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Is your learning strategy millennial friendly?

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Is your learning strategy millennial friendly?

Before you brush off the idea of millennial friendly content for your learning strategy, heed this warning… by 2025 millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. That’s only 8 short years away! So, grab a tea or coffee and consider implementing some of these millennial friendly approaches to your learning strategy now, to be better prepared for the workforce wave of the future.

A millennial is anyone born from 1982 to 2002, these dates adjust gently a few years based on the source. Regardless of the exact dates, the importance of their learning style and expectations stay true. Millennials are a demographic who are on the go and appreciate personalization, so what does that mean for the effectiveness of your learning strategy? We have pulled together the following list of 5 millennial friendly approaches to keep your strategy fresh and appealing:

1. Go mobile

Who doesn’t appreciate the convenience of a smartphone or tablet? Make the adjustments so that your learning content is available via phone and tablet, for on the go, easy access. If your content can go with the learner and they can access it in their own time, then they are   more likely to engage with it and complete the course or task assigned to them.

2. Collaboration and fast feedback

This generation thrive from collaboration. Use tools that foster collaboration like threaded discussion, virtual meetings, guest speakers or online presentations. Some learning management system’s (LMS) offer built in tools for feedback. For example,   the coach and share modules on Docebo’s enterprise platform  allows participants to engage with content, leave feedback and receive updates via email as soon as a peer has responded.

3. Concise videos

Less is more when it comes to video. Be concise. Anything over 5 minutes’ risks not being viewed or retained by your participants. Don’t be afraid to edit. This does not mean that you can’t have complex content, it just means you need to scaffold the material into chunks of 5 minutes of less. This allows you to build a concept rather than a single 20-minute video that lulls them off to sleep or loses their attention within the first 5 minutes.

4. Stay current

Millennials are a digital generation and updated information is what they have come to expect. If you’re hosting expired courses, outdated materials and old branding on your LMS, you cannot presume your audience will see it as a relevant source for information. Be diligent in your weekly   housekeeping and make sure your LMS is as up to date as possible, so that its image and content remains relevant to your workforce.

5. Provide a framework for learning modules

Personalization is a key factor in keeping participants engaged with your learning strategy. Provide a framework via learning tracks, reporting and course descriptions so participants understand why completing a course will benefit their personal journey. No matter what the generation, if the participant can’t relate to your courses, they are not likely to retain the information for more than a few days.

While engaging millennials may be the catalyst that prompts your organization to begin looking at your learning strategy more deeply, the reality is implementing best practices for all online participants, regardless of their age or generation, is a step in the right direction to secure your learning strategy’s future success.

If you would like the help of an eLearning expert or would like to discuss more ways to increase your course participation, we’re here to help. Set up a free consultation to discuss your current LMS and course offerings.