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- by George Ritacco
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How Small Hinges Swing Big Doors...
... and why an eLearning management solution can make a huge
impact in many areas.
What are your biggest issues with the results you are getting
with your current training program?
If we wanted to list them out... the list could be long. But
chances are... many of them could potentially fall into three
groups:
1. Current program is too costly, budget concerns, not enough
emphasis on making training a priority due to cost issues.
2. Lost productivity due to current workflow, lack of a
systematic organized way to deliver training, limited
resources.
3. Delivering training that isn’t conducive to all four
learning modalities; trainees aren’t realizing the full benefit
of your program.
Simply stated, the biggest issues with training are cost,
resources and ineffective learning modules and courses.
Historically, although most companies realize the need for an
effective training program, many don’t realize that changing
one, two or all three of the items above can have a dramatic
effect on their training program and allow management,
superiors and the owners of the company to really take
notice.
Enter elearning.
It doesn’t take much research on the net to find articles and
PR about how effective elearning can be. It’s a $5 billion
dollar industry. In some cases it has really benefited
organizations and in others - it’s radically transformed not
only how people deliver their training and track its
effectiveness... but how organizations view training as a
whole.
Elearning should be viewed as a compliment to your current
training program, not something that should eventually replace
a trainer or classroom instructor... not at all.
There are huge benefits waiting to be reaped when you begin to
realize how to leverage an elearning management system.
Huge.
A Careful Balance.
However, we must keep in mind that the system alone is not an
end to your problems. While an elearning management system will
help your endeavour - you must have a clear understanding of
the three issues above to effectively maximize your ROI with
the right system.
In 2004, the Nonprofit and Association E-Learning survey was
introduced and 481 individuals responded. 88% of those surveyed
said the biggest benefit received from elearning was
“convenience for learners”. Last year, U.S. companies spent $55
Billion dollars on training and much of that was spent on
“non-elearning” activities and materials (manuals, workbooks,
CD’s, and the re-production thereof).
Inflexible training schedules, the increasing cost of creating
and editing material and running week-long training classes are
costly impediments to an effective training program. Elearning
removes those from your life... forever. With an elearning
management system, you can deliver training 24x7 on autopilot,
create and update training courses with ease and at a low cost
and can run pre and post assessments (before and after your
training classes) to make your classes much more focused and
productive AND be able to reinforce your message with
repetition and frequency, long after the class is over.
The third big point we made early on... (ineffective training
material) can also be smartly eradicated by leveraging an
elearning management system, as well.
Someone once said - “the key to persuasion and learning is to
elicit child-like curiosity.” The formula goes something like
this... create learning modules and material that engage your
employees, involve their senses and their emotions into an
experience... and interact with them so they’re involved... and
they’ll learn faster. When a child is curious, their natural
tendency is to really pay attention.
Engage and Interact Your Way to Success.
So your objective is to provide your learners with material
that engages their senses (eyes, ears, and feeling) and
interacts with and involves them, keeping them interested.
There are four modalities of learning and each of us learns
differently. Some of us are “readers” and learn only by writing
notes and reading books and manuals, while others are
“listeners” and have an easier time learning through lectures,
CD’s or audio tapes. Some of us are “viewers” and learn by
seeing and watching instructors and DVD’s and others still only
learn by being truly involved... hands on.
The biggest mistake we make as trainers is that we don’t always
keep the four modalities at the forefront of our training
program. When we start to understand that not everyone receives
our message the same way - we can begin to modify our program
that empowers us to reach every person we intended to.
Again, elearning can do that for you. It not only has the power
to save you time and money, it can reach more people faster
with a more engaging message.
The end result can be increased productivity and profitability
for your organization where you make the learning experience
fun for everyone at your organization.
And here’s the kicker... when training is engaging,
interactive, flexible and fun, your trainees learn faster and
retain your information longer - making them as effective as
they can be.
In my opinion, elearning is that “small hinge” that can swing
the “big door” of your training program, enabling you to
properly cultivate and nurture your employees into a productive
workforce.
About the Author:
George Ritacco is the Director of Client Services for Global
Vision Technologies, Inc (GVT)., www.globalvisiontech.com a
premiere software developer specializing in powerful,
easy-to-use Internet systems for online training and
development (www.omnitrackplus.com ) and communication
(www.omniviewbroadcaster.com ). GVT’s primary goal is to
provide our customers with tools for improving productivity,
profitability, employee morale and turnover.
You have full permission to reprint this article within your
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intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks!
:-)
Source: http://www.ezinearticles.com
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