Five Ways to Get ‘Ghosted’ by Your Learners

by CoSo

October 31, 2016

Ghosted. It’s not a Halloween “thing,” exactly. But it’s plenty scary—at least for training professionals.

Are your learners disappearing on you? Maybe fading during a session? Or simply not showing up? If so, you’ve been ghosted and are probably guilty of committing at least one of the following ghoulish crimes!

 

1. You made the meeting optional

In the mind of a busy worker, ‘voluntary’ means unnecessary. If the meeting is important, you require your learners to go. If it’s not that important, why are you hosting it at all? Even if there’s low-impact but “nice to have” information that you’d like your workers to know as long as they have the time to take it in, save it for a related session or a less busy time—and track your learners to make sure they get it. Haphazardly disseminating knowledge to whoever chooses to show up divides your workforce and stokes frustration for everyone.

2. You present old information

Reinforcing knowledge is one thing. Recycling is another. That industry stat from the last session may say it all, but it’s been said. As soon as your learners recognize used information, they instinctively want to stop paying attention. There is simply nothing to be gained from information they already know. If you want to keep learners under your spell, keep your content fresh.

3. You schedule too many “lunch and learns”

Hosting sessions during lunch is a great way to fit the learning in when things get busy. But this is when workers need their break most of all.  Lunch time isn’t just about food. It’s personal time that allows people to mentally recharge. Infringe on that time too often, and you’ll dig your own grave! Workers will begin to resent the sessions, which can hurt engagement and—even worse—morale.

4. You don’t use asynchronous learning

People don’t learn the way they used to. Whereas it used to be about teaching workers what they’re supposed to learn, when they’re told to learn, and all according to the way you want to teach, many aspects of knowledge transfer have been shown to work better when it’s conducted on the worker’s own terms. The idea is, instead of broadcasting information during a fixed period in time, you make online learning resources available that allows workers to learn anytime, anywhere and all while collaborating with others. Implement asynchronous learning and RIP at night.

5. You don’t invite enough interaction

Don’t just present. Teach! Hosting an eLearning session without interactivity is a great way to turn learners into zombies. Sure, there’s a lot of information you need to convey and not a lot of time to do it. But not only does mini competitions, quizzes, and role play keep learners engaged, it will tell you whether the information is sinking in.

Read more of our blog posts or our CEO’s published articles for more training tricks and treats that will help your learners rejoin the living!