Don't Just Communicate Your Training - Educate With It!

If you've been in Learning & Development for a bit you know that your communications plan (aka Comms Plan) is a vital part of your program/training rollout. That said - an area of often underutilized opportunity for L&D pros is to educate using their Comms Plan. Below are some tips you can use to increase learner engagement, knowledge transfer and ultimately the results you and your team are looking to achieve!

Leverage Video - I have never heard anybody ever say "man, I with this email was longer!" You can cover a lot more ground in an interesting, engaging manner using video. Using software like Kapwing, Camtasia or even the video suite within Canva you can quickly elevate your game and messaging. This also helps up the prestige of your event with video advertisements where you can strategically drop some info and knowledge that sets your learners up for the win. Also - don't underestimate the power of celebrity. This is especially true when walking into a room of new or unfamiliar trainees - if they've seen you on video in advance, they will lock in and connect with you fast, helping make your programs more effective.

Use A Drip Campaign - rather than sending out everything all at once or repeating a lengthy message over and over again that doesn't get the behavior you want to see (I know this has happened to you, I see you - and it's ok) strategically break it up into basic components and deploy them on a schedule, maybe weekly or biweekly to crescendo as your dates draw nearer, perhaps in combination with reels or shorts-style videos above. You can also add some key info or nuggets along the way, priming your audience with key facts and info to prep them so they can be fully ready to maximize the learning experience.

Post-Event Communications Can Be Key - just because the event is over doesn't mean you should stop communicating!

• Spotlight using photos and testimonials - people like people and seeing them at learning programs and hearing about how great they were from other people will definitely help market for your L&D department and future events
• Share wins - was there a positive impact from your experience? Share it! It will elevate you and your department, helping you start on the right foot with future learners. While you do all these things, there's great chances to..
• Drop in key learnings - whether they're facts shared in those testimonials or bytes of info woven into your communications, this can be a great way to continue to reinforce key points and also help give those who didn't participate some of the vital info they need

How do you maximize your communications? Drop some thoughts in the comments - would love to hear them!