This document discusses redefining workplace training to make it more engaging, effective, and impactful. It argues that traditional training approaches focus too much on the platform and delivery method rather than the learning interaction itself. An ideal approach provides contextually relevant training delivered through everyday personal platforms at the moments when it will be most helpful to employees. This just-in-time, personalized learning can empower employees and drive real behavioral changes when combined with opportunities for growth, sharing, and calls to action. Key steps for implementing such an approach include strategizing using relevant data, ensuring workplace context and relevance, aligning with organizational values, and facilitating sharing and social collaboration.

1. Redefining the Critical
Learning Interaction
Ryan Macpherson ANZ HR Summit , Gold Coast 2016

2. Redefining the Critical
Learning Interaction
Ryan Macpherson
eCoach Product Development
Contextually Relevant Training Outcome + Well Understood Personal Platform + In Time
Delivery + Opportunity For Growth and Sharing + Call To Action
= Empowered, Engaged and Motivated Staff

3. I aspire to be Johnny Utah in and
out of the water…
Constant battle to impress
my Fitbit...
The cause of most issues with my wife...
All day living the digital life means I want
to get hands-on during the weekends
Me in a Slide
Constantly looking to plug holes and
find new ways to do stuff...

4. Quality Training Outcome
Quality Training Platform
Quality Training Delivery
Engaged and Informed Staff
OR DOES IT?
+
+
=

5. The norm
For large organisations and time
strapped HR departments the focus
is often on choosing the platform
for creation, type of content and
delivery mechanism for staff training,
onboarding and compliance verification.
The process is often project driven or
individually planned and centres around
delivering training in one time space,
across whole teams or through one
delivery mechanism (face to face, online
or blended). The training usually only
addresses one topic or area of need for
example (Work-Place Safety).

6. What can be
missing?
What is often forgotten is that the
type of learning and workplace
training that delivers the biggest ROI
in an organisation and often has the
most positive effect on behaviour
change is very contextually driven,
personally motivated, role specific
and most importantly delivered
when the staff member most
requires it. It can also be delivered
on a device they understand and
can easily interact with!

7. Lets walk through an example
Which of the following would remind you to maintain your posture at your desk?

8. A 20 minute course on best practices for ergonomics in the office, delivered at
your workstation by a traditional eLearning Module via PC or Mac.

9. OR

10. An individually controlled push notification platform on your chosen device informing you that it’s time to
stretch at designated times throughout the day and highlighting key ergonomic posture reminders.
Including a media player that randomises short 20 second videos of a new exercises and provides a visual
ergonomic posture assessment chart.
With this type of application you can ignore the phone’s notification if your up and walking about but if
slumped in your chair at 3:30pm on a Thursday afternoon, it will make you think about stretching and
improving your ergonomic positioning.

11. Then consider which
example provides more
insight into behavioural
change.

12. Yes all staff have completed the course 6 months ago and may be acting on the
advice and training, or maybe they are not…

13. OR

14. A view from the manager’s office of team members stretching in the office and considering the best times to
reflect on their posture.
Collection of comprehensive data across the organisation that indicates what times staff require stretching and
a break. Along with insights into the number of times a video has been viewed in the workplace, which stretch
is most used and finally evidence of effective workplace behaviour change and health improvements.

15. Finally, what about ROI on
the training development
time and costs?

16. 20 Minute course = Small development cost up front but limited long term effect or
reduction in injury and illness resulting in a continuation of high workplace illness and
employee health related absences. Minimal impact on long lasting behavioural change
and the training becomes outdated regularly as health advice changes.

17. OR

18. A well developed platform that enables in-time training and information delivery =
Larger upfront cost initially and more structured design. However the application presents
ongoing health benefits and insights into behaviour change for staff and management.
The application leverages cloud based video services such as YouTube and Vimeo meaning
videos can be added and tailored for different teams, locations and specific roles. The
application has the ability to keep the videos current as health research changes. The best
result however is that the tool is ingrained in staff practice and used on a regular basis
improving staff health and understanding of good workplace practice.

19. Contextually Relevant Training Outcomes
Everyday Personal Platform for Delivery
In Time Delivery (When it counts the most)
Opportunity for Staff Growth, Sharing & Community Collaboration
Call To Action (Notification)
Engaged and informed staff
+
+
+
+
=

20. By redefining the
training interaction
across an organisation to
include small bite sized,
contextually relevant
training opportunities
delivered at places
of significance to the
individual where possible
using technology that
is already in use and in
favour by staff.

21. Training no
longer has to
be sessional,
platform driven
or geographically
limiting and can
be measured by
the team leaders
who can best act
on the insights
immediately and
effectively.

22. How?

23. Empower those who can connect
Align org values to staff
quality world
Deliver on devices that
are in use Provide opportunities to drive
direction and share
Make it contextually relevant
Make it timely
Find the data that matters
Define the critical
“Tipping Point”

24. The Must Have Planning Steps
To succeed in rolling out training in organisations with a similar type of learning design style…
1. Strategise, evaluate, design and implement using data
that matters to your staff and business.
2. Explore the key engagement objectives and outcomes
(How and why is this important? - For your organisation
and for the end learner)
3. Ensure all learning/training has workplace context and
target group relevance (Customer Service Training for the
Dev Team ???)
4. The Theme… Ensure it fits with the values of your staff
and business.
5. Alignment of organisation values to staff needs
6. Levels of user engagement (trigger points for different
roles) Think Donky Konga and your frequent flyer status
points
7. What is the #tippingpoint at which point staff get involved
(Call to Action)
8. Access to the training (The when, how and why?)
9. Sharing and social collaboration (Idea growth and
experience sharing)
10. Rewards, achievements and competition if that fits with
the company culture...
11. Physical, live interactions, notifications, RFID and
Geocaching (Bring your office to life and make it fun!)
12. Platform (User Experience) quick, easy and non-intrusive
or overly in-depth. It should not overburden them in any
way or take all day to complete… They have work to
do right?
13. Evaluation and insights using collected data (What do we
want to know?) (How can we change this next time?)
14. Life of training (Short Term v Long Term)

25. Actions
- Avoid getting stuck in one platform -
- Don’t plan for generic rollouts -
- Run away from spending months developing something that will be viewed
for 30 minutes -
- Don’t assume every role needs the same training -
- Leverage the knowledge and experience of your staff -
- If thinking Gamification choose a style that is contextually relevant (Not all
games are fun for everybody) -