Monday
Oct102005
354 - The Role of Invitation in Learning
October 10, 2005
Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 8, 2005.
#354 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,304 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida.
Perspective: The Power of Invitation in Learning, By Elliott Masie
Our field is significantly focused on learning design, learning delivery and learning assessment. I want to take a few paragraphs to make a strong case for an often neglected process:
LEARNING INVITATION
We can build the best learning in the world, host it on the fastest servers and track it with the best metrics package, but we still need to invite the learner to learn.
When I consider some of my post powerful learning and development experiences as a learner, many of them started with a strong and personal invitation to learn. My manager would call me into her office and strongly suggest that I attend a class. A colleague would tell me about a great on-line program and invite me to try it out. Or, I would have an assignment and be advised that a piece of content would really help me get the job done.
Learners respond well to invitation. Fifteen years ago, I was part of a study that showed that one of the strongest influences on learner success and TRANSFER of knowledge to the workplace could be found when a worker's manager sat down and invited them to take a learning activity and framed it for them in terms of their current or future work assignments. The manager inviting the worker to learn was even more influential than the skill of the trainer or the effectiveness of the instructional design.
As we have moved to the world of e-Learning, I fear that we are depreciating the importance of Learning Invitation. In so many cases, the learning department has swapped out an email blast for a personal conversation. Or, even worse, it assumes that the learner will regularly come to the learning "Portal" page and spend hours browsing for the right class. Wrong!
In fact, as we shift towards more self-service on the transaction and delivery side, it is even more important for the organization to invest in Personalized Learning Invitation. The cost savings will be found on the delivery side. But we don't save on any costs when the learners fail to come.
ASTD and The MASIE Center did a joint study a few years ago called, "If We Build It, Will They Come?" One of our findings was the power of invitation. The learner has to be able to understand the value of the learning activity.
There are many emerging models for better Learning Invitation:
* Use the Learning Management System as a learning invitation engine.
Have the LMS send reminder notes to managers for them to personally invite or engage their workers in key activities related to targeted competencies or projects.
* Leverage Peer Invitation. Have the alumni of a learning experience, class or e-Learning spend some time inviting future learners or detailing how they benefited from the class. They can even be drafted to serve as low-intensity coaches to help with future learners. Or, find ways to get peers to "rank or rate" public learning options. Invitation can sometimes be based on what a peer group finds powerful and effective.
* Use Social Networking Software to Target Invitation. I am doing this right now as we get ready for our Learning 2005 event. Hundreds of participants have filled out profiles of their learning interests. I am designing sessions based on their needs and then sending specific invitations to people to help facilitate these discussions. It is a very different model than just creating a schedule of sessions sent in by eager presenters.
* Measure Invitation Effectiveness. Experiment with diverse methods of invitation. These can even include non-traditional methods like hand-written notes from managers or a book sent to an employee to get them intrigued in a leadership development program. Then, measure the effectiveness. How many participated based on what type of invitation?
And, did their participation lead to projected business changes?
We can fool ourselves into thinking that we are just in the content creation and distribution business. In these days of information ABUNDANCE, learners are rightfully protective of their time and energy. We have an opportunity to become much more personal in our Learning Invitations. We can leverage peer and social networks as well as old fashioned conversations. Our recent book on Memorable Teachers showed that one of the characteristics of our most powerful teachers was their ability to personally and repeatedly invite us to learn.
I would love to hear your comments on Learning Invitation. Send them to me at emasie@masie.com
Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
The Learning CONSORTIUM
Host, Learning 2005
Oct 30 to Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida
http://www.masie.com
#354 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,304 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida.
Perspective: The Power of Invitation in Learning, By Elliott Masie
Our field is significantly focused on learning design, learning delivery and learning assessment. I want to take a few paragraphs to make a strong case for an often neglected process:
LEARNING INVITATION
We can build the best learning in the world, host it on the fastest servers and track it with the best metrics package, but we still need to invite the learner to learn.
When I consider some of my post powerful learning and development experiences as a learner, many of them started with a strong and personal invitation to learn. My manager would call me into her office and strongly suggest that I attend a class. A colleague would tell me about a great on-line program and invite me to try it out. Or, I would have an assignment and be advised that a piece of content would really help me get the job done.
Learners respond well to invitation. Fifteen years ago, I was part of a study that showed that one of the strongest influences on learner success and TRANSFER of knowledge to the workplace could be found when a worker's manager sat down and invited them to take a learning activity and framed it for them in terms of their current or future work assignments. The manager inviting the worker to learn was even more influential than the skill of the trainer or the effectiveness of the instructional design.
As we have moved to the world of e-Learning, I fear that we are depreciating the importance of Learning Invitation. In so many cases, the learning department has swapped out an email blast for a personal conversation. Or, even worse, it assumes that the learner will regularly come to the learning "Portal" page and spend hours browsing for the right class. Wrong!
In fact, as we shift towards more self-service on the transaction and delivery side, it is even more important for the organization to invest in Personalized Learning Invitation. The cost savings will be found on the delivery side. But we don't save on any costs when the learners fail to come.
ASTD and The MASIE Center did a joint study a few years ago called, "If We Build It, Will They Come?" One of our findings was the power of invitation. The learner has to be able to understand the value of the learning activity.
There are many emerging models for better Learning Invitation:
* Use the Learning Management System as a learning invitation engine.
Have the LMS send reminder notes to managers for them to personally invite or engage their workers in key activities related to targeted competencies or projects.
* Leverage Peer Invitation. Have the alumni of a learning experience, class or e-Learning spend some time inviting future learners or detailing how they benefited from the class. They can even be drafted to serve as low-intensity coaches to help with future learners. Or, find ways to get peers to "rank or rate" public learning options. Invitation can sometimes be based on what a peer group finds powerful and effective.
* Use Social Networking Software to Target Invitation. I am doing this right now as we get ready for our Learning 2005 event. Hundreds of participants have filled out profiles of their learning interests. I am designing sessions based on their needs and then sending specific invitations to people to help facilitate these discussions. It is a very different model than just creating a schedule of sessions sent in by eager presenters.
* Measure Invitation Effectiveness. Experiment with diverse methods of invitation. These can even include non-traditional methods like hand-written notes from managers or a book sent to an employee to get them intrigued in a leadership development program. Then, measure the effectiveness. How many participated based on what type of invitation?
And, did their participation lead to projected business changes?
We can fool ourselves into thinking that we are just in the content creation and distribution business. In these days of information ABUNDANCE, learners are rightfully protective of their time and energy. We have an opportunity to become much more personal in our Learning Invitations. We can leverage peer and social networks as well as old fashioned conversations. Our recent book on Memorable Teachers showed that one of the characteristics of our most powerful teachers was their ability to personally and repeatedly invite us to learn.
I would love to hear your comments on Learning Invitation. Send them to me at emasie@masie.com
Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
The Learning CONSORTIUM
Host, Learning 2005
Oct 30 to Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida
http://www.masie.com
Reader Comments