I should probably start by telling you the main thing. I’ve partnered with Vado, an award-winning, microlearning content provider. This means that most of the leadership and development topics I’ve delivered to your employees in person are now available in e-learning formats.
I’ve got more details, but first I want to tell you the story of how this happened.
Sometimes we have moments that shake us in a way that permanently changes how we see the world. I recently had one.
Since 1996 I’ve been in the training business. Mostly that’s meant developing and leading classroom-style events. I like it. I’m good at it. And my clients give me lots of positive feedback.
And then came that moment…
I got back from vacation in February and saw a meeting request from someone I didn’t know. It turned out to be someone who wanted help to put together a new e-learning course. She wanted me to provide subject matter expertise and instructional design.
I like the topic, and knew I’d be able to help. Plus I thought it would be a good way to become more familiar with e-learning.
The more I explored e-learning, especially Vado’s approach to it, the more I started to think about my own employee development offerings.
70:20:10
Vado is the only off the shelf, e-learning, courseware provider that helps the learner apply the course on the job. They are all about putting the 70:20:10 principle into practice. Are you familiar with it?
- 70% of development happens on the job by doing and practicing
- 20% of development happens through mentoring and coaching
- 10% through formal training which includes instructor led workshops and e-learning courses
When I think back on everything I’ve learned over the past 23 years of building my consulting business, it’s almost all been on the job. My process involves reading a little or watching a YouTube video and then giving it a try. After I’ve finished, I assess how it went and then build those insights into my next attempt.
Some specific examples come to mind:
- Leading a webinar
- Building a website
- Publishing an e-book
- Serving as an emcee
- Using online survey tools
I could further break these down into a dozen or more supporting skills.
If you think about it, you probably recognize a similar pattern for yourself.
Microlearning
The idea that delivering information in small bite-sized modules makes it easier for learners to understand and retain is one that I’ve been thinking about for more than 10 years. I’ve even applied the concept to my in-person workshops.
What used to be a two-day workshop on meeting facilitation became a series of 50-minute courses focused on one skill at a time. In each short course I would provide about 5 minutes of information, and then I put the class to work practicing and receiving feedback for the remainder of the time. It was the whole concept of my Leadership Expedition Program.
Still, this concept provides a logistical challenge. It isn’t always cost effective to bring me in for just an hour. Also, companies don’t want to bring people into the a central location for just an hour. So what normally happens is that people combine 2-4 modules into a half-day session, pushing aside the microlearning benefits because efficiency is viewed as more important than effectiveness.
What I learned about Vado’s e-learning approach solves the logistical problem and one ups me in another way. There is no efficiency lost by asking someone to take a short course because they don’t need to leave their work location to take it.
They can be at a desk, at home, in a coffee shop, or in a delivery truck (assuming someone else is driving). They can take the course wherever and whenever works best them.
Plus, my practice sessions were based on cases and hypothetical situations. This company’s approach was to make the practice happen in real life. It’s not an added activity. It’s the task the person was supposed to be doing in the first place, but now they take it on in a more purposeful way. I love that idea.
Video
Finally Vado makes sure its courses always show videos that demonstrate the skills because people like learning from video.
I couldn’t agree more. If I need to read a recipe to cook something new, I often feel slightly confused and frustrated, which is weird because I’m a strong reader and can’t figure out why following the steps would be hard for me.
When I watch one of those sped-up Facebook videos of someone making a super-tasty dish, I instantly have a feeling that I could make the same thing, and may not even need the recipe as a reference.
Videos are a powerful tool. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved by fixing things around the house thanks to some guy on YouTube who decided he wanted to show me how to do it.
Now Back to the Lead
That’s a long way of telling you this. As much as I like doing classroom-style training, and knowing there will always be a place for it, I need to change so that I can give my clients the best possible service for their talent development investment.
I liked this company’s courseware so much that I decided to add its 390+ courses to my offerings. The courses are:
- Professional, no cheesy graphics and bad acting
- Mobile response, do the course on any device
- Fresh, updated every 18 months
- Editable, add your own branding, images, and unique content
- Flexible, buy one course, a bundle, your own selections, or the whole library
- Award winning, Elearning! Magazine’s Excellence Award
- Accredited, earn CEUs from the Project Management Institute
You can learn all about Vado in this video.
