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‍A discussion with Dr Ashwin Mehta on gamification, the importance of creativity in the age of AI, and what we can learn from films and video games about storytelling. 

‍The Business AI Playbook explores how Generative AI is reshaping business operations, knowledge sharing, and customer engagement. We invite industry leaders to talk about the real-world applications of AI, giving executives practical AI strategies and insights.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts.
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What is gamification, and how can learning teams get it right? 

In the third episode of The Business AI Playbook, I invited Dr Ashwin Mehta, an award-winning expert with over 10 years of experience in designing and implementing technology transformations, as well as a background in scientific research and digital learning.  

We focused this episode around the process of gamification, AI and storytelling, with references from research papers, films and video games bringing a unique perspective to this conversation.

“People don't do corporate learning for fun. They do it for an outcome.“
— Dr Ashwin Mehta 

In this episode, we discussed:

1. How fast society can adapt to new technology: Dr Mehta shared his origin story of getting into digital learning, starting with a rather ambitious project in Gambia.

2. Personalization and data: What does it actually mean to personalize a learning experience, and what role does data play in personalization at scale? 

3. The research behind gamification: Exploring the potential of gamification through studies on cognitive, behavioral and motivational outcomes. 


4. Points, trophies and badges: Challenging the “low-hanging fruit” of gamification — do these reward systems actually work?  

5. Engagement and autonomy: Understanding what motivates people to learn and improve, and how narrative structures and storytelling can help. 

6. The purpose of corporate learning: We can incorporate game-based elements into learning, but here’s the thing: Nobody’s playing corporate learning for fun.

7.  Immersive learning: Why some industries aren’t embracing immersive learning, and how it can positively impact the learning experience.
 

8. The application of generative AI: Whether or not someone without relevant skills can bridge the gap with AI, and how AI has the ability to scale human creativity.

“To have a meaningful learning experience, we need people to step up in terms of creativity.”
‍— Dr Ashwin Mehta

From exploring the immersive nature of films like The Godfather all the way to decoding the narrative frameworks used in Rick and Morty, this episode draws comparisons from countless sources, demonstrating how important it is to constantly seek inspiration from the stories that already exist around us. 

The full episode is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
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About the guest

Dr. Ashwin Mehta is an expert in AI strategy and technology transformation, with a unique background spanning scientific research, digital learning, and strategic risk. As Founder of Mehtadology and Chief AI Strategist at the LPI, he specialises in implementing AI, data, and automation to drive workforce engagement and business performance. With over 10 years of experience and a PhD in technology adoption, Dr. Mehta brings deep expertise in AI strategies, helping businesses achieve tangible and measurable outcomes with latest technologies.

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The current landscape of AI in employee training

The AI landscape is constantly evolving, with a projection that it could automate up to 30% of work hours across the U.S. economy by 2030. This could potentially lead to significant job role changes, with as many as 12 million shifts according to McKinsey. 

However, there is a substantial barrier to accessing AI education, primarily because many programs are geared towards those with a bachelor’s degree, leaving frontline workers in the lurch. To bridge this gap, strategic AI skilling programs are essential.

Benefits of AI integration in training

Increased productivity and efficiency

AI can significantly enhance productivity. Many companies have already benefited from AI-powered learning tools. For example, Handshake was able to double its revenue while reducing ramp time by 33% through AI training programs. This highlights the potential impact AI can have on a company's efficiency by streamlining learning and decreasing time to proficiency.

Personalized learning paths and real-time feedback

AI excels in personalizing learning experiences. It offers real-time feedback and tailors training modules to help employees master skills more effectively. By analyzing learning data, AI can adapt to individual preferences, ensuring that training is relevant and engaging source.

Innovative AI training techniques

AI-driven video creation

Videos are a powerful tool for engaging learners, and AI makes it easier to create them. Platforms like Colossyan simplify the creation of training videos by converting documents to engaging videos using customizable AI avatars. With our Doc2Video feature, we provide a quick way to produce videos while ensuring brand consistency with our Brand Kits. This not only speeds up the production process but also keeps the training material aligned with corporate identity.

Virtual reality and interactive scenarios

AI-driven virtual reality (VR) training has proven to be more effective than traditional methods. For instance, Walmart's AI-VR program increased employee engagement and reduced staff turnover by 20%. Interactive scenarios within VR can simulate real-world decision-making, providing a hands-on learning experience that is both immersive and instructive.

Addressing challenges in AI training implementation

Overcoming skills gaps and ensuring equity

Despite the benefits, challenges remain. AI use is predominantly by younger, affluent, educated white men, creating an inclusive gap. To ensure competitive advantage, companies need to adopt strategies that make AI tools accessible to a broader demographic.

Data privacy and compliance

AI training brings along data privacy concerns and compliance requirements, especially with regulations like Colorado’s AI law. Any implementation must prioritize secure and unbiased use of data to protect individuals and organizations.

How Colossyan supports AI training strategies

Engaging and scalable solutions

At Colossyan, we offer scalable video production solutions that don't require advanced design skills. Our platform is SCORM compliant, allowing seamless integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS). We also provide detailed analytics to track engagement and training effectiveness, helping organizations refine their training strategies for better outcomes.

Customization and branding consistency

Maintaining brand consistency in training materials is crucial. With our Brand Kits, you can ensure every video aligns with your corporate identity. By using custom avatars and cloned voices, Colossyan enables personalized and genuine content delivery, increasing learner engagement.

Conclusion

AI has the potential to transform employee training. For organizations to thrive, it's vital to incorporate innovative, inclusive AI strategies. Colossyan offers a robust platform for modernizing training content, providing a way to achieve clear and measurable improvements in employee development. As we advance, the organizations that embrace these technological shifts will be those that achieve the greatest success.

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Employee relations training is a crucial part of any workplace aiming to maintain a harmonious and productive environment. It involves educating managers and HR professionals on how to effectively handle conflicts, enforce policies fairly, and build a positive workplace atmosphere. This kind of training can improve communication and workplace dynamics, fostering increased employee engagement and retention.

Why employee relations training is essential

Consider this: 85% of employees experience conflict to some degree. This affects productivity and can lead to higher turnover costs, which can be up to twice an employee’s annual salary. Investing in training for employee relations is not just good practice; it’s a strategic move to save money and enhance efficiency.

There's also the issue of workplace misconduct and bias. Allegations from women, for instance, often aren't taken as seriously as they should be according to SHRM studies. An effective training program should address these biases and improve HR systems to better handle such issues.

Types of employee relations training

Employee relations training comes in various forms. Some programs, like the ones offered by HRCI on Coursera, include foundational and advanced courses covering topics like performance management, diversity, and inclusion. These courses are designed to equip learners with skills that are directly applicable to their jobs, enhancing both personal growth and organizational effectiveness.

For more specialized skills, you can look into courses focusing on handling workplace misconduct, legal compliance, and diversity issues. Cornell ILR offers an Advanced Effective Employee Relations course that provides techniques for addressing these complex matters.

In more government-focused environments, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Professional Development Series is a valuable resource. It covers emerging trends, legal decisions, and supports a wide network of employee relations professionals.

Challenges in employee relations

Training in employee relations isn't without challenges. One significant hurdle is the lack of direct exposure to real-world issues in certain roles. Many HR professionals seek to advance their careers but find it difficult when their current job doesn't offer the necessary exposures. In these instances, targeted training can bridge the gap, leading to better-prepared professionals who can add more value to their organizations.

Understanding legal risks related to discrimination, retaliation, and harassment is vital. Courses that delve deep into these areas help maintain an organization's reputation and ensure compliance with laws and policies.

The role of technology in employee relations training

Technology platforms, like New York State's SLMS, provide online, self-paced training that is accessible to employees at all levels. This approach not only democratizes learning but also allows for personalized pacing and focus, catering to individual learning needs.

At Colossyan, i see the potential for revolutionizing employee relations training through AI-powered video creation. With our platform, traditional training materials can be transformed into engaging, interactive videos. You can convert documents to videos, use customizable AI avatars, and integrate brand kits for a consistent learning experience.

Integrating Colossyan into employee relations training

Colossyan offers several features that enhance the effectiveness of training programs. With our brand kits, you can customize content to match organizational branding, ensuring a consistent look and feel across all training materials. Interactive quizzes and multilingual voices make training accessible to everyone, allowing you to cater to diverse learning groups.

Our platform also provides valuable analytics. You can monitor learner engagement and adapt your training strategies based on real-time insights. This data is crucial for refining content and ensuring that your training not only meets but exceeds its objectives.

Conclusion

Incorporating employee relations training into an organization's strategy is imperative. It not only helps in mitigating conflicts and reducing turnover costs but also in building a more inclusive and fair workplace. Leveraging modern solutions like those offered by Colossyan can make training more engaging, scalable, and aligned with organizational goals. It's about time we reimagine how training is delivered, ensuring it resonates with today's diverse workforce.

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Introduction

Employee training is often the backbone of an organization's growth and sustainability. As businesses evolve, so do their training needs. Modern workplaces demand efficient training tracking systems to ensure that employees are up-to-date with the necessary skills and regulations. Gone are the days when spreadsheets sufficed. With advancing technology, more sophisticated software solutions have taken the stage, making the task of tracking training more manageable and effective.

Understanding the need for a training tracker

In the past, companies struggled with keeping training compliance rates high, often languishing at around 63%. But as systems become more automated and data centralized, some organizations have seen compliance rates soar to over 97%. Automated systems streamline processes, removing the bottlenecks associated with manual tracking. It's clear that these systems are not just a luxury but a necessity.

Training trackers can also dramatically improve the way companies measure learning success. By understanding the business impact of learning programs, companies can bridge skill gaps and improve overall training quality. For instance, a well-implemented customer service training can lead to a 15% increase in customer satisfaction. This data-driven approach helps firms allocate resources more wisely, ensuring learning initiatives offer a solid return on investment.

Key features to look for

Centralized management

For any organization, centralized management is crucial. A robust training tracker should allow you to manage courses, events, and receive feedback all in one place. The Employee Training Management platform, for instance, offers demand-driven scheduling along with customizable notifications. By consolidating these functions, it ensures that all team members can access the training materials they need without jumping through hoops.

Automated tracking and compliance

In industries where compliance is non-negotiable, automated notifications and compliance tools are indispensable. Tools like the USDA's PSTTT emphasize the importance of keeping training records centralized and up-to-date. Automating reminders and keeping a tight check on compliance is essential, especially in sectors with rigorous regulatory requirements. Having all records in one place not only makes auditing easier but also lets you keep track of who's due for training and when.

User-friendly and scalable

The solutions you choose should be simple to use but also scalable as your organization grows. Not every company needs a full-blown LMS. Sometimes, a more straightforward system—like the one mentioned on Reddit—can manage around 90 employee certifications without the bulkiness of larger systems. Focus on features that are intuitive yet robust enough to grow with you.

Methods of training tracking

To maximize training effectiveness, the tools you choose should include learning analytics, pre- and post-assessments, and employee feedback mechanisms. Learning Management Systems (LMS) can facilitate this by providing insights that help improve future training. Retaining records digitally is vital for assessing the training's impact and compliance.

Integration capabilities

Ensure that the systems you adopt can integrate smoothly with existing workplace tools. Platforms like LearnWorlds and Connecteam stress the importance of compatibility, enabling seamless operations across multiple platforms. This often reduces the friction associated with switching between different systems, streamlining workflow.

Leveraging Colossyan’s features for enhanced training

Creating engaging training content

At Colossyan, we understand that dry training documents rarely catch an employee’s attention. Our Doc2Video feature can quickly turn traditional documents into engaging video content. Imagine transforming tedious onboarding manuals into interactive experiences that employees actually look forward to completing. The ease of creating such content helps us save time, reduce costs, and deliver high-quality visuals that enhance learning.

Real-time insights and analytics

Data is crucial in today’s training landscape. With Colossyan’s analytics tools, we provide insights into how engaged learners are with the content. You can use quizzes coupled with video analytics to make informed decisions about tailoring your training further. This enables L&D teams to track progress and make data-driven adjustments to training programs.

Branding and consistency

Our Brand Kits feature ensures that all training materials remain consistent with corporate identities. This isn't just about aesthetics; maintaining a consistent brand appearance goes a long way in reinforcing company values and culture, making training programs more cohesive and effective.

Case examples and ROI

Learning from case examples can illustrate the impact a good training tracker can have. For example, Reddit managed to decrease its sales ramp time by 33% using a sophisticated tracking system (as highlighted by WorkRamp). Examples like these underscore the tangible benefits of leveraging modern training tracking tools.

Conclusion

A modern employee training tracker can be an invaluable asset for any organization. Not only does it simplify compliance and management, it also provides insights into training effectiveness. As you assess the needs of your organization, consider how tools like Colossyan can enhance your current processes. With features that streamline content creation, improve engagement, and provide actionable insights, we offer a comprehensive solution that could meet your training needs. Before making a decision, consider how integrating such tools could bring your training initiatives to the next level.

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Employee training isn't just a checkbox activity. It's a crucial investment that can significantly influence employee retention, performance and overall organizational success. It’s surprising how many companies overlook structured training programs, especially when 90% of employees would stay longer with an employer that invests in their learning. In fact, structured employee training can also positively impact retention rates and business growth. So, what makes an employee training plan effective, and how can we optimize its design for better results?

Understanding the impact of training plans

The statistics speak for themselves. Continuous training efforts can increase employee retention by 76% and are 59% more likely to lead businesses towards growth. Organizations with robust training cultures enjoy not only higher retention but also more engaged employees who find satisfaction in their roles. The bottom line benefits too, with such organizations seeing 24% higher profit margins. Clearly, a well-structured training plan serves as a backbone for both personal and business development.

Designing effective training programs

Designing a training program starts with a thorough needs assessment. This involves aligning the training initiatives with the business objectives, identifying skills gaps, and setting clear goals for employee growth and development. Platforms like Leapsome provide tools to identify these gaps and measure the effectiveness of the training. The aim is to ensure that training initiatives are not just educational but strategically beneficial for the organization.

Strategies for developing training plans

To cater to the diverse needs of an organization, incorporate strategies like asynchronous learning, screen-recorded walkthroughs and structured feedback. These elements help create a flexible learning environment where employees can learn at their own pace without overwhelming them. Continuous learning opportunities should also be provided through group discussions and problem-solving exercises, which help in knowledge retention and application.

Role of technology in training

Technology has changed the way we approach employee training. AI and automation are now commonly used to enhance training experiences. For instance, leveraging AI can boost productivity and engagement by up to 54%. Digital tools and platforms are an essential part of this transformation, offering innovative ways to present training content. 

This is where we, at Colossyan, come into play. We offer engaging digital tools to convert static training materials into engaging videos through our AI-driven platform. Our features include document-to-video conversion, customizable AI avatars, brand kits and interactive quizzes. This not only transforms the learning experience but also modernizes your training content quickly and effectively.

Implementing your training plan

Deploying the right tools and strategies is only half the battle. For consistent and efficient delivery, templates and SOPs should be utilized. It's also important to track the effectiveness of your training plan with quizzes and feedback loops to make sure the content remains relevant and impactful.

Enhancing training with Colossyan features

What makes Colossyan unique is its ability to deliver scalable and engaging content. Our document-to-video conversion tool rapidly transforms traditional learning materials, offering a professional and on-brand training experience. With real-time insights and analytics, companies can track learner progress and continually refine their training strategies. Our interactive quizzes further enhance engagement and knowledge retention. 

Conclusion

In the end, fostering a culture of continuous learning within the organization aligns individual growth with organizational goals. It nurtures innovation and adaptability, which are crucial in today’s dynamic business environment. Structuring well-designed training plans is more than just about keeping people around; it's a key component of an organization's success.

Employee engagement training is crucial in today's workplace. It's about enhancing how employees connect with their work and their organization. With only 31% of employees in the US and Canada truly engaged, there's a clear need for more effective training programs. When people feel engaged, they're more productive, innovative, and committed to their organizations.

Why does employee engagement training matter?

Engagement training isn't just a buzzword. It improves productivity by 21%, boosts innovation by 20%, and increases profitability by 21%. The positive impacts on organizational success are evident. Managers play a big role here. It's not just about making employees feel good. Training programs, especially for managers, are at the heart of engagement. They help managers develop skills that support and motivate their teams. And let's face it, when 70% of frontline leaders want to improve their leadership abilities, we're seeing a clear call for support.

How to boost employee engagement?

So, what makes an engagement training program effective? It's not just about canned presentations or one-off workshops. Successful programs often include emotional intelligence, stress management, and leadership development. Consider the City of Los Angeles, where employees can receive reimbursements for job-related training. That’s direct encouragement to grow their skills and advance their careers.

The focus should be on a continuous and data-driven approach. One-off initiatives might be easier, but they don’t stick. Constant engagement efforts that involve real metrics—like satisfaction scores and retention rates—are more effective. The old saying goes, "What gets measured, gets managed," and it's especially true here.

What are the benefits of employee engagement?

The benefits aren't just theoretical. Gallup's research backs it up: organizations investing in training see significant returns. We're talking about an estimated productivity return of $1,812 per employee in just the first year. And it's not just about retaining current employees. Engaging teams have a 64% retention rate, compared to just 32% for those with disengaged leadership.

How can Colossyan help employee engagement training?

Now, how does Colossyan fit into this picture? Here, we help by transforming dry, traditional training materials into engaging, interactive videos. Our platform makes it easy to turn any document into a video, saving time and resources. We support SCORM compliance too, which means you can easily integrate our videos into your existing Learning Management System (LMS). This lets you track real-time insights into learner progress, so you know what's working and what needs to change.

Take, for example, the changes at the TWI Institute. They cut training time from 15 days to just three days, while employee satisfaction went up by 23.5%. Similarly, Danske Bank improved employee engagement by 31%. What these stories show is the power of efficient, engaging training content, something Colossyan is built to support.

In conclusion, employee engagement training is no longer optional if you want to compete in today's market. It's not just about keeping employees happy—it's about boosting productivity and retention, ultimately enhancing organizational performance. Innovative solutions like Colossyan are making it easier to create effective training programs. We help transform learning experiences and build an engaged workforce with less hassle.

The bottom line? Focus on engagement training, make use of insightful analytics, and don't shy away from modern tools. Improving employee engagement isn't just good for morale. It's a smart, strategic move that pays off in numerous ways.

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1. Trainual - good for building clear training systems

Trainual is built for small and growing teams. 

It helps document how things are done at work and turns that into training. 

You can build onboarding guides, assign them to new hires, and track who’s completed what.

It’s best for companies that want to speed up onboarding and create consistent internal processes. 

Some users report cutting training time in half and seeing better retention as a result.

2. Connecteam - good for small teams that want everything in one place

Connecteam combines training with tools like scheduling, task tracking, and team chat. You can create custom courses, include videos or quizzes, and see who’s finished each one.

It’s affordable and works well on mobile, which makes it a good option for teams that don’t work at desks - like retail, cleaning, or delivery staff.

3. TalentLMS - good for engagement and compliance

TalentLMS supports both serious training and fun, interactive features. It lets you add gamification, like badges and points, which can help with motivation.

It also supports compliance training, which makes it useful for industries that need to follow rules - like healthcare or finance. It works on mobile and scales well if you’re growing fast.

4. Qualio - built for regulated industries

Qualio focuses on industries where training needs to follow strict standards - like pharma, biotech, and medical devices. It connects training with quality control systems.

It supports things like role-based training assignments, audit trails, and ISO compliance. It’s not the simplest tool to set up, but it’s strong on structure and compliance tracking.

5. EHS Insight - strong for safety and field training]

EHS Insight is made for industries like oil, gas, construction, and manufacturing - where safety is a big deal. It includes over 150 online courses and also lets you track in-person training.

It uses microlearning (short lessons), which can help workers remember key info. It also tracks certifications and sends alerts before they expire.

6. ProProfs Training Maker - good for small budgets

ProProfs is a simple and low-cost tool. You can build courses using text, video, and quizzes. It tracks who’s completed what, and gives you basic reports.

There’s a free plan for up to 10 users, and paid plans start under $2 per user per month. It’s not packed with features, but it’s enough for small teams that want to get started.

7. Colossyan - good for creating quality video training fast

Colossyan lets you make AI-generated training videos without needing actors or editors. You just write a script, pick an avatar, and the video is ready in minutes.

This can help when you need to explain things clearly but don’t have time or budget for full video production. It also supports subtitles and multiple languages, which is useful for global teams + you can track completions and engagement with inbuilt analytics.

It’s best for companies that want to replace long documents or slides with short, to-the-point training videos. You can try it for 14 days for free.

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Things to think about before picking a tool

• What’s your goal? Is it onboarding, compliance, safety, or all of the above?
  
  
• Who’s using it? Office staff? Field workers? Hourly teams?
  
  
• Do you need mobile access? Most companies do.
  
  
• Do you need to report on compliance or audits? If yes, look for systems that support that out of the box.
  
  
• Do you want something simple or something you can customize deeply?
  
  

Final note

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. 

Some tools focus on speed. 

Others focus on structure and rules. 

The right tool is the one that fits how your team works and what your industry needs.

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Why new employee training matters

A staggering 20% of workers in the U.S. leave within 45 days of starting a new job.

In retail, the problem is even worse with half of workers leaving before the 45 day mark.

Not only is this terrible for morale (who wants to see that new joiner you desperately need leave before 2 months) but replacing them costs a lot - about 16% of salary for lower earners and over 20% for higher earners.

This is a monumental challenge that all businesses need to overcome to be successful and survive.

The good news is the answer is simple: nail your onboarding flow.

The stats back it up: 91% of employees stay at least a year when onboarding is done well and a whopping 69% stay three years.

The cost of bad new employee training

First, let’s really hammer home what the problem is.

A stunningly low 12% of employees think their onboarding was “good”. That is a catastrophic failure on the part of businesses to not only prepare their employees, but also to safeguard their business metrics. Bad onboarding delays productivity, lowers morale, and makes people leave.

39% of people who quit in the first six months say better training could have kept them. So how do you make this happen?

What good onboarding looks like

If I could give one piece of advice to boost your new employee training: it would be to start before day one.

Update your standard operating procedures (SOPs), make a training plan, and set up a checklist. By the time the new employee joins, you should be able to kick into a fully-fledged onboarding flow, without having to update anything.

If this feels like a lot of work, use tools to make things easy. Check out Colossyan’s range of onboarding video templates if you’re looking for inspiration.

Another hack is to give new employees a mentor or buddy for their training. High-performing companies are 2.5 times more likely to do this, and it gives a new employee a way to ask questions about edge-cases as well as integrate into the real culture of the business.

Keep training going

Onboarding should be an on-ramp that introduces your new employees to the learning culture of the team, rather than something that only takes place for the first few months of an employee’s journey.

I recently discovered that only 4% of employers train beyond 30 days. But as anyone could tell you, real mastery often starts after the first month in post. 

Most companies give up way too early on training, seeing it as a short term solution, but 76% of workers say they are more likely to stay in a role if they have ongoing training.

When designing your new employee training, consider what to do once the traditional ‘onboarding’ phase is complete, what learning pathways you want to open up, and how you want to carry on training your new employees.

Use the right tools for training new employees

There has never been a better time to create a compelling onboarding experience. L&D teams have access to a plethora of features that can create content in the blink of an eye (don’t believe me? Create a free video with Colossyan today).

If I was starting an onboarding tech stack from scratch today, this is what I’d pick:

• Video creation: Colossyan – either via video templates or with the video API to create custom videos for each new joiner.
  
  
• LMS: Thrive – an AI-native LMS with skills management, compliance tracking, and engaging learning tools.
  
  
• Knowledge base: Notion or Confluence – a single place for SOPs, FAQs, and process docs so new hires can find answers fast.
  
  
• Checklists & workflows: Asana or Trello – create pre-boarding and onboarding task lists for both managers and new hires.
  
  
• Buddy program matching: Donut (Slack integration) – pairs new hires with buddies for faster cultural integration.
  
  
• Feedback collection: Typeform or Google Forms – quick pulse surveys after each stage of onboarding to find and fix issues early.

The payoff of creating best-in-class new employee training

Onboarding affects almost every aspect of a business. Strong onboarding can increase team productivity by 70% and it can raise profit margins by 24%.

In terms of satisfaction rates: 70% of people with great onboarding say they have the best job possible.

Given that nailing new employee training could lead to more money, more happiness and more retention, this should be considered absolutely business critical for every single business.

Final thoughts

Training is not a one-time event. You need to ensure you are approaching onboarding as an on-ramp, rather than a hurdle. 

Start early with your preparation, and treat it as a number one priority from an executive level down.

The results are clear: better work, happier teams, and people who stay.

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According to a study run by Acorn, whilst 95% of professionals agree mastering their role-based skills is important, only 9% of them ever complete any training to move towards mastering these skills.

Closing this gap should be every L&D team’s #1 priority.

A giant roadblock in the way of fixing this issue is that a lot of traditional learning just doesn’t stick. 

It isn’t exciting or engaging for learners, and can be seen as a chore or a have-to-do, because it’s built around systems (and boosting L&D vanity metrics) rather than people.

This blog is going to focus on how you can start working towards making your learning content more engaging by using core marketing principles to engage your learners.

Stop building for the LMS

The first step every L&D team needs to make their content more engaging is a bold one: stop building for the LMS.

We get it, the LMS is a great tool, and you spent a bunch of money on it. You probably have quarterly goals based on the data that your LMS gives you.

But focusing too much on the LMS when you create content is killing your L&D strategy.

 The core issue is that people don’t learn in a linear, programmatic fashion. They don’t login every day to your LMS and complete a set of training. 

They learn in moments, not modules.

Your LMS should be the place where you host content that supports your learners in the flow of work, not a place that disrupts their workflows by requesting they complete vanilla, boring training.

How do you get started ditching the LMS-first mindset?

Start with people, not content

The way marketing works is you don’t just dive headfirst into something with a Canva template and hope for the best. 

You seek to understand your target audience first, their pain points and what they want or need. Then you talk to them about how you could potentially help solve that issue and tweak your messaging based on the engagement rate of your messaging.

L&D should take the same approach to ensure the content they’re creating is what users actually want.

Talk to your learners before getting started on content. Interview managers and key stakeholders, and run focus groups around a specific issue the business is having, and note everything down.

This will give you a clear picture of the learner's pain points. Then you can start drafting informed content that actually speaks to learners' needs.

Once you start doing this, you will have stopped just taking orders and producing content that is much more impactful. 

It might be less overall content, but it will be much much higher quality and cut through the internal noise much clearer.

Treat learning like a product

What you produce in your L&D team should be seen as a product, rather than a checkbox.

And good products? They solve problems and are clear about how and why they solve them.

If your business has an issue with low sales numbers, your L&D content should be specifically and explicitly poised around solving this problem, not just a random e-module dropped into their inbox on sales outreach.

Good products are also adapted based on user feedback. Listen to your learners to determine if what you are producing is hitting the mark. 

Most importantly, you should always provide a way to give feedback, and ensure communication is always two-way rather than just one-way.

Use campaign thinking

Great marketing is done in a campaign format, with multiple touchpoints and an evolving story over time.

Poor L&D is done with one email that goes to absolutely everyone one time and expects people to say “how high” when asked to jump.

Borrow lessons from the marketers and build multiple stages into your L&D campaign with reminders, nudges and additional content.

Also, work on your hooks. 

Creating a compelling intro to your content that lures learners in, and you’ll start to see increased engagement rate, which is the foundation for building your feedback loop for creating more training.

Build trust with clear messaging

People won’t engage with learning if they don’t trust it will help them.

That means the message needs to be clear. No buzzwords. No hype. Just say what it is, why it matters, and how it helps.

Use consistent branding so people know it’s from you. Make it feel familiar and reliable.

Always answer the question: What’s in it for me?

If people don’t see the benefit, they won’t bother.

Test, learn, and improve

You won’t get everything right the first time. That’s normal.

What matters is what you do next.

Ask for feedback. Watch how people respond. Look at the data in a scientific way - but also listen to what they say.

Then make small changes. Try again.

Treat it like an ongoing process, not a finished product.

Make learning worth their time

Most people are busy. If you want them to choose learning, it needs to feel worth it.

That means it should be helpful, relevant, and easy to use.

The job of L&D isn’t just to create content. It’s to create learning people care about.

So before you build your next course, stop and ask someone what they actually need.

Start there.

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