Issue: In this season of distractions, it is difficult to keep my learners’ attention.
Solution: Connection
Most people say that the antidote for distraction is engagement. I don’t disagree, because engagement is to have a relationship. However, the first step to build that relationship in my opinion, is connection.
Connect with your learners.
Depending on how your learning happens, spend a few intentional moments connecting with your learners and if possible, promote that they connect among yourselves. Even with e-learning this is possible:
DELIVERY SPECIFIC
For in person training: Arrive early and don’t get busy with your phone or the projector: talk to the participants, ask them about their season, their tastes, their opinion on the local news. It will be harder for them to be distracted with somebody they already built rapport with, than with “just a trainer”.
For virtual trainings: Send an enthusiastic email before the session letting your participants know what to expect, how to get ready and anything about you as a human being. The early greeting-connection technique also applies here: log in 10-5 mins early and instead of uncomfortable silence start a conversation with whoever jumps in early until its time to officially start.
In both in person and virtually, have participants share with one another parts of the training. Allow for opportunities to guess the info before you provide it to them, have them search for it, analyze it, evaluate it… it is hard to be distracted when you are supposed to be doing something with somebody else.
For asynchronous learning (e-courses or recorded sessions): Create a wiki, or a TEAMS or Slack channel, or any venue/forum for posting comments or responses to scenarios or questions embedded in the e-course or webinar and encourage commenting on others. Reading other people’s comments on their post or counting their likes will be your learners’ main distraction.
If you are a manager or somebody who coaches or mentors your team members: Connect with them randomly and unexpectedly: a request for help or for their expertise, a personal one line email or TEAMS / Slack message asking them how they are doing, share something you read that reminded you of them… and feel the relationship grow a bit closer.
CONNECTION ACTIVITIES THAT WORK IN MOST DELIVERY OPTIONS:
- Organize a round table of lessons-learned or best practices of the year (or the quarter, or the month, or the season, depending on your line of work) where everybody has the chance to share and learn from others.
- Share stories. Nothing connects more people and promotes learning than storytelling. This can be done in any learning format.
- Provide feedback: Create a culture of authentic, honest and open conversations where people (you included) learn from them. Don’t wait until the annual review conversations in April, find something to provide feedback about now. It can be positive or an area for improvement, your choice.
- Ask them: My golden rule for facilitating is “If they can say it, don’t say it. If they can do it, don’t do it”. The more they run the learning show (with your guidance) the less they will be distracted with anything else.
Outside the workplace, I also recommend you connect with people. A quick text or call to somebody you haven’t talked with in a long time: “hey long time! how has this year/season treated you?” or to somebody that is really close: “thinking of you, stay warm” (remember I live in Canada). Tone it to your personality and geographical location. Isolation is #1 reason for depression, chronic illnesses, suicide, and all kinds of maladies. You might or might not do holiday season, but it is always a good time for connecting with others.
Take Action:
When planning your training, be intentional about the different ways you will be connecting with your learners as people. Write them down in your teaching notes (ask this… do that…). Test and repeat.
Outside of working hours, connect with your tribe! be part of the energy.
>> You can also connect with us if you have any idea in the learning front that you would like to explore! OR, if engagement activities is what you are looking for ideas on how to connect with your audience and keep distractions at bay, download our Engagement Toolkit.