It may come as a surprise to many people that corporate training doesn’t actually have to be a miserable experience. 

This in itself is the first stumbling block in building great courses. Because the training is an obligation, and because it’s part of work, many companies take the attitude that since people have to be there anyway – and they’re even getting paid to be there – who cares whether they enjoy it or not? Why make it pleasant? You’re at work. You’re expected to suffer.

These companies fail to recognize that there’s a connection between enjoyment and retention. If all you’re doing is watching dull, prerecorded lectures from talking heads and occasionally hitting a button that says “Next”, you have little incentive to pay attention and take in the information. You’re going to do the bare minimum to skim through as quickly as you can. If the training is truly dreadful, you may even develop negative associations with the topic. None of this is going to help you when it’s time to apply what you’ve learned in the workplace.

Secondly, the learners are often not given any understanding of why they’re being given this training in the first place. How is this relevant to their work? How is this good for them? Without personal context, learners become disinterested, and resent being dragged into a training situation that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with them.

The third mindset that makes corporate training painful is the assumption that just because you know something, you can also do it.

Do you know how to run? You probably do. If asked what running is, you might say that it’s moving your legs so quickly that it propels you much faster than walking.

Great! You know what running is. So why can’t you run as fast as Usain Bolt?

This “magic” mindset is more insidious when it’s not about physical skills, but mental processes. Employers usually understand that physical skills require practice and repetition. Yet many expect that simply handing a software manual to an employee is enough to help them apply new knowledge to their work.

These learners haven’t been given the opportunity to try out what they’ve learned, and make sure they understand. When they try to apply this knowledge in the “real world”, they’re going to dread the experience, knowing that they may struggle or make mistakes.

Ideally, a training environment should be as close as possible to the real-world situation – but without suffering the consequences for getting something wrong. Let’s say you’re in driver’s training. First you’ll start by learning essential facts, like what a stop sign is and what you do when you approach one, and you’ll be tested to make sure you have enough understanding to be safe trying it in a car. Next, they get you to practice driving the car NOT on the road, but in a special training course. There’s no other cars to hit. You practice it until you do it successfully, and only then, on the road under supervision. 

Corporate training doesn’t have to cause suffering. If your course is designed to be engaging and enjoyable, if your learners know why it matters to them personally, and if they’re given the opportunity to make the connection between the course material and the real world, you’re set up to help people learn more effectively, retain what they’ve learned, and successfully apply their new knowledge in the workplace.