Category: Learning Experience Design

Power Pellets: 10 Steps to Winning at Nanolearning

by Tiffany Vojnovski

Anyone who’s ever fast-forwarded a video or jumped to the summary of an article knows that when delivering content, brevity is king. 

Our collective fatigue with screens, schedules, and shifting priorities makes getting to the point more urgent than ever—and our learners feel the same. 

With emails, IMs, and all kinds of alerts interrupting our learners every five minutes,1 we’re fighting a constant battle for their attention. Some experts suggest that learners can devote only 1% of their workweek to training and development. Over a 40-hour week, that adds up to a meager 24 minutes. 

And those 24 minutes are probably scattered: Most learners won’t (can’t?) even watch a video that lasts longer than four minutes.1

How do we reach them amid the noise and bustle of the information arcade?

The Need for Nanolearning

With alerts and notifications bombarding them day and night, learners are distracted all the time. Those pings and dings aren’t emotionally neutral, either: They contribute to a state of constant stress. 

Add in other pressures—from health, finances, and family, to the year 2020 as a whole—and their ability to focus plummets even further.

Learners under stress can be physically unable to process large amounts of detailed information. When they need to know something, they need resources that respect their limited bandwidth and attention. 

Enter our hero: nanolearning. 

What Is Nanolearning?

Nanolearning is a bite-sized learning solution that: 

  • Ranges from one to 15 minutes in duration
  • Focuses on one to three concepts or learning objectives
  • Is accessed on a “pull,” or voluntary basis, at the learner’s moment of need
  • Is often electronic in format—though it doesn’t have to be
  • Nanolearning is the term we use at SweetRush for bite-sized learning; you may be more familiar with the term microlearning. These two terms—and probably others—likely evolved in parallel, as different L&D teams addressed the growing need for shorter, moment-of-need learning. 

At 10-9, or one-billionth, a nano is actually smaller than a micro (10-6, or one-millionth). Keeping nano in the name reminds us to show our maxed-out learners some love—by way of the shortest, most power-packed learning pellets possible. 

For L&D purposes, though, nanolearning and microlearning are synonyms. As you read on, feel free to plug in your own favorite term for bite-sized learning. 

Why Nanolearning? 

We have a tendency to remember the first and last things we learn—that’s why studying in short bursts is more productive than pulling an all-nighter. In nanolearning, too, we teach our learners more by not telling them too much at once. 

Surprise! We also learn better when we’re interested in the material—and when we understand why we need it. Anyone who’s searched “How to repair a dishwasher” or “How to tie a tie” under duress knows that need is a great motivator. 

And here’s a treat for L&D folks: Nanolearning strengthens our relationship with our learners. By letting them graze, we gain their trust. By planting power pellets they can actually use, we show that we understand their needs. 

Next time they have a question, they won’t ghost us in favor of Google. 

10 Steps to Nanolearning

Ready to try nanolearning? These 10 steps will get you through the maze. 

  1. Identify the need. Ask your team: What processes could be broken down into smaller skills or steps? What are learners’ most frequently asked questions? What procedures do they perform less often—and what performance supports could help them when they need to refresh? Not sure? Interview your learners and their managers. The design thinking process is a great investment when you’re not sure what learners need—or what they already know. Your team can leverage this methodology live or remotely.
  2. Find a home for your nanolearning. Nanolearning is mobile-friendly; before you commit to mobile, though, make sure your learners can access their phones during the day. Visit their work sites and observe whether phones are allowed on the factory floor, or if salespeople carry a tablet. Then, consider the operating system needs and find a single solution to house your content. Learners don’t want to download and log into multiple apps—that makes them ghost.
  3. Choose your media. As you’re touring your learners’ work sites, dig deeper. Are they able to play videos at their workstations, or are they road warriors who prefer podcasts? If work conditions vary, consider offering your nanolearning in multiple modalities. Logistics are critical, but your learners’ preferences are just as important. How do they learn new skills or hobbies outside of work? If you’re not sure, this is another great case for conducting learner interviews—or investing in the entire design thinking process.
  4. Sell your nanolearning. How will learners know your nanolearning is available—and worth checking out? Create a communications plan to inform learners about what’s available, when and why they’ll need it, where to find it, and what’s in it for them. Engage internal influencers—that is, champions and peers—to be the face of your campaign. With peers attesting to its value, your campaign won’t feel like another announcement from on high.
  5. Keep modules short. Requests for “one more thing” are the sworn enemies of nanolearning. With the best of intentions, stakeholders sometimes get nervous about all of the material a nanolearning module doesn’t cover. Address those concerns—your stakeholder may have a case for another module—but remind them that the cognitive punch of nanolearning depends on brevity. Remember that four-minute window? It’s fragile. Don’t let the “Can we just” gremlins break it.
  6. Lead with the WIIFM. The title of each nanolearning module should make a clear offer about the task or skill it covers, for example: “How to make a sales call.” Avoid descriptions like “Customer Service 101” or “Intermediate Sales.” Learners don’t have our bird’s-eye view of the content. They don’t know whether their question is elementary or intermediate—and they won’t stick around to find out.
  7. Index your content. Make your modules searchable, using intuitive terms. Tag them with “How do I…/How to + task.” If there’s a specialized or technical name for the task, include that as well. But don’t make the learner guess at terminology they don’t yet know. That adds time and frustration—and increases the risk of ghosting.
  8. Limit the scope of your modules to three (or fewer!) learning objectives. Learners who can search for what they don’t know have a good understanding of what they need. Trust them, and don’t sneak in extras! Most searchable tasks and questions don’t require a lot of context. If you were searching for videos on how to tie a bow tie, you wouldn’t want to learn the history of ties; how they’re manufactured; and how to tie a regular tie, a bolo tie, shoelaces, etc. Answer the question learners searched for—and no more. It’s fair game to recommend related resources. Just don’t expect to rope learners in right now: Meet their need and set them free.
  9. Curate—don’t recreate. Your team doesn’t have to create all of your content from scratch. Even organizations with heavily branded processes can benefit from third-party content. Learners enjoy hearing different voices, and they benefit from multiple perspectives in their own—and adjacent—industries. By referencing the larger conversation, you also model best practices for staying current. New and seasoned learners alike can benefit from suggestions of thought leaders and organizations to follow.
  10. Create a culture of sharing. Whether they’re attending webinars or following trending topics on LinkedIn, many of your learners already engage in informal learning. Give them a space to share and discuss the articles, blogs, and other media that inspire them. Nanolearning shouldn’t be a closed system: It should be a forum for connection and conversation. Encourage your learners to co-create with you to build a sense of shared ownership—and a direct window into their needs.

10 Steps to Winning at Nanolearning

Want more support? Give us a shout—we’re happy to help you connect the dots.

References

  1. Deloitte Development, LLC, “Meet the Modern Learner” [digital image], (2014).
  2. Emma Klosson, “How to Design a Virtual Workshop: 5 Lessons Learned in Virtual Design Thinking,” eLearning Industry, (2020).
  3. Lauren Granahan, “Be a Learning Hero: Use Design Thinking”

Best Practices When Converting Instructor-Led Training to Virtual Training

by Waylen Miki

Do you have in-person sessions approaching that you need to quickly convert to virtual instructor-led training? Our team of experts provides best practices, tips, and tricks to help you be successful.

Many organizations are facing the challenge of maintaining their learning programs during the COVID-19 crisis. Some require entirely new training to address the shifting needs of the business. For example, this auto manufacturer has converted one of its car plants to make ventilator masks. This means that training for new skills and processes may be required—and time is a huge factor. Learning and Development professionals are heeding the call.

With the need to cancel in-person training and gatherings, you may be looking to quickly shift to virtual instructor-led learning in a matter of weeks (or even days). This can be a massive change-management moment for an organization. But you’re not alone. Overnight, almost every person has had to transform his or her way of working, communicating, gathering socially, and learning. Like a technological Big Bang, digital transformation just happened on a global scale.

First and foremost: You can handle this challenge! Here are some tips to begin the conversion process.

Map learning objectives to virtual instructor-led training

You need to identify what you want/need people to know/be able to do. Next, you can chunk existing content related to your objectives, bucket it into modules, and determine the most effective way to sequence it in your virtual presentation. 

Answer these questions:

  • What makes sense to be taught first?
  • What topics can be combined?
  • How many sessions do you think you’ll require to teach each module?

You will likely already have many of the learning materials needed for virtual training. Identify existing instructor-led training (ILT) content that is related to those objectives, and begin the process of curating what to keep and what can go.

Prepare the virtual presentation

When it comes to building your presentation (slide deck), enhance existing content with additional slides to reinforce, explain, and support what you are trying to teach. Remember that attention can be lost if your presentation is overly complex, wordy, and long. Keep your sessions short and to the point, your language simple and straightforward, and avoid any extraneous information.

Remember—think visually. Too much text on a slide can overwhelm your audience. 

Consider your videoconferencing needs

Conferencing tools are all different, and you should consider which one will best serve your needs. Some are robust and complex, best for large groups, while others are simple and ideal for quick one-on-ones. Some videoconferencing services may require your team to download specific software. This can add to the learning curve and setup time. 

Do you see value in recording your virtual session for later consumption? Remember that while Webex, GoToMeeting, and Zoom have recording capabilities, some others don’t. And be aware: In many cases, only the moderator has recording privileges. So if you have asked a nonparticipant to set up the meeting (say, an office administrator), he or she is going to need to be present (at least at the beginning) to start recording. Take a deep dive into the functionality of your conferencing tools to determine what works best for your team, your facilitator, and your presentation.

Here are some tools that you will find helpful in establishing virtual learning for larger groups:

  • Polls are a great way to gather information in the moment and can build engagement for a live presentation. Polls can be used to level-set, gauge where your learners are, and assess understanding.
  • Whiteboards are a great tool to enable collaboration in real time. People can share thoughts and ideas while adding elements to a communal space, helping them feel more connected to the training.
  • Chat windows or the ability to “raise your hand” to talk ensure that everyone has the opportunity to provide feedback. Even those who might be introverted and normally reticent to add their voice at an in-person gathering.
  • Breakout rooms are an excellent way to do synchronous, deeper work together that can then be brought back to the larger group. You should consider providing additional instructions to ensure people know what they’re doing. Also, a moderator or facilitator can ensure that the virtual rooms are functioning as expected and address any questions or issues that learners may have.

Manage your expectations and your time

It may take some extra time and training to ensure that your people have access to the technology and are comfortable using it. You can support your team by helping them establish a home office or workspace from which they can access training. Provide additional sessions to enable your team to get familiar with the virtual instructor-led training platform or tools you are using. Remember that not every member of your team is tech-savvy, so be patient and helpful.

A virtual meeting can require more minutes off the top than an in-person meeting. Everyone needs to get settled in and comfortable, and ready to learn. People need time to adjust to the technology and the interface, ways to comment and provide feedback, etc. Also—don’t forget to build in breaks so learners can refresh themselves.

You will need to ensure that you have a strong facilitator with an understanding of the topics being taught, the technology being used, and the best practices for facilitating a virtual program. This might entail added time to train the trainer and onboard new facilitators by helping them practice before they teach.

On a positive note

While this might seem like a daunting task, it can be a great opportunity for you to review and refresh existing training materials. This can help make the transition to virtual instructor-led training easier in the future as well as addressing any issues in the content before you return to business as usual. If you haven’t developed a virtual training session before, you’ll get a first-hand view of the efficiencies and benefits of virtual learning.

Converting ILT to virtual instructor-led training takes planning, strategy, and an optimistic approach to make it a reality. We’re here to help and offer advice. Our team has decades of experience in virtual learning and people management, both in-person and remote, with countless success stories and lessons learned. We have been extremely successful operating as a virtual company for over 10 years. Let us know if we can help you in any way.

For more guidance, we recommend that you check out this guide for a more detailed list of best practices and tips for converting ILT to virtual instructor-led training from the SweetRush Instructional Design team!

CTA Converting Instructor Led Training to Virtual Training

Are you interested in more information about converting in-person training to virtual learning? Check this out:

Be a Learning Hero: Use Design Thinking

by Lauren Granahan

If you’ve ever been frustrated by poorly designed training that didn’t consider your needs as a learner, trust us, there’s a better way. Enter design thinking for learning, which we call CoDesign. 

Let’s face it—company-sanctioned learning has a bad reputation. Yes, I work for SweetRush—the top eLearning company in the world—and I just wrote that. While I have spent my career thinking about ways to overcome this reputation, I too am put in the learner seat sometimes; and, frankly, most of the stuff out there sucks. 

My Own Experience with Corporate Compliance Training

Due to a change in the law, I had the…pleasure…of sitting through an hour-long sexual harassment module recently. It was an off-the-shelf program produced by…well, not SweetRush. During each of those 60 minutes, I felt the acute pain of an adult learner in the corporate world today. I kept asking myself, “Who thought this would hold my attention?” “Am I actually learning anything from this?” and, a sadder question, “Did the learning designer even care to ask these questions?” 

As learners, a few things are known: Compliance training isn’t negotiable; task-based learning and professional development are important for us to be effective and grow in our careers. But, what if I told you that YOU can be a learning hero and help design learning experiences that hit the mark for you and your peers? What if you had a say in what that learning looks, sounds, and feels like? What if it were tailored to you and your peers, and drew you in and made you actually want to do it? 

I invite you to be a learning hero. 

The Design Thinking Methodology

At SweetRush, we’re integrating the design thinking methodology with learning design, which we call CoDesign. This is a new way to use design thinking, which traditionally is used for product and software development. No matter the end product you have in mind, the key thing to know about design thinking is that it puts a magnifying glass on users before doing any design. 

Through the use of various activities, designers empathize with the user’s world, e.g., what they care about and what their lives are like, in order to truly understand what would work for them. Then, they begin designing, often alongside those users, and engage the users in testing their early ideas and prototypes, getting their feedback, and integrating it into revised ideas that are tested again. 

Bottom line, it’s an iterative process that starts with a foundation of deep understanding of the user and continues with the user engaged in the design, which produces an end result that’s actually useful! 

Applying Design Thinking in Learning and Development

Now let’s talk about how we’re using design thinking to achieve better learning design. Surprisingly, most learning designers skip right to design, taking the word of stakeholders or leaders in the organization for what will “work” for the learner audience without taking the time to ask the actual learners. 

This is where you and your cape come in! Let’s say we are about to start designing a learning experience to help you gain new leadership skills. Rather than taking the word of others about what you like and who you are, what if we invited you and a cross-section of your peers (other leaders) to join a design thinking event? 

We’ll deeply get to know you and your colleagues—what you enjoy doing in your off time, how you like to learn, and what you know already about specific leadership topics. With that information, we can then work together to design something that you’ll actually learn from and enjoy. 

You’ll remain engaged in that process and, when the program is actually ready, and you and your peers sit down to learn, you’ll be the learning hero who deserves the kudos because…it won’t suck. It’ll be designed with the learner in mind, all thanks to you and your hero colleagues. 

Grab your cape and come CoDesign with us and, together, we can work to change the reputation of company-sanctioned learning!

Read more about CoDesign, SweetRush’s approach to design thinking for learning:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Best Learning and Development Articles of 2019—Plus 3 New eBooks!

by Heather York

It’s hard to believe that 2020 is already here, but it is! In the spirit of renewal, let’s look back at SweetRush’s best articles of 2019—and three exciting eBooks we released, too. Sign up to receive lots of insightful new learning articles in the months ahead!

2019 was a year that saw continued growth at SweetRush, with the welcoming of awesome new team members and client-partners into our family. It was also a wonderful year for master-class content, as evidenced by our favorite and most popular articles here—some of which were listed among the best articles of 2019 by the industry. Several of our thought leaders and experts shared leading-edge best practices and tackled issues relevant to custom learning, cultural transformation and change management, emerging technologies like virtual reality, and staff augmentation in the age of agile talent.

In the year ahead, we’ll be sharing loads of vital new insights and talk about industry trends, so stay tuned and subscribe to our monthly newsletter!  

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

2019 Instructional Design Trends and Learning Trends: The Ecosystem Evolves
https://elearningindustry.com/2019-instructional-design-trends-learning-trends-ecosystem-evolves

Named the #2 article of year in the 2019 eLearning Learning’s MVP Awards (“Other” category) and listed among eLearning Industry’s Top 50 articles for 2019, Director of Marketing Danielle Hart’s thorough piece examines the biggest shifts in L&D and presents forward-thinking, highly effective solutions to 11 common sticking points L&D organizations face. Psst: Our 2020 trends article is coming (very) soon! 

Design Thinking: Creating Authentically Learner-Centric Solutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20191112/index.php#/24

Today’s rapid development of learning programs doesn’t always permit audience analysis. So how do you know your strategy is on target? How do you validate ideas with actual learners? Enter the power of design thinking—as discussed by Director of Organizational Effectiveness Lauren Granahan and Director of Instructional Design Clare Dygert. 

3 Hot Tips & Best Practices for Blended Learning Solutions
https://www.sweetrush.com/hot-tips-best-practices-for-blended-learning-solutions/

The “Swiss Army knife of learning solutions” is fantastic for knowledge- and skills-based content and outcomes—and it’s also cost-effective. Senior Instructional Designer Emma Klosson explains how to masterfully strategize and combine the right modalities to create an exceptional blended learning solution. 

Use Design Thinking to Design New Hire Onboarding
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/use-design-thinking-to-design-new-hire-onboarding/

Instructional Designers are often tasked with crafting new employee onboarding, and they can probably design a program off the top of their heads. So why apply design thinking? Clare Dygert shares three very good reasons why—and walks through the steps of applying it. 

CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

5 Types Of Organizational Culture Transformation Approaches: Which Is Right For Your Org?
https://elearningindustry.com/organizational-culture-transformation-approaches-right-org-types

When transforming the culture of your organization, expanding your team and getting the right facilitators and approach in place is vital. Another honoree on eLearning Industry’s list of the Top 50 articles for 2019, Former Director of Cultural and Organizational Transformation Ashley Munday explores five proven approaches specific to organizational needs. 

An Unexpected Approach to Creating a Culture of Innovation
https://elearningindustry.com/create-a-culture-of-innovation-unexpected-approach 

What is co-creation—and how does it contribute to making your team more innovative and agile? What does psychological safety have to do with it? Discover what’s needed to transform your group into supercharged high performers. 

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

VR Case Study Webinar: Answers to Your Questions
https://www.sweetrush.com/virtual-reality-case-study-webinar/

Attendees of our Virtual Reality Case Study webinar brought their burning questions—like What’s VR good for teaching? What advances are you working on for soft skills training? What headset should I use? Do I need a developer to get started with VR? And we responded! Check out Creative Director John-Carlos Lozano’s blog post your how-to for everything VR (at least for this moment; things are rapidly changing!). 

Emerging Tech Innovating Soft Skills for Employees
https://www.sweetrush.com/emerging-technology-innovating-soft-skills-employee-training/

Soft skills have become the most sought-after competencies in nearly every industry. Fortunately, there are new, exciting, and impactful ways to teach empathy and leadership and communication skills. Yours truly sheds light on the use of virtual and augmented realities, gamification, and simulations, and where to learn more. 

STAFF AUGMENTATION

The ROI of Staff Augmentation in Learning and Development
https://elearningindustry.com/roi-of-staff-augmentation-learning-development

What are the advantages to using a staff augmentation vendor versus recruiting and vetting on your own? They are plentiful and save you more than just time and frustration—especially when you partner with a vendor that is also an L&D agency. Talent Solutions experts Rodrigo Salazar and Ann Cathers break down the benefits. 

WORKING VIRTUALLY

4 Things to Consider When Managing a Virtual Team
https://www.sweetrush.com/4-things-to-consider-when-managing-virtual-teams/

With more than a decade as a completely virtual company, SweetRush leaders, including Director of Instructional Design Clare Dygert, have learned how to keep our team members productive and happy. Learn about the essential tools and methods Clare swears by.

eBOOKS YOU NEED TO READ

Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development: The Agile Talent Solution for Modern Business
https://insights.sweetrush.com/staff-augmentation-for-learning-and-development

How do smart L&D managers keep their teams agile, bridge skills gaps, and even shorten project timelines? Staff augmentation—which is surging in popularity as the go-to solution. Find out how it can help you and your team and how to make this strategy work for your organization. 

Top Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on L&D
https://insights.sweetrush.com/top-emerging-technology-trends-2019

In increasing numbers, L&D organizations are integrating emerging technologies like VR, AR, and artificial intelligence into their toolset. Discover how and why these innovations—the future of learning—are having a tremendous impact on performance outcomes and business results.

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Converting Instructor-Led Training to Virtual Learning

by Clare Dygert

Instructional design expert Clare Dygert shares five key considerations for converting instructor-led training to digital learning.

Here’s a very common scenario: Your client has been delivering training for some time now in a face-to-face or instructor-led modality. The training is fairly well-received, and in fact, learners have said that they liked the opportunity to meet and network with other people during the training and that the trainer is engaging. 

But now the company is growing, and the instructor-led training is just not scalable. Or the cost of flying everyone to the training site (plus hotel stays and restaurant meals) is getting too expensive. Or perhaps the training takes three days and the business really wants the learners trained in less time. Whatever the reason, the client wants you to do your magic and convert the course to a less expensive, shorter, but more engaging digital version of itself. 

So what will you do?

Here are five key considerations for converting instructor-led training to digital learning while still giving learners a quality experience. 

1. Consider the audience. 

At SweetRush, we put our learners first! And it makes sense: you’re going to be making a lot of decisions about how the content should be presented, checked, and practiced. Without a thorough understanding of your learners, you won’t make the optimal decisions. What do they know already? Do they need a brush-up on their knowledge or to take a deep, first-time dive? Do they like information in the moment, or do they want to rub elbows with other learners? Knowing your audience will guide all the other choices you make! Learn more about audience analysis.

2. Consider the content. 

Some of your content is going to work great for eLearning, while other kinds of content you’ll want to present in an instructor-led form. Knowledge-based content—like factual information, definitions, or processes—are ideal for eLearning. Moving that kind of content to a digital modality will also probably save you seat time. The rule of thumb is that eLearning will take one-third of the time that instructor-led training will require. And some of your content will be really useful as performance support content or job aids—for example, PDFs in an easy-to-access digital location, or physical supports like desk references or posters. Maybe posters with augmented reality components? (But that’s a whole other article!)

3. Consider practice and feedback. 

When learners are practicing judgment-making (such as sales skills, soft skills, or design skills), it’s ideal to be in the presence of someone who has mastered those skills. The learner can receive nuanced feedback from someone who knows just what tweaks the performance needs to take it to the next level. Likewise, if the content is procedural—like how to install a printer, for example—the “gold standard” practice is to actually do the procedure steps using the equipment. Can you accomplish the same goals using branching scenarios or a simulated environment? Sure! But if you can include some face-to-face or real-life experiences, this is where to use those training modalities. Learn more about blended learning best practices.

4. Consider collaboration.

Sometimes the best training is where the old dogs share their war stories and the young pups ask challenging questions. If the experience you’re considering digitizing includes those moments, think hard about how you will maintain that vibe. eLearning and virtual instructor-led training tend to be focused on a single font of wisdom (i.e., the provided eLearning content or the vILT facilitator) rather than a more decentralized source of truth (e.g., peer-to-peer sharing). If this has been the best part of your existing learning, perhaps maintaining a face-to-face session is worth considering. Learn more about strategies to engage cross-generational teams.

5. Consider consistency. 

Sometimes the content we’re presenting is sensitive and must be expressed in a specific way. Or, for some other reason, we want to be certain that everyone is hearing the same message expressed the same way. In this case, a digital learning experience guarantees consistency, and—bonus!—allows you to test for understanding and (thanks to your learning management system) record the assessment results and prove that the individual completed the instruction. In situations where message consistency is key, nothing beats a digital presentation of content. Read a case study about bringing consistency to call center practices using an online simulation.

Of course, there are no hard and fast rules for how or when to convert instructor-led training to an eLearning or virtual instructor-led experience. And frequently, the total solution will be a blended one, combining both digital and face-to-face elements. But with a little thinking and some empathy, you will assemble the best learning solution for your learners. 

SweetRush Tops Leaderboard in Game-Based Learning Awards

by Heather York

SweetRush’s game-based learning work has received recent notice, winning five Gold awards from the Brandon Hall Group for games and simulations and being named a top 20 creator of gamification in learning by eLearning Industry and Training Industry.

San Francisco, Calif., September 23, 2019 — In the game of life, there are some wins worth truly relishing. SweetRush, a global provider of custom learning solutions, is having such a moment—as is its client-partners—celebrating several recent game-based learning awards and honors—including just being named on eLearning Industry’s Top 20 eLearning Gamification Companies list. An arbiter of who’s producing the most noteworthy programs and breaking new ground among learning companies, eLearning Industry’s new list highlights the most innovative and trusted creators of games for learning throughout the world.

This inclusion on eLearning Industry’s list is SweetRush’s latest recognition for its use of gamification in learning in the last six weeks, having also been named a Top 20 Gamification Company by Training Industry—for the sixth consecutive year—and having 28 wins at the Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards, including:

  • 3 Gold awards in the Best Use of Games or Simulations for Learning category for:
    • A holistic sales training program featuring serious games that teach sales skills, mobile app product knowledge games, and a gamified learning portal
    • A sophisticated board game and simulation for sales managers 
    • A virtual reality simulation that builds empathy
  • 2 Gold awards in the Best Advance in Custom Content category for an online empathy-building simulation and an eLearning program with gaming elements

Given these collective honors, the creative collaborations between SweetRush and its world-class client-partners—who represent a broad cross-section of industries—are resulting in many best-in-class applications of gamification and game-based learning in the Learning and Development industry.

“Games are getting better and more sophisticated every day. With simulations and especially virtual reality, they’re considerably more immersive and can allow learners to experience an environment that might otherwise be too costly or too inconvenient for employees to travel to,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder, and Chairman of SweetRush. “But what’s very persuasive about games and simulations is the great instructional value and incredible effectiveness they can have. It’s not just about ‘fun and games’; there’s real merit to them.” 

“And we are fortunate to work with outstanding client-partners who are at the top of their respective industries,” continues  Schwartzberg. “They’re exceptional in their intellect, awareness, and willingness to take smart risks. When we all put our heads together, great ideas flow freely and bear real fruit. These honors are as much theirs as they are our team members’, and wouldn’t be possible without them.”

View more of our recent awards and other recognition for a variety of work.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 18-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet. 

We are over 175 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

Gamification and Employee Engagement: How Branding Helps

by John-Carlos Lozano

Gamification and employee engagement are intrinsically linked. When you use gamification in learning solutions, you find you have higher employee engagement. And yet there are times when gamification and engagement can both be boosted by something more. 

Recently, a gamification RFP landed on my desk that started me thinking, “How can branding, applied to a gamified solution, help enhance emotional engagement with learners?” Engagement is a critical aspect of any type of training, and the connection between engagement and retention is driving gamification solutions’ popularity—hence this client’s understandable request.

However, the client asked for a creative approach for a series of mini-games, or gamelets, to teach its customer service model to a demographic who is not game-oriented. Translation: Make it fun, make it memorable, and make it effective for this audience. A unique challenge.

So, how could branding play a part? Here’s how I explain “brand” to my wife.

“It’s that first impression you feel when someone new walks into the room,” I tell her.

That feeling speaks to the emotional part of our brain—the part that’s also fundamental to how we think and make decisions. Imagine a product package designed so well that you can’t wait to reveal its contents. Good brand design triggers a sense of anticipation and excitement—creating engagement. And good brand design is also a vehicle to deliver key messages about the company (our client) itself. So, it serves many purposes, and it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

To meet this proposal’s request for an innovative way to teach the customer service model, we designed unique logos that told the story in a fun and humorous way to make the content more approachable. For this demographic, we intentionally kept the navigation and game elements simple. We used brand elements as part of the game mechanics, which reduced user experience anxiety and put the player in “the flow”—a critical aspect for this nongaming-centric audience. The brand concepts added consistency and cohesion in the gamelets, regardless of the order in which they’re taken. A game map gives players the freedom to explore, see their progress, and see how each piece of the customer service model applies to the bigger picture. 

In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, author Daniel Pink explains that emotional engagement “is made through allowing the end-user a sense of autonomy, progress, and sense of purpose,” all of which can be enhanced through the strategic use of branding. In this instance, we helped tell the story by packaging it with branding elements that enhanced how this “gamified” training sparked emotional engagement with the learners.

When designing brand elements, you examine similar data points as those used in designing the instructional approach and the game dynamics. You’re seeking the sweet spot—the place that speaks truth to and intrinsically motivates your audience and is true to the company’s brand.

The brand, instructional approach, and the game ideally work in sync to promote the same messages. When they all come together and are done right, the underlying messaging teaches the audience how their performance on the job impacts their work, careers, and even their lives. 

That’s memorable and motivational. And that’s emotional engagement.

Learn more about SweetRush’s approach to games and simulations for learning.

Download CTA Instructional Design Trends 2020 Report

 

3 Hot Tips and Best Practices for Blended Learning Solutions

by Emma Klosson

Blended learning is a great option for knowledge- and skills-based content and outcomes, as it lets you leverage the best and most cost-effective tools for the job.

Blended learning describes learning solutions that combine two or more learning modalities. The blend could include asynchronous training modalities—such as eLearning, reading, research, and observation—or synchronous modalities, such as instructor-led or virtual instructor-led facilitation or a mix of both.

Blended learning is like the Swiss Army knife of learning solutions

Blended learning is like the Swiss Army knife of learning solutions. You have many tools at your disposal; the key is in choosing the right one—or a combination of the right ones—for the task in hand. And blended learning is also a great “best of all worlds” solution to consider when your learning includes both knowledge-based and skills-based content and outcomes, as it allows you to leverage the best and most cost-effective tools (modalities) for the job.

Why Classroom Learning Doesn’t Always Meet the Need: An Example

Let’s take soft skills training, and use a very typical example. For many years, we believed the only way to teach soft skills effectively was in a classroom setting with a skilled facilitator. The training would typically begin with icebreakers and introductions, and then the facilitator would explain why this particular soft skill is important by sharing some examples. She might then go on to discuss the science, history, or theory behind the various models and tools—before revealing them and explaining how to use them. Afterward, she might demonstrate or show more examples of using video or case studies. At the end of the day, learners would finally get a chance to practice applying their new skills. More often than not, however, there wouldn’t always be enough time left for this, which inevitably meant that not everyone would get the chance to have a go.

traditional classroom learning example

Setting aside the financial side of things, the cost to learners of attending a program like this was extraordinarily high because they had invested more of their time listening to or observing the facilitator rather than actually practicing their new skills.

Blended learning solutions can help to address this imbalance by taking content that doesn’t require a facilitator outside the classroom and reserving the classroom time for meaningful practice, coaching, and feedback.

Top 3 Tips for Creating Blended Learning Solutions

As with all learning solutions, it’s critical that your learning objectives and expected outcomes have been clearly defined before embarking on any blended learning solution development. This includes defining not only the overall program objectives (i.e., what will learners know and be able to do at the end of the program) but also at each step along the way.

With that in mind, here are our top three tips for creating a blended learning solution:

1. Look at the content and decide which pieces can be studied asynchronously and synchronously, and then select the most appropriate modality for each.

  • Asynchronously: This is typically the knowledge-based content/objectives.
  • Synchronously: This is typically the skills-based content/objectives.

Learning ObjectiveAsynchronous?Synchronous?Modality
Define active listening.
(Knowledge-based) 		✔eLearning
Describe the different tools used in active listening.
(Knowledge based)		✔eLearning
Recognize the difference between open and closed questions.
(Knowledge-based)		✔-eLearning
-Observation
Use nonverbal cues to show you are actively listening.
(Skills-based)		✔ILT or vILT (with video capabilities)
Use clarifying questions to check for understanding.
(Skills-based)		✔ILT or vILT

2. Consider the best way to chunk out and sequence your learning.

  • If the learning follows a linear process, it may make sense to break it out into logical steps and teach each one in sequence. 
  • If the learning is more conceptual or theoretical, identify the concepts, models, or tools learners will need to learn first in order to move forward, then build upon that as the learning journey unfolds. One way to help with this is to think about what, if any, prerequisite knowledge learners will need to have either going into the session or when moving from one block of learning to the next.

3. Balance the time between asynchronous and synchronous activities carefully. If too much time passes between tasks performed outside the classroom and the actual classroom sessions, there’s a risk that learners may forget what they’ve learned. Conversely, if tasks or sessions are grouped too close together, learners may not have time to fully review or synthesize the content. Consider your audience and their capabilities and the content and its complexity to help gauge the timing between activities.

Let’s Revisit Our Example—and Make It Blended

Here’s what our new blended soft skills learning solution might look like:

blended learning example

Part 1: Asynchronous learning activities – Take an eLearning course to learn about active listening. 

  • Define active listening.
  • Discover what models and tools are used for active listening.
  • See examples of people using the models and tools of active listening (via video, case studies, animated scenarios, etc.).
  • Check for understanding: Use scenario-based knowledge checks to practice applying the tools of active listening. 

Part 2: Asynchronous learning activities – Observe active listening in the workplace. 

  • Listen for the use of open and closed questions in the workplace.
  • Practices using nonverbal cues to show others you are listening.
  • Observe people’s body language when they are in conversation.

Carry this out on an ongoing basis between completing your eLearning and attending class.

Part 3: Synchronous learning activities – Attend a live session to use your active listening skills. 

  • Practice using your active listening skills.
  • Receive coaching and feedback on your active listening skills.

Attend this class two to four weeks after the eLearning is complete.

In this solution, we’ve extracted the knowledge-based content and designed it as asynchronous activities (eLearning and observation), and we’ve reduced the classroom time by using it to focus solely on the practice and application of skills-based content. (This particular approach of delivering theory first and then gathering to practice is also known as “flipping the classroom.”) We’ve also recommended leaving no more than four weeks between eLearning and the classroom activity, and suggest some on-the-job observation and tasks in between to help maximize retention. 

Blended Learning Best Practices

Now that you have some of the basics, here are more things to think about when putting together your own blended learning solutions…

Know your audience. Understanding who your audience is and what their preferences are will help to ensure the success of your blended learning solution—particularly when selecting modalities. Things to think about include but are not limited to:

  • How much time do learners have to dedicate to training?
  • Do learners have easy access to offline and online resources?
  • Can they commit to a program that might take several weeks or months to complete?

Set expectations at the beginning of the blended learning journey:

  • Show the participants what the learning journey looks like, how all of the parts and pieces fit together, and what they can expect to achieve at the end (and at the end of each milestone, where applicable). For longer blended solutions, we recommend scheduling a formal kickoff meeting or call.
  • Provide realistic estimates of how much time the learner will need to invest in both online and offline activities (for example, if a blended learning solution spans three months but only has 1 hour of vILT each month, how much time will learners be spending on asynchronous activities like reading, research, and eLearning?).
  • Be clear on the level of participation that’s required. Let participants know if they can afford to miss one or more classroom sessions. Share what might happen if they do miss something.
  • Consider adding test-in and test-out or opt-in and opt-out content so that learners can bypass content or adapt the program to suit their needs. 

Consider forming cohorts. If your blended learning solution comprises multiple components or sessions or will span a number of weeks or months, think about creating cohorts to help foster inclusion, teamwork, and collaboration. Adding a social component—such as Skype or WhatsApp chat groups—will provide teams with access to support and encouragement from facilitators and each other throughout the experience.

Administration: While blended learning solutions can often ease the burden of facilitation of more traditional in-person, synchronous training events—such as instructor-led training (ILT) or virtual instructor-led training (vILT) programs—they can come with an added administrative strain. This is particularly true when programs span several weeks or months or contain multiple offline or online activities—not to mention multiple participants. We have listed some of these administrative tasks here:

  • Coordination of participants – Ensure candidates meet requirements for the program; coordinate placement and enrollment.
  • Follow-up and reminders – Ensure learners know what is expected each step of the way by providing prompts and reminders throughout the program.
  • Facilitation of online activities – Coordinate facilitators; book classrooms or reserve online learning space.
  • Provision of coaching and feedback – Coordinate or provide timely and specific feedback for participants throughout the program.
  • Evaluation of attendance and progress throughout the program – It may be necessary to confirm completion of certain activities before allowing learners to progress to new ones.

Last but not least, here are some other factors that can contribute to or get in the way of the success of blended learning solutions:

  • Do participants have the support of their leader to participate in the program? 
  • Will learners be able to prioritize the learning (if needed) in order to stay in the program?
  • Will learners be able to easily apply what they’ve learned once they return to the workplace?

Do you have a project in mind and think we can help? We’re happy to discuss how to best design and deliver your blended learning program for maximum impact, retention, and skill-building. Give us a shout!

Thinking About Target Audience Analysis the SweetRush Way!

by Clare Dygert

Does this sound familiar? The business recognizes that there needs to be an improvement in performance. They hire you to create a training intervention to help their employees make that improvement. You ask about the need, the content, and the learners, and they supply that information. You do the work, and then move on to the next engagement. 

What’s wrong with this picture? 

I can’t think of a single bit of work where I was hired by the actual learners. Under normal circumstances, I would not disregard the importance of a target audience analysis, and I’d learn everything I was going to know about the learners from whoever was hiring me—the boss, the leadership team, or HR. And, if the information was a bit vague, I’d fill in the blanks with what I personally know (or think I know) about the audience. 

At SweetRush, we like to do this differently. Here are our top four strategies for conducting an audience analysis:

listen to your audience - sweetrush

1. Listen to the learners. When we tap into members of the learner audience, we do so by conducting what we call empathy interviews. Empathy interviews essentially answer the question, “What do you want to say?” instead of “What do I want to know?” Open-ended, filled with moments of silence, and steered by the learners, empathy interviews frequently tell us things that we never would have guessed—sometimes to the great surprise of the folks who are paying us. We have learned to trust this process, and some of our best work has flowed from the wisdom gathered there. Empathy interviews are core in analyzing your audience.

ask yourself so what - sweetrush

2. Ask yourself, “So what?” Do you include an audience analysis in your design work that lists learner demographics? We all do that—it’s basic instructional design! But at SweetRush, we try to take this to the next level by explicitly asking ourselves, “So what?” So what if the audience is made up of 30-year-old males with college degrees? How does that impact your design? So what if the audience has been in the field for an average of 15 years? What will you do differently because of that? What are the ways you will bend the design to fit the contours of the learner demographic? And don’t forget point number one about listening to the learners. Check your assumptions with actual members of your audience. Don’t just do what you think might be right or makes sense to you. 

think about the learner's view - sweetrush

3. Think about the learner’s view. Traditionally, we create learning because there is either something we want learners to know or something we want them to do (or do better.) At SweetRush, we are realizing that there is another purpose for training: Because we want learners to see the world, and their place in it, differently. We call this change a mental model shift, and coming to this understanding has had a profound impact on how we think about learning design. We find that there is a current state, and a future desired state of the learners’ views, and it is our performance-level objectives that allow them to cross the divide. Finding and recording these mental model shifts has become an essential part of our design process. 

ask yourself if this is a learning problem or not - sweetrush

4. Ask yourself, “Is this a learning problem or not?” Finally, we understand that there are some behaviors that will never be changed by training because they are being caused by something in the learner’s environment. If there is a strong incentive in the learner’s environment to behave one way rather than another way, it may be that no amount of training will fix this.

Understanding your audience deeply is the number one thing you can do to make your learning effective and engaging. So go be bold, be brave, and go deep!

How to Keep Learning Modalities on a Leash

by Danny Brenes

Looking to make the switch from classroom to eLearning, blend the two, or offer both as separate tracks? Training across learning modalities can be a great learning opportunity. Just ask my dog.

Not long ago, I read an article on learning modalities that made me think about my dog.

Her name is Pati, and she’s a three-and-a-half-year-old English foxhound. I adopted her a year ago and she’s the cutest, most loving dog—well, she loves humans, anyway. The thing about Pati is that she’s really mean toward other quadrupeds, dogs and cats in particular.

There’s a pretty sad story behind Pati’s rage. During her first year, she lived in a shelter with hundreds of other dogs. She was unable to socialize with most of them because she was scared. Then, she was adopted by a married couple who kept her in a tiny yard. She shared that space with a bigger dog who abused her.

When I finally adopted Pati, I made sure to give her a home with no shortage of love and cuddles. She loves people now, but other animals are still a big no-no. Here’s the catch, though: My girlfriend has four cats. We all—two humans, five animals—want to move in together. We need Pati to learn how to get along with the cats. 

The solution is, of course, to train Pati, which brings me to the article I mentioned, Learner Experience Across Modalities: A Learning Leader Challenge, published on TrainingIndustry.com.

The author, Stephani Mager-Lightfoot, shares research gathered by Training Industry, Inc., which found that “as we have introduced more [learning] modalities into the workplace, it has become a challenge for learning leaders to provide excellent learner experiences across them.”

In other words, multimodal training programs are an excellent opportunity for both learning leaders and learners, but you need to know how to use them effectively to drive learning and business results.

Learning Modalities: A Combination Does the Trick

I had a similar response from the dog school I contacted to train Pati. Dogs, they told me, react to different situations based on both physical and psychological responses; in order to modify their behavior, trainers need to combine methods for both facets.

Training for humans in the workplace is, obviously, far more complex than training for dogs. However, the combination of different learning modalities can indeed be a great opportunity for people too. Whether you’re switching from classroom to eLearning, blending the two, or offering both as separate tracks, each modality can provide an effective—yet very different—learning experience.

“Not all learning can be achieved equally well by all learning modalities—that just isn’t realistic,” says Annie Hodson, Solution Architect at SweetRush, quoted in the article. She suggests combining “different modalities to create the experiences you’re looking for.”

Switching a learning event from one modality to another can be far more challenging than going from physical to psychological training for dogs. After a few lessons, Pati only needed a treat to make her jump over a fence or be quiet on command. On the other hand, maintaining the informal learning aspect that comes with ILT events—which is sometimes more valuable than the learning content itself—when changing to a another modality is way more complicated.

However, for Danielle Hart, SweetRush’s Director of Marketing who was also quoted in the article, there is a way to “create an emotional connection with [and between] learners when you change the modality from something that’s face-to-face to something that’s virtual.” For example, by adding elements of vILT and gamification to an online course, you build an engaging experience that works in a complementary way with an eLearning component and change a possibly negative perception a learner has about eLearning.

Training a dog to be obedient and make friends with a bunch of cats can be challenging. Yet, there are ways to make it work. Similarly, there are plenty of steps you can take toward successful multimodal learning, and you can read all about them in Learner Experience Across Modalities: A Learning Leader Challenge.