardless of whether they are trying to sell you something, access your computer, or steal bank account details, most of us will put the receiver down within a couple of seconds. However, authentic call centres that genuinely want to be of assistance can’t help but get a bad reputation, even if their intentions are honest and upstanding. This makes things incredibly difficult for call centre representatives as well as the organisations reliant on this sales and marketing technique. Employees must carry on regardless in spite of having the phone constantly slammed down on them, which is usually accompanied by an irate rant from the disgruntled caller. Businesses must also keep motivation and spirit levels high in order to achieve call centre prosperity. But in the face of these ongoing obstacles and continual challenges, call centres aren’t actually as bad as you think. For employees, there are several reasons why would choose to work in a call centre environment, whereas businesses can reap various rewards from choosing to pursue this practice.   Reasons to work in a call centre   Employees can make a difference and achieve career goals In call centres where employees are picking up the phone to answer questions and solve problems, the sense of self-satisfaction is immense. In several cases, these members of staff are providing an essential service and making a difference to the lives of customers on a daily basis. Although this often requires a lot of training on a specific subject, it is usually well worthwhile, as every call centre representative will tell you, nothing can beat the thoroughly rewarding experience of making someone’s day. Then again, call centre staff tasked with selling can regularly bask in the achievement of closing a big deal. If you want a career that provides immediate gratification and impressive remuneration, it is difficult to look past telemarketing. Once more, sales staff are bound to receive lots of training on how to encourage and persuade prospects to take action. Also, in this kind of working environment, promotions are never too far away either.   Camaraderie with colleagues and a supportive atmosphere With every other member of staff in exactly the same boat, you can rest assured that camaraderie with colleagues will never be far away in a call centre. Seeing as you need to possess a certain kind of personality to work in a call centre, chances are you will make likeminded friends easily too. To keep spirits high, call centres often have fancy dress days or themed events to keep staff engaged and interested. It is difficult to feel alienated or alone in this kind of environment, which has become a prevalent problem in certain global organisations.  But alongside the laughs and hilarity, you are also guaranteed to receive lots of support too. After a particularly bad call, you can turn to your next-door neighbour for some much needed comfort or advice. There will also be your supervisors and managers on hand to provide experience and guidance whenever it is required. Chances are they were once in your position and can offer up examples of how they dealt with certain situations.   Benefits of using a call centre   Providing customers with added value and greater expertise When a customer calls your company with a question that needs answering or a problem that needs solving, they will want a professional and proficient person to be on the end of the phone. However, businesses that do not make use of call centres may struggle to provide this expected level of confidence and competency. In addition to losing out on potential revenue, the caller may pass on their bad experience to friends and family members, causing even more damage to the organisation’s reputation. But with a team of expert and adept call centre staff answering customer correspondence, you business will be able to provide added value and greater expertise to each and every interaction. Along with keeping hold of existing clientele and building up a loyal following, this commitment to customer service will also do wonders for the company’s name. After all, word of mouth is arguably the most powerful form of publicity there is and something you can only achieve through positive customer experiences.   Closing more deals and increasing bottom-line conversions Although a lot can be said for having courteous yet capable call centre staff on hand to deal with customer questions and complaints, every business still needs to generate enough profit to survive and thrive. Thankfully, this is a distinct possibility if you train additional members of call centre staff to close more deals and increase bottom-line conversions. The art of selling on the phone can be a difficult one to master, but through the correct coaching and guidance, it is well within the reach of any organisation. Together with comprehensive sales technique training, there is also an abundance of other ways to improve performance in a call centre. This includes incentivising staff to reach monthly targets and rotating responsibilities to avoid frustration or impartiality from setting in. Create a call centre environment that is all about achieving goals, and overall workplace productivity is bound to increase. Once again, this comes back to staff being part of a collaborative environment, which encourages individuals to keep on performing but also offers support when the going gets tough.   The often-misunderstood call centre So, when you take into account the fact that call centres can be incredibly fun yet supportive places where camaraderie with colleagues and lofty careers goals are well within anyone’s reach, they become a much more lucrative option for employees. At the same time, businesses can benefit from better reputations and increased profits if call centre staff are on hand to provide added value, greater expertise, and more bottom-line conversions. Share this post with your own audience

In order to get ahead in the world of business, most companies will have to stand out from the crowd and do something different. More often that not, this will involve bending the rules in someway, albeit legally and legitimately. However, the same goes for training. Even though there are various best practices in place and long-established procedures that most organisations will abide by, a lot can be said for thinking outside of the box and breaking traditional taboos. In many respects, there are no rigid rules or regulations associated with training. After all, it is fair to say most businesses will do anything they can to increase the expertise and adeptness of their employees. Even so, the vast majority of companies will go back to conventional classroom teaching and old-fashioned mentoring in an attempt to educate employees. Unfortunately, more and more of today’s workforce are rejecting this approach and require fresh impotence to learn. With this in mind, here are some training taboos you should seriously think about breaking.   Concentrating on skills rather than behaviour Even if you have a competent workforce that possesses a great deal of knowledge about the business and their job role, there is always room for improvement. Usually, businesses believe that in order to improve, members of staff will need to increase and enhance their skillset or expertise. But for numerous organisations and employees, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It is often far more beneficial to concentrate on bringing about a behavioural change in order to boost your personnel’s on-the-job abilities. It isn’t fair to try and change the personality of your employees, but rather evoke an adjustment in attitude. For example, retail staff could learn to treat a member of the public coming through the door as an advocate of the brand rather than just another customer. To this end, training should also attempt to boost the unique traits of each and every individual too. So, if you were in a call centre, naturally introverted employees shouldn’t be forced into making sales, rather retrained to become a customer service representative instead.   Giving employees time off work for training With various training courses, employees will need to leave their desk or post and sit in a conference room for hours on end in order to learn. In some cases, members of staff may even need to leave the workplace altogether and travel to a location several miles away. However, training that takes place in a location far removed from an employee’s natural setting can do more harm than good. It is easy to feel uncomfortable and tense in an unfamiliar place, which isn’t helped by the fact that fellow attendees will no doubt share the same opinion. As a result, employees won’t be focused on the teaching materials and might not gain much from the experience. Even if they do, it can be incredibly difficult to apply this newly acquired knowledge when back at work. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. Through the use of technology, members of staff can participate in online courses or distance learning modules at their desks during quieter times of the day. In addition to feeling at ease, employees will be much more confident when it comes to retaining and applying new information too.   Enlisting the services of a training provider This might sound like a controversial taboo to break, but there is method behind the madness. In fact, taking control of your own training might be the best thing you ever do. There is little to no doubt that the vast majority of training providers are brilliant at what they do. In fact, for certain industries and organisations, they will be considered indispensible. But that doesn’t mean to say every business needs their expertise to upskill and train staff. Again, technology holds the answer. Through learning techniques like spaced repetition and gamification from Wranx, you may never need to send your members of staff on a training course again. You can come up with the themes and topics you want your employees to learn about and these science-driven teaching techniques will do the rest. As soon as your members of staff demonstrate a solid understanding, they will be provided with a new set of materials to learn about. What’s more, spaced repetition and gamification keep employees motivated and intrigued thanks to the element of competition.   Testing your employees at the end of training Evaluating the success of training is absolutely essential. However, waiting until a course has been completed before performing this step is a big mistake, as you won’t be able to monitor employee progress or rectify any mistakes that occurred. On top of that, failing to deliver feedback to members of staff could affect their chances of learning too. Employees will need recognition for their achievements and support when things aren’t going to plan. If you consistently measure progress, you should be able to notice differences in workforce behaviour as soon as each and every individual moves forward. You may also want to implement skill-based metrics, such as conversion rates at different stages of the sales process. Through the use of technology, measuring and testing your employees becomes a lot easier too. This can take the form of regular quizzes or impromptu feedback forms, which don’t take long to complete but will provide invaluable insights into employee learning.   Why breaking training taboos makes perfect sense Even though some forms of training have been around for several years now, the world of business is constantly changing and evolving. For this reason, breaking a few taboos is somewhat essential. You don’t necessarily have to change the subjects or skills you want to teach, but concentrating on employee behaviour, allowing staff to stay on-the-job while learning, taking advantage of modern technology, and testing every step of the way can bring about various far-reaching benefits. Share this post with your own audience

Regardless of an organisation’s size or sector, employee satisfaction is incredibly important. Although each member of staff will be motivated by something different, whether it is receiving a hefty pay-packet or being of assistance to customers in need, every employee requires fulfilment at the end of the day. But while various companies will have certain initiatives in place to ensure its workforce remain content, several overlook the importance of engagement. In many respects, this should be taking greater precedence than employee satisfaction, as the advantages are extensive and the facts speak for themselves. On a LinkedIn blog post, leadership and employee engagement coach Ron McIntrye, revealed: Engaged employees outperform disengaged employees by 20-28 per cent - "This allows for increases in operating income, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth." Businesses with more engaged employees have 51 per cent higher productivity - "All you have to do is think about when you are personally most engaged then translate that to your people." Engaged employees take less time off, averaging 3.5 days a year on average - "When you couple this thought with a well-developed well-being program for your staff the results could be exciting for all sectors of your business." But if these facts and figures aren’t convincing enough, here are 5 more reasons why you should be talking about employee engagement.   Engaged employees will deliver more at work Even though we have already touched upon productivity, engaged employees can deliver more than just an increase in numbers. In fact, members of staff that are actively involved with their responsibilities will be much more innovative too. This is because they will feel much more comfortable and accepted for who they are and what they are doing at work. Engaged employees will be the first to suggest how to improve the company’s products or where enhancements to customer service can be made. On top of that, innovative employees are much more flexible and willing to make things work rather than giving up and jumping ship at the first opportunity. As a result, you will save time and money on projects that require a little bit of tweaking before succeeding.   Engaged employees will be more loyal If you are constantly coming up with ways to involve your employees in big decisions or giving them control over their own destiny, they will feel much more valued and less likely to leave. Not only can this lead to a more efficient and prosperous business, as members of staff will truly understand the company culture and feel passionate about making a difference, it is also extremely cost-effective. There will be no need to hire, onboard, and train new staff when you’ve lost previous personnel through failing to engage. Loyal employees can also lead to a spike in turnover and profit margins too. Regular clients and customers will appreciate seeing or dealing with a familiar face every time they make a purchase and are also more likely to keep on returning too.   Engaged employees will be better team players People power is incredibly important for most businesses and success often comes down to whether members of staff are pulling together in the same direction. But with a workforce of engaged employees, this is a distinct possibility. Through greater involvement and better communication with fellow colleagues, your workforce will always be on the same page. They can brainstorm ideas together, solve problems collectively, provide assistance when needed or even criticise if appropriate. On the other side of the coin, disengaged employees won’t feel like helping out their peers in times of need. They won’t see the point in contributing if it doesn’t benefit their own situation, leading to a less prosperous organisation.   Engaged employees will understand how the business works If your employees are more involved with how the business works, then they will become more astute and develop a strong set of commercial skills. From understanding what can generate a bigger profit to identifying cost reduction opportunities, this knowledge has an untold amount of advantages. Some managers and supervisors may be reluctant to disclose certain pieces of financial information, but that doesn’t mean to say engaged employees can’t help out from a commercial perspective. Simply explain how their input could make a difference and harness the power of an engaged employee’s innovative mind-set. Even if they are a low-ranking member of staff, you never know what insights or enlightenment you could be missing out on.   Engaged employees will become an intrinsic part of the business In spite of an individual’s career goals or aspirations, if they find a company that appreciates and values their contributions on a daily basis, it will become difficult to leave. Before long, they are an intrinsic part of the business. So, along with greater productivity and more innovation, this engaged employee won’t want to leave and will do everything they can to help the business grow and improve. All the while, they will encourage other team members to contribute too and offer up support or feedback when required. Finally, the business should start increasing its turnover and profit margins, as this engaged employee has learnt all about the commercial side of things from greater involvement. So, it is easy to see why you should be talking about employee engagement. Even though you will have an abundance of other responsibilities to worry about, it is dangerous to underestimate the difference involved and connected members of staff can make. Share this post with your own audience

At a fairly young age, the vast majority of us had to decide what we wanted to do for a career. But choosing certain subjects at school and opting for a specific degree at university is quite a difficult undertaking for most teenagers and young adults. Unless you always wanted to be something like a doctor or lawyer, this conundrum had the potential to create a great deal of stress and concern at an age where having fun was meant to be your number one priority. However in many respects, the easy-going and high-spirited attitude of youth can do wonders in the workplace too. Of course you don’t have the kind of freedom you once did, but by adopting a more laid-back approach towards your career or profession, some excellent benefits can be enjoyed from both a personal and business perspective. For numerous organisations, the idea of having fun at work is never entertained. Some companies are in industries where a serious straight face is required at all times, while others require the utmost focus at all times in order to maintain prosperous profit margins. Nonetheless, even the most formal or uptight environment can reap various rewards by allowing its members of staff to take pleasure and merriment from their working day.   The facts about having fun at work According to research published in the book "301 Ways to Have Fun at Work," there is a direct link between the extend to which employees have fun and: Work productively Deliver good customer service Exercise their creativity Provide innovation within their job role Author Dave Hemsath also goes on to say that he believes fun may be the single most important trait of a highly effective and successful organisation. In fact, companies that adopt a fun-orientated culture have: Lower levels of absenteeism Greater job satisfaction Less down time Increased employee loyalty But in spite of these extensive advantages, some people might not be as receptive to a fun working environment as others. Recent research from San Francisco State University notes that fun in the workplace is heavily dependent on the ages of employees. Those born between the early 1980s and early 200s, otherwise known as millenials, tend to like workplace fun more than older generations. One survey from PGI went so far as to say 88 per cent of millenials want a fun and social work environment, compared to just 60 per cent of boomers (people born between approximately 1946 and 1964). Even though this reluctance among boomers may put some organisations off, the same survey also put millennials at the top of the workforce population in the US with 80 million people. So, with boomers making up 76.1 million workers, any shift towards fun could still be well worth it.   Defining fun in the workplace The word "fun" may strike fear into the hearts of many bosses, as it could be perceived as an invitation to give messing around greater precedence than actually doing work. But if you take research by Kansas State University into consideration, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In a study called the "Effects of Workplace Fun on Employee Behaviours," it found that people tend to rate socialising the highest out of all fun-related activities. But this isn’t limited to millenials, as older generations are also fans of greater interpersonal connections at work. This is because people are marrying and having children later, so those in their 20s and 40s lack an established social structure away from the office. What’s more, 71 per cent of millenials say that they would like a "second family" made-up of co-workers. For many organisations, this means striking the right balance between a fun working environment where employees are happy with their role and enjoy the company of colleagues, but also have the motivation and focus to complete daily responsibilities on time. So, how can this be achieved?   Establishing a fun working environment With any luck, you will already have a workforce that has an interest in your organisation’s offering or the industry it occupies. After all, they chose to take up this job in the first place and probably wouldn’t have done so if there were no enjoyment or fulfilment to be had. Therefore, you will need to look beyond spicing up their routine tasks and concentrate on other areas instead, such as putting a more social framework in place or hosting after work events. However, you may also be able to inject some fun into other aspects of daily operations too. Here are a few suggestions:   Redefine your company culture The way an organisation operates is a reflection of its culture, so this should be your first port of call. Try to create an atmosphere where employees can feel comfortable, express themselves, and collaborate with others. All the while, make it easy for staff to be productive, open up new communication channels or provide fun incentives to work harder.   Understand what your employees want Each and every member of staff is bound to have certain interests or passions, which they no doubt share with other employees. So, understand what these passions are and bring your workforce together. For example, start a lunchtime Xbox or PlayStation tournament for video game enthusiasts to participate in.   Make monotonous activities more appealing Aside from their actual jobs, your staff may want some added excitement in other areas or activities, such as training, because this can be a rather boring exercise at the best of times. But through techniques like gamification, which also involves competing against colleagues, your employees will thoroughly enjoy increasing their skill set. It is natural to feel a little bit uneasy about making the working environment a more fun and entertaining one. However, if you implement changes in the right way and in the right areas, both the business and its employees can enjoy a number of far-reaching benefits. Share this post with your own audience

Despite the fact that numerous companies still prefer traditional methods of training such as classroom-based teaching, the modern alternatives are proving to be more successful and effective. Take corporate e-learning for example, which is conducted via electronic media and technology. At first, this method of training came in for some criticism, as it removes the human element that certain learners need. But seeing as technology has become engrained in our daily lives, e-learning is now a much more appealing option. Besides, when you take the extensive advantages into consideration, it makes even more sense. Through e-learning, training can be incredibly flexible, as it fits around your employee’s daily schedule and responsibilities. It can also be tailor-made according to your unique wants and needs. Then there are the financial gains. Members of staff do not need to travel to a training centre, saving money in lost time and expenses. You probably won’t need to spend out an extortionate sum for assistance from a training provider either. But in order to reap these rich rewards, you will need to introduce, implement and execute corporate e-learning in the right way. Here’s how:   Ensure e-learning is relevant Although this can be said for any type of training, it is especially important for corporate e-learning. The content you present to employees needs to be relevant or else they won’t be able to see any value in training. So, ask yourself what topics your members of staff will benefit from the most and how the e-learning course will deliver this information. Everything from your tone of voice to the scenarios you choose will need to relate to the learner’s own position and job role.   Create an engaging experience To increase your employee’s learning potential, you will need to create an engaging experience that puts them in control of their own destiny. Let them explore a particular question or subject matter with freedom, which encourages initiative and enterprise. You may also want to put members of staff into groups and have them discuss the learning materials. In addition to benefitting from one another’s experience and expertise, employees will also be inspired to learn and contribute more in the future.   Provide feedback and allow mistakes As opposed to waiting until the e-learning course is over, you should test and provide feedback along the way. This should result in a much more powerful and effective educational experience that members of staff will greatly appreciate. You shouldn’t criticise mistakes too harshly either, as this is an intrinsic part of learning. If possible, monitor the direct consequences of their error and provide assistance immediately.   Don’t overcomplicate things Try not to confuse employees with learning materials and use simple language instead of industry jargon. Even though some organisations and industries require the use of technical terms, it can overcomplicate things if unnecessary. Through clear and concise language, your employees can concentrate on the job in hand. When they do require help, it will be about the topic or theme and not the way the question is worded.   Stay on point with the latest trends Owing to the flexible nature of e-learning, changes to learning materials can be made at a moments notice. As a result, there is no excuse for failing to stay on point with the latest trends. By keeping abreast of industry developments, your employees will be better equipped to deal with challenges that come their way. Out-dated or old-fashioned teaching will only distance and disenchant members of staff further.   Take advantage of emotionally-driven content Greater engagement is a distinct possibility if learners feel emotionally connected to the subject matter being taught. This link can also help employees absorb and retain information more effectively too. There are various ways you can do this, from telling intriguing stories with relatable characters to using powerful images and graphics. Just remember that a positive emotional response is much more advantageous than negative feelings or fears.   Enable multi-device learning Another advantage of e-learning is that it can take place on a myriad of devices. This allows employees to start their training on the commute to work, pick it up again during lunch and finally complete at home in the evening. Everybody is different when it comes to learning and some will feel more comfortable doing so in a relaxed environment. Then again, other employees might prefer to participate in training at their desks rather than on their sofa, but you must provide the option.   Don’t overlook the importance of appearance Even though content is important, the design and aesthetics of e-learning should also be appealing and engaging. This means the proper use of colours, fonts, images, and other multimedia. A visually stimulating experience, which contains interactive elements, can keep employee interest levels high but also help draw their attention to the most important aspects of the module.   Capitalise on contemporary teaching techniques In recent years, teaching techniques such as spaced repetition and gamification have proven to be incredibly effective in corporate environments. What’s more, they are perfectly suited to e-learning. Spaced repetition exploits the fact that we more easily remember or learn items when they are studied over a prolonged period of time, whereas gamification introduces competition and fun to learning.   Always bring it back to the real-world Through e-learning, you can use all manner of teaching techniques to get your point across. But if this doesn’t relate to the real-world rewards your employees will benefit from, there is little to no point in this type of training. So, explain how e-learning content will improve or enhance your workforce’s job roles. By reinforcing the purpose of training, members of staff will stay motivated and interested in learning. Share this post with your own audience

Be honest, how many times have you conducted a search on Google for a piece of information about someone or something and ended up on Wikipedia? This multilingual, free-content encyclopaedia provides answers to an untold amount of questions thanks to its openly editable nature. But while this enables anyone to improve their understanding about a certain subject, it also increases the chance of inaccuracy and error. Despite the fact most Wikipedia articles contain plenty of references at the bottom of the page, others aren’t always verified and you have to assume what you are reading is correct. Thankfully, Wikipedia’s gamification page is full of valuable content backed up by substantial references. In addition to categorising gamification, it also goes on to explore techniques, applications, and even criticism of the theory. However, even though it explains what gamification is and how it can be used, Wikipedia doesn’t exactly furnish much actionable advice for businesses interested in implementing this revolutionary technique. So, with this in mind, here is what Wikipedia can’t tell you about gamification.   Why gamification works As you’re no doubt aware, gamification works because it provides rewards and injects fun into everyday tasks. What’s more, it capitalises on our natural human instinct of competition and ambition. However, when it comes to business, the ability to motivate staff is arguably the most important and significant element of gamification. Just like Wikipedia, here is a resource that backs up this claim, which explains: You gain motivation when you feel in charge. If you control your own destiny, you are more likely to work harder for longer periods of time and thus achieve initial objectives. Assigning value to the activity can enhance this feeling of autonomy. There is a positive correlation between valuing a subject and the individual’s willingness to work independently. Finally, greater confidence and competency will come about from devoting more time to an activity. Again, a link can be drawn between an individual’s sense of prowess and their desire to pursue certain activities. The reason why gamification keeps motivation levels high is because it combines both extrinsic and intrinsic desires to make daily activities more enjoyable and rewarding. Taking part in gamification makes us feel good, but also provides incentives and gratification.   Where you can benefit from gamification Wikipedia says that gamification can be widely applied in marketing and as a tool for customer engagement. But while it touches upon education and training, Wikipedia only scratches the surface of how gamification can benefit members of staff in an organisation. So, here is a more in-depth look at where benefits can be realised.  Coaching for existing staff - Through the use of game mechanics and design to construct playable work scenarios and possible customer stories, gamification is incredibly effective at coaching existing members of staff. Through incentives such as achievements and awards, employees will be inspired to learn and can achieve various goals too. All the while, you can monitor progress and adjust learning materials according to what you require from staff.   Help recruit more suitable staff - By developing games, challenges, and competitions for prospective employees to complete before the interview process, you will be given an invaluable insight into whether the individual is suitable for the role and company. At the same time, applicants can get a feel for what the organisation is all about and whether they would be happy working there. A recruitment strategy featuring gamification can also make onboarding schemes obsolete and unnecessary.   Increase employee loyalty - If employees feel involved and engaged with their daily responsibilities through the use of gamification, there is a good chance they will stay with the company for many years to come. Higher levels of satisfaction can also lead to greater innovation, increased productivity, and more meaningful relationships with both customers and colleagues.     How to implement gamification For training purposes, recruitment strategies, and employee loyalty schemes, the process of implementing gamification is remarkably easy. This is mainly due to the fact it takes advantage of technology. For example, smartphone and tablet apps featuring gamification can be opened up and accessed almost anywhere. So, regardless of whether employees want to complete tasks on the daily commute or compete with colleagues while at home, they can do. But this technological solution also enables you to change and adjust what materials your staff are accessing. Various gamification apps are often hosted in the cloud, which means you don’t need to install expensive software programmes either. Simultaneously, you can review employee performance or feedback through in-depth analytics and reporting tools. For the purposes of gamification training, this can include activity metrics, cohort knowledge retention rates, and predicted course completion dates.   Gamification with Wranx Another thing that Wikipedia doesn’t tell you is that all of these advantages can be realised with Wranx’s unique take on gamification, which combines theory and science to deliver a comprehensive training solution. With over 300 different achievements to be won, staff will always have an incentive to learn. After completing these tasks on subjects that relate to your business, employees can see their leaderboard position, which also features the performance of colleagues. Wranx’s gamification model also provides support by letting staff know what is required to win more prestigious awards. This is another way of encouraging employees to develop and improve with your overall objectives in mind. So, while Wikipedia might tell you what gamification means and how it can be used, Wranx’s is on hand to provide you with an actual solution. Share this post with your own audience

No matter what industry your organisation occupies or how many members of staff you employ, training can afford extensive advantages. But while some still view this as an uninspiring or unavailing exercise, the range of learning and development options currently available mean that training can now be interesting, engaging, enjoyable, and above all else, rewarding. For numerous businesses, these plus points can’t come soon enough. The rapid advancement of technology coupled with the need for employees to posses a wide range of dynamic skills has meant training now plays an increasingly crucial role in the world of modern business. Traditional training is now long gone, as you can’t afford to simply ask employees to tick which answer they think is correct. We now live in a digital society where workers want to learn from interactive teaching materials that are hosted on platforms they already know and understand. But although these training solutions already exist, the challenge comes when trying to choose the one that’s right for you. With this in mind, here is what you need to consider with training in the 21st century.   Understanding the different elements of training In order to be truly effective, training must marry the following elements together in perfect harmony.   Content - Essentially the skills, information, or subjects you are trying to teach employees. But as opposed to implementing lengthy courses that are difficult to digest in one-go, think about adopting microlearning instead. This delivers training in clear and concise bite-sized chunks, which not only match the consumption habits of contemporary learners but also enhances long-term memory retention.   Technology - Although it might be tempting to fully exploit the potential of technology, you should keep things simple because this will result in better retention and user engagement. De-clutter the platform your training is presented on but don’t forget about mobile optimisation or performance measurement tools.   Expertise - You may feel like managing your training activity in-house, but most of the time it is better to enlist the services of a learning partner. With huge expertise about their system capabilities and how they can best work for your business, these firms will become remote members of your own team and soon start designing tailor-made solutions.   Things your training solution should accomplish Once you have worked alongside an adept learning partner to create appropriate teaching content and made this available on a simple yet technologically advanced platform, your focus should shift towards achieving certain accomplishments. These concern:   Onboarding Seeing as 90 per cent of employees decide whether to stay at their company for the foreseeable future within the first 6 months, onboarding should be more than just a brief orientation. Use this opportunity to introduce them to your company culture and make them feel as comfortable as possible. Fail to do so and your recent recruits will think negatively of their new employers from the get-go. After all, people remain the lifeblood of most organisations and their contribution to daily operations when compared to digital technologies that come and go is invaluable. So, give new hires an introduction to what the company is all about before delving into more specific job-role knowledge.   Training Before technology took over nearly every aspect of society and transformed the way we consume information, training was an unwavering and never-changing fixture in the workplace. But this is no longer the case. Owing to the fact that half of an individual’s digital skillset becomes obsolete in two and a half years, you must provide your workforce with accessible, flexible, and effective training that ensures members of staff are always equipped to perform. This might seem like a time-consuming and expensive activity, but microlearning allows you to introduce new skills or subjects in gradual stages. With greater expertise and ability, your workforce will then be more productive and engaged in their individual roles but also when training takes place too.   Support Simply presenting a new training course or module to your employees and assuming they will figure it out eventually is not good enough. Each and every member of staff should have access to support whenever and wherever they need it, which doesn’t include conducting an online search for answers. After all, research from Gottfredson and Mosher suggests that performance support benefits three of the five moments of learning need - apply, solve, and change. Give your employees the power to take control of their own learning experience by developing support tools that feature appropriate answers and additional expertise from familiar sources.   Development After initial onboarding, continual training, and progressive support, employees will eventually enter a stage of development where they can start gaining leadership, management, and professional skills. But managing to get to this stage is no mean feat, as two-thirds of companies around the world consider themselves weak at developing millennial leaders. Therefore, you will need to create an energetic yet curated learning system where employees know what is required of them to climb the career ladder. Not only can you retain more employees by prioritising development, you will also benefit from a more competent workforce that feels recognised and respected. These same employees will also feel empowered to take on new learning challenges too.   Compliance Finally, you must ensure that all your efforts thus far lead to compliance. There will be little to no point in training if members of staff cannot apply their newly acquired knowledge in the actual workplace. Therefore, be certain that training content speaks specifically to your employees’ individual job roles, especially those in higher-risk business units or areas with lots of regulation. Remember that training with job and company relevant scenario leads to 47 per cent less misconduct than training with unrealistic scenarios. So, move away from off-the-shelf solutions and conduct role-specific training. By understanding the different elements of modern-day training and always having certain accomplishments in mind, you should be able to develop or adopt a solution that is right for you. Share this post with your own audience

In many respects, the theory behind microlearning is not a new one. As a matter of fact, it has been a legitimate learning technique for quite some time now. However, it has attracted a lot more attention in recent years for various reasons. But how, why, and when did microlearning become so popular?   How did microlearning become so popular? The reasons behind microlearning’s popularity are fairly easy to understand. But above all else, it is an incredibly effective way of learning, retaining, and applying new knowledge, skills or information. In its purest form, microlearning is simply gaining a greater understand of something through repetition. Accordingly, microlearning might sound remarkably simple, but that’s because it is. If you have ever studied a musical instrument or attempted to learn a new language, chances are you did so in small, repeated, but increasing steps. Attempting to master these arts by diving in headfirst would not result in a favourable learning outcome. However, with a slow and methodical approach, it is possible to grasp complicated subjects or complex themes, such as playing the piano from a piece of sheet music or striking up a conversation with a Spanish local in Barcelona. But if this were true for all types of knowledge acquisition, such as classroom teaching or workplace training, why is microlearning only starting to gain more traction now?   When did microlearning become so popular? In 2011, Dr Martin Hilbert and his team at the University of southern California revealed that the growth in the Internet, 24-hour television and mobile phones means that we now receive five times as much information every day as we did in 1986. In addition to consumption, the average person also produces six newspapers worth of information compared with just two and a half pages 24 years ago, which equates to a near 200-fold increase. With the consumption and production of so much documentation and data, it is little surprise that today’s learners cannot handle traditional methods of teaching, which tend to favour large chunks of information. Not only are we struggling to even comprehend learning materials when taught this way, the vast majority of us don’t want to either. This new age of information combined with rapid advancements in technology has resulted in a world where microlearning can finally be utilised and implemented for more than just musical instruments and new languages.   Why did microlearning become so popular? Microlearning became so popular because it suits the society we are now all a part of. We have grown accustomed to receiving information via digital channels such as social media, which deliver short snippets of content. Combined with the instantaneous nature of interacting with a smartphone or tablet and the modern-day picture of microlearning becomes easier to understand. On top of that, it has never been so easy to develop platforms for microlearning to exist on. From desktop software programs to smartphone applications, the range of possibilities is vast when you take advantage of contemporary technology.  This doesn’t even take into account concepts like gamification, which is a legitimate teaching technique in its own right, but also works side-by-side with microlearning to incentivise, motivate, encourage, and engage today’s overwhelmed audience of digitally connected media consumers.   The benefits of microlearning So to sum up, the concept of learning through repeating small chunks of teaching materials has been around for centuries. But ever since society fully embraced the trappings of technology, which in turn created a profusion of information, we can no longer handle the subject-heavy nature of traditional teaching. Instead, we prefer to learn new knowledge in a similar way to browsing social media or accessing online content via a smartphone. But thanks to the very same technology that created this dilemma, adopting a modern microlearning approach is quite simple and straightforward.  Furthermore, this new methodology can also provide a wide range of far-reaching benefits that previous teaching or training techniques could only dream of. These include:   Impressive retention levels - With less content to comprehend, learners will find it much easier to remember teaching materials and apply this newly acquired information in real life. An entire school syllabus or training course can be broken down into more manageable pieces, allowing the student or employee to learn each section separately and improve their knowledge retention.   Quicker results - You won’t have to wait long to notice individual improvements with microlearning, as smaller bits of information are much easier to remember. It might be more difficult to cover a wide range of subjects in one go, but this isn’t necessarily a problem unless the student or employees need to know important information immediately.   Remote teaching - With technology at the forefront of modern microlearning, teaching can take place at anytime and from anywhere. Students and employees can decide when they would prefer to learn new skills or improve topic comprehension if microlearning is available online via a smartphone application or desktop software.   Monitoring tools - Again, technology is on hand to bolster the benefits of microlearning, as it becomes much easier to assess, examine and test students or employees thanks to analytical and reporting tools.   Makes training more interesting - Another benefit of using technology for microlearning is that you can introduce various types of media such as video, audio, presentations, or games. Because these content mediums will be familiar to the learner, they won’t lose interest quickly, which makes the entire learning process a lot more intriguing and engaging.   Cost-effective - From a financial point of view, microlearning is much more cost-effective than sending members of staff on a training course, which probably won’t have the desired effect anyway. The teaching materials you develop for e-learning can be used time and time again as well.   Although microlearning might not be suitable for every school or business, it is easy to see why this teaching technique has become so popular in recent years. Share this post with your own audience

Thanks to the truly global nature of the Internet and the rapid advancement of technology, it is possible for any business regardless of its size or sector to trade with customers on the other side of the world. But while this opens up a wealth of new and lucrative opportunities, it also throws up a fair few challenges. First of all, you need to have an in-depth understanding of your target market and their preferences. Purchasers in another country will place different priorities on different products and may not be willing to pay the same as consumers back home. You have also got to consider other factors such as cultural conventions when it comes to selling, what payment methods to accept, how you will delivery your products or services, the refunds and returns process, and whether you need to pay local taxes or export duties. But getting all of these components correct could be pointless if you run into language difficulties. Both clients and customers need to be given the greatest respect, which won’t happen if you insult them or embarrasses yourself through a language misunderstanding. This is just one reason why translating your e-learning courses makes a lot of sense. But what other benefits can this provide?   Better lines of communication It sort of goes without saying that enlisting the services of a translation company for your e-learning courses will lead to better lines of communication. By knowing for certain that teaching materials make sense and are grammatically correct, you can be sure employees won’t struggle to learn, retain and apply new skills or knowledge. You could attempt to translate e-learning courses yourself by using an online facility, but this will not have the desired effect. Although useful for a few words or phrases, online translators don’t possess the ability to understand or interpret entire sentences. What’s more, the often complex and complicated nature of training, which will sometimes contain industry jargon or company-specific terms, means that incomprehensible training materials could do more harm than good. This is especially true if your members of staff need to know about critical health and safety regulations.   More customers and conversions Even if your company’s offering has already witnessed great success at home, there is a chance that this could be enjoyed and even improved upon abroad. But you will never know unless you invest in translating. More often than not, opening up your products and services to a foreign market will lead to an increase in clients and customers all around the world. As a result, your organisation will start to overtake industry competitors that are only proficient in one language. This will then allow the business to go from strength-to-strength and with any luck, record impressive growth figures for many years to come. However you have to speculate to accumulate and believe there are scores of potential patrons out there that will buy your product or service if it is available in another language.   Achieve greater customer and employee satisfaction Seeing as 840 million people around the world speak English, countless companies believe that they can get away with offering only one language. In many respects this is true, but that doesn’t mean to say the pros outweigh the cons. For example, you may be able to achieve greater customer and employee satisfaction by translating your e-learning courses. Clients with a different native tongue to yours will appreciate the effort you have gone to and hold the business in high esteem. At the same time, members of staff will feel like they are part of an organisation that respects and values their contribution. This also means they will be more incentivised and stimulated to learn, as you have gone to the trouble of creating teaching materials specifically for them.   More confidence in your abilities As you are no doubt already aware, confidence is an incredibly important thing in business. If you don’t have self-belief or conviction with your decisions, then you will stand still in the marketplace and fail to progress towards prosperity. But safe in the knowledge that you and your employees can be understood in a number of different languages, the entire organisation will ooze confidence. That being the case, you will surely secure more customers and increase those bottom-line conversions, irrespective of where in the world they are coming from. At the end of the day, there is a big difference between "We have the finest products available to buy" and "We have to buy the best products," which is what happens when you put this phrase into Google and then translate it back again.   What to look for in a translation company Even though you can reap a variety of rewards by translating your e-learning courses, these merits might not come to fruition if the company you choose is equally incompetent in another language. So, with this in mind, here is what to look for in a translation company. Reputation - See whether they are a member of any trade or industry associations and search for reviews online from previous clients. If you can’t find any, ask the company to provide some testimonials from satisfied customers. Experience - Although you shouldn’t instantly discount a translation company that has only been in operation for a few years, if an organisation has stood the test of time it can probably be trusted with your e-learning course. Quality - Ask what initiatives or tools they have in place to ensure quality is always high. Most translators will be more than happy to provide insight into how the business turns around work. Communication - If they are quick to respond and affable in their communications it could be the start of a favourable and mutually beneficial working relationship between the both of you. These are only a handful of benefits to translating your e-learning courses and even more will become apparent once the wheels are in motion. Some more challenges and considerations may also come to the surface, but very few aspects of business are without their obstructions. Share this post with your own audience

Owing to the fact technology is now an integral part of society and something we couldn’t possibly do without, it is no real surprise to see that e-learning has become more and more important from an educational and training perspective. For school pupils, university students, and full-time employees, the ability to acquire new information via computer software and smartphone applications has transformed their respective learning experiences.  But as a concept so intrinsically linked to technology, e-learning must move with the times and continually adjust its offering. By standing still, e-learning could soon receive the same exiled treatment as the traditional teaching methods that preceded it. Thankfully, e-learning is moving forward in a progressive way, as things like smartphone applications are now essential teaching tools for several students. However, one development in particular has not only assisted e-learning in its quest to be at the forefront of modern-day teaching, but also laid claim as a vital and indispensable tool.   A closer look at gamification Generally speaking, gamification refers to the use of game mechanics to "gamify" content, such as teaching materials. In turn, this incentivises and engages students or employees by encouraging them to learn more and provides rewards for certain achievements. It is fair to say that gamification has been evident in the past with things like loyalty programmes, target-based bonuses, and employee-of-the-month schemes. But the rise and effectiveness of e-learning has given this concept yet another far-reaching application. Even though e-learning provides a more relevant and familiar platform for teaching today’s generation of students and employees, the subjects being covered are still very much the same. If the user thinks that these teaching materials are boring, uninspiring or not interesting, the process of learning remains an uphill struggle. But by introducing game mechanics that are a bit more stimulating and enjoyable, any student or employee should be able to learn more effectively. But don’t just take our word for it; this way of thinking has been backed up by scientific statistics.   The gamification statistics that speak for themselves In 2005, the National Summit on Educational Games revealed that learners recall just 10 per cent of what they read and 20 per cent of what they hear. However, if visuals accompany an oral presentation, this number rises to 30 per cent. Furthermore, if learners watch someone carrying out an action while explaining it, this number increases again to 50 per cent. This is the kind of benefit e-learning can afford. But add gamification into the mix and learners can potentially recall 90 per cent of information by doing the job themselves, even if it is a simulation. This is just one statistic that backs up the importance of gamification, but there are plenty more including: Nearly 80 per cent of learners say they would be more productive if teaching or work was more game-like Over 60 per cent of learners would be more motivated by leaderboards or the introduction of a competition between fellow students/colleagues 89 per cent of learners would be more engaged with an e-learning application if it featured a point system These findings from a TalentLMS Survey prove that from an individual’s perspective, the prospect of gamification can improve long-term memories and noticeably increase interest in e-learning. But apart from retention levels and their own attitude towards learning, how else can gamification help students and employees?   Additional benefits of gamification Greater engagement - Learners might not realise it, but gamification can hold their attention and motivate them to complete more tasks. By receiving rewards for the accomplishments they achieve, students and employees will feel positive about their learning experience. This is another way of effectively committing information to an individual’s long-term memory, as the knowledge itself is linked to favourable encounters. Real-world applications - Although gamification takes place in a fun and risk-free environment, it also paints a picture of what the user’s actions could lead to in real life. This ability to gain a first-hand look into how one’s choices can make a difference is invaluable, as they will then put this knowledge to good use when the time actually comes. Enhanced learning experience - Through gamification, learners will no longer think negatively of classes or training. This could potentially have a knock-on affect in every other aspect of school or work and lead to a more positive and life-affirming experience. Learning is transformed from a regrettable and stressful task into a rewarding and satisfying one.   McDonald’s Till Training Game by Kineo - an example of e-learning gamification in action For the introduction of a new till system, McDonald’s UK wanted its employees to learn in a safe environment without the burden of frustrated customers. However, the fast-food chain also wanted improved accuracy, reduced service times, and higher spends. The solution by Kineo was to develop an addictive, purposeful, and fun till training game. This used a simulation of the new till system to discover whether the learners were able to take orders but also assess their knowledge on delivering the best customer experience possible. The game itself featured lifelines, bonuses, satisfaction meters and beat the clock challenges to keep learners engaged, but also attempted to improve knowledge of the till and increase customer interactions at the same time. Although not compulsory, the game received 145,000 visits in one year and remains McDonald’s most popular employee portal page. What’s more, 85 per cent of crewmembers said it helped them understand the new system and would boost their future performance. McDonald’s also managed to reduce each till service by 7.9 seconds and increase their average cheque by 15p, which equates to £23.7 million across the UK. This example alone is enough to understand why gamification is a vital tool in e-learning, something that Mark Reilly, McDonald’s Corporate Training Manager, wholeheartedly agrees with. "This tool was placed quietly on our crew website with no advertising or direction to the restaurants. The crew found it, played it, re-played it and shared it. Its power was in the fact that it challenged people to try-out and experiment to succeed and improve, which is what the most effective learning is all about." Share this post with your own audience

In order to be a good leader, there are several attributes one must exhibit. These include the ability to delegate, strong communication skills, lots of self-confidence and a positive attitude even when the chips are down. Then again, there will be great leaders that go above and beyond their call of duty to help fellow employees. They will also be honest if talking to staff, show creativity when solving problems, and inspire others to do better. However, there is one thing that good and great leaders need to do if they want to become an ideal leader - keep on learning. Ideal leaders will always want to ask questions but never assume they know everything. They won’t be afraid to make mistakes either but will want feedback on how to improve in the future. But why is it important to keep on learning? And how can you go about increasing your knowledge or gaining a greater understanding about certain themes and topics?   Learning to lead It is extremely dangerous for any leader to think they are the finished article. Even with the highest level of education possible and a great deal of real-world experience, there is still no guaranteed way of knowing what will happen in the future. We can look at the past for clues or piece together predictions using present-day information, but trying to provide guidance through cold hard facts will do little to inspire. Instead, leaders must always be open to the idea of change. By doing so, it becomes much easier to respond in unfamiliar or unknown situations. This attitude also helps when it comes to learning, as you will be a lot more willing to accept and apply new concepts or ideas. After all, we are living in a world where the half-life of any skill is about five years. Therefore, for businesses to stay relevant and remain in touch with the growing wants and needs of the customer, today’s leaders must always renew their perspective on skills and knowledge. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. It is fair to say that the majority of modern-day leaders will have been schooled in the classroom, where passively accepting new knowledge was the only option on offer. But for millenials, who now outnumber other generations in the workplace, traditional ways of training no longer cut it. Some leaders may be more than happy to learn like they have always known, but if they are willing to accept the power of change in terms of skills and knowledge, they should also be unreserved in their attitude towards training. Millenials have grown up with access to extensive online resources, so the belief that learning should be an everyday occurrence already resides here. However, traditional training doesn’t allow for such immediate learning to happen. As a result, leaders must look at implementing fast, relevant, and autonomous learning solutions, which not only increase their own intelligence and appreciation, but also that of other employees.   Learning how to learn In the Global Human Capital Trends 2015 study by Deloitte, 85 per cent of respondents said that learning was either important or very important. Yet, more companies than ever before said they were also unprepared to address this issue. In many respects, the answer is quite clear though. Organisations must find ways to connect and participate in learning, which not only challenge their employees’ way of thinking, but also provide them with the ability to become better people. Through greater collaboration that completes training in smarter and more efficient ways, we can all become ideal leaders too. Such a strategy should concentrate on continual learning with long-term goals in mind. It is all well and good having people that want to learn, but they must also know how to build strong relationships, find relevant information, make sense of their observations and then share this knowledge with others. It is well within the realms of possibility for a leader to instil a methodology like this into employees and the workplace too. A change in company culture might be required, but the resources and technology exists to make it happen.   The process of learning If you think of learning as a journey, then you can continue to pursue it time and time again. The places you go and the destination you reach might be different every time, but you will be well equipped to handle whatever comes your way.   Finding new knowledge - The first step is about discovering new information but making sure it is always relevant and applicable. This can be quite difficult due to the profusion of data we are now producing, but regularly evaluating and assessing where information comes from will enable you to filter only the valuable stuff. In time, you will be able to develop a close network of trusted and intelligent sources that provide new perspectives on interesting subjects, but also increase your ability to make more informed decisions. Using new knowledge - Finding things out and personalising it for our own intentions is one thing, but having the ability to actually apply this newly acquired knowledge is another. Thankfully, teaching techniques such as spaced repetition and gamification can give you complete control over the information you are receiving. After understanding what is being said, you can then actively do something about it, which contextualises and reinforces your learning. We all want to find meaning in our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but learning can help us do this through critical thinking. Sharing new knowledge - If knowledge has been passed onto you, then it is only fair you do this for someone else too. This could naturally happen during the course of a normal day, but you may also need to actively exchange resources, ideas, and experiences with colleagues as well. By working alongside others and collectively learning through collaboration or even competition, the whole business can benefit. What’s more, everyone involved in the learning experience will feel like a leader, as they have played a crucial role in the development of others. Bring all of these elements together and every employee can become a leader in the workplace. Certain members of staff might not necessarily be giving orders or have overall command, but they will be exhibiting the most important attribute an ideal leader should possess - a desire to keep on learning. Share this post with your own audience

Any good salesperson will possess the ability to give you a smooth pitch about their product or service, answer any questions in a professional way, and then seal the deal before you have even noticed. However, any great salesperson won’t necessarily do much talking. Instead, they will listen to what you require rather than just assuming and always have your best interests at heart. But managing to turn good salespeople into great ones will often come down to training, where you not only improve and enhance their natural adeptness, but also introduce new concepts and ideas. Having said that, furnishing your workforce with additional skills and extra knowledge isn’t always straightforward, especially if your sales staff haven’t mastered the skill of listening yet. If this is the case, then you may need to adopt a different approach, such as e-learning.   Why use e-learning for sales training? In order to improve confidence, impress customers and increase conversions, sales staff will need to know everything about the product or service on offer. With this knowledge, they can identify the problems a prospect is encountering and explain how the benefits of your product or service can overcome them. But finding the time to introduce training is an obstacle nearly every company faces and something that presents additional challenges for sales managers. Staff don’t always have time to attend a training course and probably don’t want to either. However, e-learning enables any sales team to brush up on their knowledge or recognise the importance of listening at a time and in a place that suits them. With online e-learning courses available on a wide range of devices, this can even take place on the daily commute or during quiet sales floor periods. It doesn’t cost that much to implement either and you also benefit from the ability to monitor the learning progress of employees through data reporting tools. But to make the most of any e-learning course, here are 5 tips that should also result in a smarter sales team:   Use micro-learning In spite of the advantages that e-learning can bring, there is a danger of overwhelming your staff. In fact, a report by Sales Performance International warns that sales training can be too much of a good thing, as approximately 50 per cent of learning content from multi-day sales training is forgotten within five weeks. Therefore, you should look at using micro-learning instead, which breaks training down into more manageable bite-sized chunks. In addition to being easier to understand, smaller sales training modules can also lead to more impressive retention levels too. Take TED talks for example, which feature thought leaders and industry professionals teaching us about a wide variety of different subjects through 15-minute videos.   Introduce an element of competition There is a good chance that your sales staff are already engaged in some healthy rivalry with each other to achieve the most number of commissions in a month. However, you may also want to introduce an element of competition to training as well. If members of staff are motivated to outperform fellow colleagues when training, they will be more likely to learn with greater efficiency. As long as a framework is in place to ensure employees can’t skim over subjects and modules, there is no reason why this can’t benefit their learning experience. At Wranx, competition is an integral part of our gamification solution. We show employees what position they are currently occupying on a leaderboard made up of colleagues, which encourages them to take on additional tasks.   Reward employee achievements While achieving first place in a competition can provide a certain level of satisfaction, sales staff will want actual rewards as well. Thankfully, it is possible to establish an achievement-based training program through e-learning. Members of staff will want to hear they are doing a good job while carrying out their daily responsibilities, but also during training. So, use specific examples of their success instead of generalising, as this could adversely affect morale. In its Path to Excellence initiative, Best Buy awarded the sales force with badges when they utilised concepts previously taught in training. The levels of recognition also correlated with how much each store was selling too.   Provide detailed feedback In the workplace, supervisors can be on hand to provide analysis and feedback on how a sales call went to help improve that particular employee’s future performance. Therefore, it makes complete sense to adopt a similar procedure with training. But through e-learning, sales managers and supervisors are given access to a whole host of learning metrics that are far easier to understand and explain than simply gauging opinion from a telephone call. A similar approach was utilised by Walgreens for its "Well Experience" training exercise. This simulated a pharmacy environment and provided employees with insight into new store layouts as well as "go live" performance coaching. As a result of knowing what they did right and wrong, employee confidence levels rose from 42 per cent to 90 per cent.   Share success stories Seeing as employee attitude affects 40 to 80 per cent of customer satisfaction according to the National Business Research Institute, members of your sales staff must always adopt the right frame of mind in the workplace. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible if certain employees are experiencing a dry patch in sales. So, you must share success stories of when training helped a particular individual boost their sales statistics in order to generate greater interest in learning. Whenever an employee closes a deal at Yesware, they have their very own "closing song" played across the office, which the rest of the team must get up to and dance in celebration. Putting the spotlight on individual accomplishments that have come about through training will pay huge dividends to your organisation’s overall prosperity. So, when the time comes to boost your sales team’s skills and expertise, consider adopting an e-learning training solution, which uses microlearning, introduces an element of competition, rewards employee achievements, provides detailed feedback, and shares success stories. Share this post with your own audience

On account of the fact that classroom-based teaching no longer provides sufficient stimulation for employees at corporate training, different ways of learning have been given greater priority in recent years, such as on-the-job and gaining knowledge through peers. The importance of both is emphasised by the 70:20:10 Model for Learning and Development, which is typically credited to Morgan McCall and his colleagues Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger working at the Centre of Creative Leadership (CCL). After asking nearly 200 executives to self-report on how they believed they learned, McCall summarised that: "Lessons learned by successful and effective managers are roughly: 70 per cent from tough jobs 20 per cent from people (mostly the boss) 10 per cent from courses and reading" Lombardo and Eichinger also expressed their rationale behind the 70:20:10 model in the book The Career Architect Development Planner: "Development generally begins with a realisation of current or future need and the motivation to do something about it. This might come from feedback, a mistake, watching other people’s reactions, failing or not being up to a task - in other words, from experience. The odds are that development will be about 70 per cent from on-the-job experiences - working on tasks and problems; about 20 per cent from feedback and working around good and bad examples of the need; and 10 per cent from courses and reading." To this end, more and more businesses are trying to figure out how they can support this type of learning model. But at the same time, this might be a bit of a pointless exercise, as Generation Y (millenials) are changing the way we learn in a different way. Not only do millenials now outnumber other generations in the workplace, they are also extremely good at learning and personal development. This is not necessarily down to the 70:20:10 model either, as technology, understanding, and attitude are proving to be more important factors in their overall development.   The use of technology Seeing as millenials have grown up alongside technology, it is perhaps no surprise to hear that they are using the digital tools at their disposal for skills and knowledge acquisition. All it takes is a quick search on Google or social networks like Twitter and Facebook to discover more information about a particular subject. What’s more, this can all be done through the instantaneous convenience of a mobile device. But in addition to watching how-to videos on YouTube, reading books on their tablets and listening to audiobooks on their smartphones, this generation is also more than willing to pay for learning resources too. In fact, nearly 25 per cent of millenials spend more than $300 per year on personal development resources. Consequently, employers must adopt a different stance towards training instead of reviewing the 70:20:10 model for answers. A better approach would be to help members of staff in their digital quest for knowledge. The employer can then be sure that any online activity is supporting their career, learning and personal development. Another option is to enlist the services of an e-Learning training provider that already has digital capabilities in place, such as gamification or spaced repetition solutions, which can easily be modified and adjusted according to the employer’s requirements.   Understanding the importance of soft skills Another reason why the 70:20:10 model does not always apply to millenials is that they have and are still acquiring knowledge from other sources away from the workplace. For example, millenials have been educated by their parents much more than previous generations. This doesn’t refer to academic subjects or home schooling, but rather transferable soft skills such as emotional intelligence. At school, millenials were also taught that securing a place at university or finding full-time employment didn’t solely depend on academic prowess. It was equally important to be a well-rounded individual who knew the value of working in a team and helping others that needed assistance. Therefore, charity work and team sports were regarded as significant as classroom subjects. Upon entering employment, millenials are equipped with a great deal of knowledge but also a wide range of soft skills as well. While this has extensive advantages in terms of carrying out day-to-day responsibilities, it can also bring about numerous benefits as far as training goes too. Millenials will need little convincing that different or alternative training methods are important and are bound to enjoy a different approach to classroom-based teaching. However, they will still require support on identifying areas that need improving and constant feedback on their performance.   Learning away from the workplace Again, it is necessary to look back at the education of millenials for this particular point. At school, this generation were encouraged to attend afterschool clubs or develop an interest in subjects that required the acquisition of different skills. From playing football and performing in shows to learning a different language or new musical instrument, a lot of personal time would be invested in clubs and communities. But regardless of where or when these activities took place, the lines between "learning" and "having fun" became blurred, something which has carried on into the working lives of several millenials. So today, millenials are not only happy to increase their learning or skills acquisition away from the workplace, they almost expect it. They also want to have an active interest in training and contribute to this activity, rather than simply being a passive member of the classroom. However, this doesn’t mean to say you can simply force training onto your members of staff when they aren’t at work, as millenials recognise the importance of personal time too. For this reason, you must be flexible with your approach to training and provide numerous opportunities for when, where, and how it can happen.   How Generation Y are changing the way we learn While some sections of the workforce will still exhibit the learning behaviours described in the 70:20:10 model, millenials are increasingly abandoning this mind-set due to their previous experiences. Therefore, employers must recognise that the use of technology, the importance of soft skills, and learning away from the workplace must be critical considerations when devising a modern-day training strategy for Generation Y employees. Share this post with your own audience

In spite of the powerful and potent advantages that e-learning can provide, several businesses remain sceptical and believe traditional training methods are just as effective in teaching staff new knowledge and information. But even if you throw scientific studies or in-depth research in front of these doubters, they often come back with arguments over the financial implications of e-learning and how much investment it requires. Thankfully, e-learning has the answers to these questions as well. In fact, calculating the ROI of this training method can also help to measure its effectiveness too. So, what frameworks and metrics exist to determine just how beneficial e-learning can be?   Measuring e-learning effectiveness In order to collect and acquire the broadest perspective possible into e-learning effectiveness, it is imperative to measure multiple factors. The main ones are:   Employee feedback - First and foremost, collecting feedback from employees can help to understand how well the training was perceived. Members of staff should be asked if the course was a valuable experience and whether they liked the topics, materials, and how it was presented. However, it is important to remember that although valuable, these opinions do not have a significant or tangible impact on the organisation’s e-learning goals. Tests and evaluations - In addition to opinion, measurement must also try and find out whether the workforce’s knowledge has actually increased as a result of e-learning. Once again, this must be approached with caution, as certain members of staff might be able to apply their new expertise in a test situation, but struggle to do the same at work. Control groups - Along with speaking to and testing employees that participated in training, it also helps to assess members of staff who missed out too. This control group can help determine whether there are any correlations between the two. But in the past, this measurement has only been applicable for simple and short-term processes, which means the control group method can be somewhat insufficient. HR metrics - So far, measurement metrics have primarily concerned short-term knowledge retention, but by delving into data from HR you can see whether e-learning has had an affect on employee retention, satisfaction, and loyalty too. Even so, other factors such as income, career prospects, and corporate culture may be more important to your workforce anyway, which can’t always be changed by e-learning. Conduct any one of these exercises and you can gain a worthwhile insight into the effectiveness of e-learning. But the only way of discovering whether it truly changed the behaviour and capabilities of staff is to carry out all four. What’s more, this should also give you answers about your return on investment too, assuming you know what costs are involved with this training technique.   Understanding the cost of e-learning For all the free courses that exist online today, most e-learning will require some sort of investment. After all, 70 per cent of employers don’t even trust the credibility of free online course completion anyway. But what costs can you expect to incur when building an e-learning solution?   People - It may involve the use of digital media for training purposes, but people power is still required to create an e-learning course. This can be a combination of both internal and external consultants, as your staff may know what needs to be taught but cannot develop the necessary programs or software. You will also need to value the time of staff that actually take part in e-learning, as they could be away from their position for prolonged periods of time. Technology - Seeing as e-learning is completely dependent on technology, this is bound to be another major expense. Some companies may even need a tailor-made solution that seamlessly integrates with their existing IT infrastructure. However, others might be able to adopt a fully functioning system that simply requires a change in course content. But with over 500 Learning Management System vendors on the market according to Bersin by Deloitte, you won’t struggle to find a provider to suit your unique requirements. Content - Don’t assume that teaching materials from previous training can be used for e-learning, as classroom-based content presented on a computer screen kind of misses the point. Costs associated with content will need to take into account development as well as creation. You may also need to think about how content could be changed in the future when new products are released or updated regulations come into affect. But most e-learning courses can be amended with relative ease.   Understanding the savings of e-learning If you have already established a fully functioning training programme, you may think that all this expenditure is too costly and simply unnecessary. But you must look to the long-term with e-learning, as it can potentially pay for itself several times over thanks to the following savings:   No travel expenses - This is one of the biggest reasons why large companies are starting to adopt e-learning. Employees can participate in training at their place of work and don’t need to travel to a specific location. No need for a teacher - Regardless of whether it’s an external consultant or internal member of staff, the teacher tasked with training is no longer required. No loss of work time - Employees can choose to learn at anytime and virtually anywhere. If e-learning courses are available on smartphone and desktop, members of staff can receive training on their daily commute or at home after work. More flexibility - With traditional training, employees often struggle to learn as they are forced to swallow information within a rigid schedule. But through e-learning, more flexibility means that multiple training sessions, which could end up costing lots of money, are eliminated. More personalisation - With the ability to absorb new information at their own speed, employees will become more efficient learners. So, along with the fact that e-learning can be a more cost-effective training solution, it also has the power to increase the efficiency and speed of knowledge acquisition, wherever and whenever employees decide to participate. Share this post with your own audience

With the LMS market expected to grow 23 percent by 2018, so will eLearning. This year alone, the global eLearning market is expected to reach $107 billion and over 57 percent of organizations are utilizing some form of online and blended learning. In fact, the need for eLearning content is so great that companies are putting together entire teams of people that include instructional designers, editors, graphic designers and authoring tool specialists.