Find New Solutions With Creative Training Design

Content

Creative training design has many benefits. It models the kind of creativity that companies need to remain competitive. It taps into principles of adult learning, such as that emotional connection aids learning and retrieval, and that novelty is attention-grabbing (and the brain needs to be triggered to pay attention). Because you are not simply presenting content and then checking learners’ knowledge of that content, the creative activities you come up with are generally at higher levels of learning on Bloom’s Taxonomy .

Creative training design has many benefits. It models the kind of creativity that companies need to remain competitive. It taps into principles of adult learning, such as that emotional connection aids learning and retrieval, and that novelty is attention-grabbing (and the brain needs to be triggered to pay attention). Because you are not simply presenting content and then checking learners’ knowledge of that content, the creative activities you come up with are generally at higher levels of learning on Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Content

So, what does it look like to infuse your training programs with the kind of creativity that leads to better learning outcomes?

So, what does it look like to infuse your training programs with the kind of creativity that leads to better learning outcomes?

Getting Creative at the Zoo

Content

A zoo hired me to help their employees provide better customer service, including feeling empathy for the guests.

A zoo hired me to help their employees provide better customer service, including feeling empathy for the guests.

Content

When employees arrived at training, they were told they needed to go to the far parking lot for a ticket, even on muggy, hot days. After walking back from the lot, a few employees had tickets that said, “Member; Please proceed to the front of the line,” just as zoo members could cut the line in real life. Once everyone was inside the training room, several of the seats had tape across them that said, “This chair is under construction.” In place of the other seats were signs reading, “This chair is inside for a rest.”

When employees arrived at training, they were told they needed to go to the far parking lot for a ticket, even on muggy, hot days. After walking back from the lot, a few employees had tickets that said, “Member; Please proceed to the front of the line,” just as zoo members could cut the line in real life. Once everyone was inside the training room, several of the seats had tape across them that said, “This chair is under construction.” In place of the other seats were signs reading, “This chair is inside for a rest.”

Content

It was a risk to anger and frustrate employees before the program had gotten underway, but it paid off when employees described experiencing true empathy for customers after their experience. Customer complaints dropped significantly in the weeks and months following the training.

It was a risk to anger and frustrate employees before the program had gotten underway, but it paid off when employees described experiencing true empathy for customers after their experience. Customer complaints dropped significantly in the weeks and months following the training.

Content

This activity was creative. But it wasn’t just creative for creativity’s sake: it was engaging and memorable for learners and strongly connected to what we needed them to learn about customer service. Thus, they carried over to the workplace.

This activity was creative. But it wasn’t just creative for creativity’s sake: it was engaging and memorable for learners and strongly connected to what we needed them to learn about customer service. Thus, they carried over to the workplace.

How to Get Creative

Content

So, how can you approach training design more creatively? This is probably not something that AI can solve. Research from MIT, Cornell, Google, and others, shows how AI systems flatten language, rewarding safe, average phrasing while sanding off the edges that make writing and learning design authentic and distinct.

So, how can you approach training design more creatively? This is probably not something that AI can solve. Research from MIT, Cornell, Google, and others, shows how AI systems flatten language, rewarding safe, average phrasing while sanding off the edges that make writing and learning design authentic and distinct.

Content

In 1996 (!), I wrote a piece for ATD (then ASTD) titled The 3-5-3 Approach to Designing Creative Training . 3-5-3 was just a simple framework I came up with to get learning designers thinking beyond the first idea that came to mind, which was often their default or the “tried and true” method.

In 1996 (!), I wrote a piece for ATD (then ASTD) titled The 3-5-3 Approach to Designing Creative Training. 3-5-3 was just a simple framework I came up with to get learning designers thinking beyond the first idea that came to mind, which was often their default or the “tried and true” method.

Content

With 3-5-3, designers start by describing the first three training methods or instructional strategies that come to mind, then discard them. Then they brainstorm five additional methods. Finally, they take one previously generated method and describe three ways to structure it. To see how this looks in action, check out this downloadable example of how the process can work .

With 3-5-3, designers start by describing the first three training methods or instructional strategies that come to mind, then discard them. Then they brainstorm five additional methods. Finally, they take one previously generated method and describe three ways to structure it. To see how this looks in action, check out this downloadable example of how the process can work.

Content

3-5-3 can be a helpful prompt for you, or for your AI assistant. Here are some additional ideas to spark some creativity:

3-5-3 can be a helpful prompt for you, or for your AI assistant. Here are some additional ideas to spark some creativity:

Content

Try a creative pursuit. Step out of your comfort zone and try making something, learning to dance, singing, or visiting a museum. Is there anything from that experience that might carry over to the training project you’re working on? Maybe a new way to visualize a concept, some steps participants can literally walk through, or a new way to curate a collection of resources?

Try a creative pursuit. Step out of your comfort zone and try making something, learning to dance, singing, or visiting a museum. Is there anything from that experience that might carry over to the training project you’re working on? Maybe a new way to visualize a concept, some steps participants can literally walk through, or a new way to curate a collection of resources?

Content

Go for quantity. Going back to the essentials of brainstorming can help increase creativity. Come up with as many ideas as you can without editing. Set your timer to have one idea per hour all day. Crowdsource solutions with colleagues, target participants, family members, or friends. Or try a creative brainstorming approach like mind mapping : Write your first idea in the center of your page. Maybe “Case Study.” Then create branches from the original idea, perhaps adding different settings, key takeaways, and formats beyond case studies. Or pick a completely unrelated topic, like things at the beach. Spend 30 seconds listing as many items as you can related to the beach. Then look at the list to see if any of them could be a valuable addition to your program. Are there any sandcastles you can have participants build? Or what about relating a concept to high and low tides?

Go for quantity. Going back to the essentials of brainstorming can help increase creativity. Come up with as many ideas as you can without editing. Set your timer to have one idea per hour all day. Crowdsource solutions with colleagues, target participants, family members, or friends. Or try a creative brainstorming approach like mind mapping: Write your first idea in the center of your page. Maybe “Case Study.” Then create branches from the original idea, perhaps adding different settings, key takeaways, and formats beyond case studies. Or pick a completely unrelated topic, like things at the beach. Spend 30 seconds listing as many items as you can related to the beach. Then look at the list to see if any of them could be a valuable addition to your program. Are there any sandcastles you can have participants build? Or what about relating a concept to high and low tides?

Content

Ask yourself, or your AI, questions to shake up your approach. For instance, “What can I do to ensure participants will not learn this content?” (Then do the opposite), “How can this be less boring? How would I teach this to a child/pet/grandparent? What’s the craziest way I could get this point across?”

Ask yourself, or your AI, questions to shake up your approach. For instance, “What can I do to ensure participants will not learn this content?” (Then do the opposite), “How can this be less boring? How would I teach this to a child/pet/grandparent? What’s the craziest way I could get this point across?”

Content

Get at the emotion. A design document I saw recently that I really loved included a section for each module: “What feeling do I want people to walk away from this module with?” Once you know what emotion you’re trying to create (for example, “I want new hires to feel they’ve made the right choice to come here.” or “I want new managers to feel confident in the skills that brought them to this point.”) you can think about what kind of experience, story, video testimonial, or photograph can help create that emotion.

Get at the emotion. A design document I saw recently that I really loved included a section for each module: “What feeling do I want people to walk away from this module with?” Once you know what emotion you’re trying to create (for example, “I want new hires to feel they’ve made the right choice to come here.” or “I want new managers to feel confident in the skills that brought them to this point.”) you can think about what kind of experience, story, video testimonial, or photograph can help create that emotion.

Content

Start small. Maybe you can’t completely revamp your style overnight. So, start with something else. Keep the activities the same, but change how people get into groups (by birthdays, by shoe style, using playing cards), how the room is set up, how the e-learning screen looks, or how introductions will work (cocktail party style, speed dating style, in triads, or using befunky.com or blobtree.com ).

Start small. Maybe you can’t completely revamp your style overnight. So, start with something else. Keep the activities the same, but change how people get into groups (by birthdays, by shoe style, using playing cards), how the room is set up, how the e-learning screen looks, or how introductions will work (cocktail party style, speed dating style, in triads, or using befunky.com or blobtree.com).

What Gets in the Way of Creativity?

Content

There may be obstacles to overcome in creative training design. Here are a few common ones and how to get past them:

There may be obstacles to overcome in creative training design. Here are a few common ones and how to get past them:

Content

Your own resistance (“I’m not a creative person.”)

Your own resistance (“I’m not a creative person.”)

Content

You may not be able to draw or play beautiful music, but you can still be creative in your design of learning. It just means being active, unusual, and not settling into a rut. And just taking a baby step with any of the ideas shared above can help. You don’t have to be capital-C creative to design training that engages learners. Don’t get hung up on whether you are or aren’t; just focus on what will bring your content to life.

You may not be able to draw or play beautiful music, but you can still be creative in your design of learning. It just means being active, unusual, and not settling into a rut. And just taking a baby step with any of the ideas shared above can help. You don’t have to be capital-C creative to design training that engages learners. Don’t get hung up on whether you are or aren’t; just focus on what will bring your content to life.

Content

Participant resistance (“You’re not getting me to draw pictures!”)

Participant resistance (“You’re not getting me to draw pictures!”)

Content

This isn’t really any different from dealing with other kinds of participant resistance. Make sure they have psychological safety to try new things and to make mistakes. And to share their concerns. And don’t forget to explain why it’s being taught this way.

This isn’t really any different from dealing with other kinds of participant resistance. Make sure they have psychological safety to try new things and to make mistakes. And to share their concerns. And don’t forget to explain why it’s being taught this way.

Content

Limited time and budget (“I don’t have time to come up with new ideas.” “Why reinvent the wheel?” or “We don’t have time for these kinds of activities in the session.”)

Limited time and budget (“I don’t have time to come up with new ideas.” “Why reinvent the wheel?” or “We don’t have time for these kinds of activities in the session.”)

Content

This is about changing mindsets—your own, or those of the colleagues or stakeholders who are pushing back. You need to explain how a creative approach can be more effective than a lecture or a passive experience, and how it can bring your objectives to life. The more you can report measurable, bottom-line results of a creative approach, the more stakeholders will trust you to try it. And sometimes you may find it takes less time to create a creative approach, like when it turns out you can just make a job aid or an infographic rather than developing formal training.

This is about changing mindsets—your own, or those of the colleagues or stakeholders who are pushing back. You need to explain how a creative approach can be more effective than a lecture or a passive experience, and how it can bring your objectives to life. The more you can report measurable, bottom-line results of a creative approach, the more stakeholders will trust you to try it. And sometimes you may find it takes less time to create a creative approach, like when it turns out you can just make a job aid or an infographic rather than developing formal training.

Content

Organizational resistance (“My organization’s culture won’t support this.”)

Organizational resistance (“My organization’s culture won’t support this.”)

Content

It’s tricky when your stakeholders can’t visualize what it will look like until it’s done. To work around this, share your plan with them so they have a stronger sense of where you’re going. And if you know about other organizations where these sorts of approaches have worked, be sure to share them as well.

It’s tricky when your stakeholders can’t visualize what it will look like until it’s done. To work around this, share your plan with them so they have a stronger sense of where you’re going. And if you know about other organizations where these sorts of approaches have worked, be sure to share them as well.

Taking the First Step

Content

Training designers can get into a rut, using the same types of activities or instructional approaches in program after program. Sometimes we don’t even realize when our standard mode of operation has become stale, or when the design that AI generated for us is just average. Creativity can be sparked. It’s up to you to light the match.

Training designers can get into a rut, using the same types of activities or instructional approaches in program after program. Sometimes we don’t even realize when our standard mode of operation has become stale, or when the design that AI generated for us is just average. Creativity can be sparked. It’s up to you to light the match.

Content