How To Liven Up Your Training Program Using Outdated Material
Employers need to invest in training material that’s qualitative and addresses current trends in the industry, but that process can be time-consuming and costly. However, you may already have the necessary resources to keep your employees updated on new technologies and skills. Your past training content isn’t useless, and you may be able to revamp it without compromising the quality and effectiveness of the L&D process. Below, you can see 6 tips to maximize your old training material’s potential.
6 Strategies To Repurpose Training Content
1. Analyze Your Training Content
First, you need to understand your training needs thoroughly. Why do your employees require training? Is it to master a new marketing method or build some basic communication skills? Once you have figured out all the competencies they need to succeed in their roles, you can narrow down the topic and L&D objectives. Then, search your existing or past training content and identify its strengths and weaknesses. For example, is your content still relevant? Is it interesting? Will it be effective in addressing your business needs today? Pick the material you think is most meaningful, even if its format seems outdated.
2. Visualize Text-Based Material
Text-based material seems dull, but don’t abandon it just yet. Instead, turn it into visual content. This includes videos, webinars, infographics, and charts. For example, you can use the information in the existing articles or guides and create infographics that visually represent the ideas or concepts, complete with tables and images. Similarly, you can create diagrams to explain how something works and enrich them with illustrations. Alternatively, search the web for related videos on the topic, or record a brief presentation by repurposing the text as a script.
3. Create Microlearning Lessons
You already have videos and webinars that you think are useful, but they’re lengthy, and you’re almost certain that your employees will lose interest. In that case, turn them into microlearning modules. These usually last up to 15 minutes and can hold the trainees’ attention more easily. So, divide your lengthy training sessions into smaller parts, ensuring each has a single concept and is easy to understand. You can deliver them through a Learning Management System, mobile app, or social media.
4. Use Interactive Elements
There are a variety of different interactive elements you can add to your past training content to make it fresh. For example, add quizzes at the end of a video or presentation to help the trainees test their knowledge and remember what they learned. Another idea is to add a realistic scenario, prompting your employees to think of what they would do in a similar situation and thus enhance their problem-solving skills.
5. Add Storytelling
Create a compelling story using your past training content to make the experience more immersive and relatable. For example, you may have conflict resolution training material that you want to make more interesting. So, create a main character, such as an employee, and give them a persona. Have them experience a workplace drama situation or a tough case where they disagree with their coworkers. Use this story to unravel tips and instructions on navigating those challenges and encourage employees to help the fictional team member make the right decisions.
6. Implement Gamification Elements
Add gamification elements to get your employees more invested in your repurposed training content. This can be points awarded when they’ve completed a task or reached a training milestone. When they collect them all, they receive a completion badge. Or consider adding a progress bar in the lessons so that they’ll know when they’re close to the finish line. You can also add leaderboards displaying which team has completed more training sessions or challenges. However, avoid overusing gamification elements, as they can be distracting, and steer clear of activities that may spark unfriendly competition.
Why Should You Repurpose Training Content To Boost Engagement?
Improve Understanding
Interesting content motivates employees and stretches their attention span. While immersed in the content, they can better understand how the concepts tie into their real-world challenges or tasks. Plus, interactive training content offers them the opportunity to apply what they’ve just learned on the spot, helping them remember the material. Visual content also makes it easier for them to understand complex topics, which can be helpful when it comes to theoretical concepts.
Higher Retention Rates
Making employee training more entertaining creates a positive environment that encourages learners to actively participate. Your employees will feel that you value their professional and personal development, and they’ll be more satisfied with the company and the work they do. This will make them less likely to consider leaving their position or seeking a job elsewhere.
Increase Productivity
Well-trained employees are better at their jobs and eager to produce higher-quality projects. With new and interesting training opportunities, they’ll learn new techniques to help them be more efficient in their roles. They’ll also remember tips they’ve learned from the training content and use them immediately to overcome obstacles. All of this increases profitability and improves customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Repurposing your past training content isn’t only cost-effective and time-saving but can also transform how your employees learn new things and approach their professional development. The tips mentioned above can help you start the process of reusing your old corporate training material today and give it a new lease on L&D life.
