This month, we spent a lot of time addressing how your organization can implement a global learning initiative. We discussed that the winning formula for going global is finding the right balance between content and people, and then identifying how to connect content and people throughout instructional design and training delivery processes.

Learning how to take your training programs global isn’t easy. It takes personal evolution from instructional designer or project manager to becoming a learning experience architect. And this change requires an investment in your own professional development. You need to understand the business of learning, modern design technologies and strategies, and be able to identify opportunities for collaboration that make sense.

Virtually There Session Recap

More likely than not, your organization now has a global component. Whether you work for a Fortune 50 company with regional offices all around the globe, or a small startup with a single team in a different country, the demographics of your training audience have changed.

How do you adapt to this new modern workplace reality? Jennifer Hofmann, President of InSync Training, recently answered this question during her Virtually There session, Implementing a Training Program Across a Global Organization – A Practical Guide.

Before you start transitioning your training to support a more diverse learner group, answering a more fundamental question will put you in the right mindset: Why do we need to change our training programs at all?

Going global is a big job.

Before you volunteer to lead a global training implementation, it might be time to inventory your own skills. 

Chances are, you are not an expert at every piece of implementing a global project. (If you are, feel free to drop me a note!)

Our learners face a chaotic, complex, and overloaded world. They can (and do) access information immediately when they need it, and often dread training because they see it as a distraction from their pressing responsibilities.

So how do we encourage enthusiasm and participation in formal learning programs? Through contextualization and authenticity.

Ultimately, it comes down to strong instructional design.

Okay. Not really. Leading a global training project takes more than being an instructional designer or a trainer or even a project manager. I've identified three critical steps to leading a successful global training project:  

1. Evolving your role into a learning experience architect. 
2. Mastering how to connect people and content in a way that meets the needs of the business and the learners.  
3. Creating a plan that addresses the complexity of a global rollout. 

Should you add “content strategist” to your modern learning repertoire? Learning and Development practitioners hear about emerging trends and “mission-critical” professional development regularly.

New design methodologies, exciting EdTech options, cutting edge learner engagement approaches pop up on a daily basis, all claiming to cure common training challenges.

However the idea of including one more responsibility to an already full roster of responsibility likely won’t wind up on the top of your to-do list.

Virtually There Session Recap

Job aids can make or break a blend. They provide support for learners in their informal moments of need on the job. Job aids provide key information when things go wrong, when launching new internal systems or processes, when employees want to learn more, or when it’s time to complete an especially complex or uncommon process.

Like all training resources or instructional elements, creating job aids requires a thoughtful approach. But how do you get started designing easily understood, usable, reliable, supportive job aids? Experts Russ Powell and Joe Halpin, co-founders of Peregrine Performance Group helpfully put together an easy-to-follow seven step design process for exemplary job aids.

A global training implementation is much more complex than a blended learning solution designed for one country or for one region. Managing learner schedules, understanding the impact of regionalization, and getting content out in the most appropriate way are just some of the considerations the learning architect needs to consider.

A global program will probably be a blend. However, the old metaphor of a blended learning solution being a recipe, where you need to combine the right ingredients to get the right results, is not powerful enough to support the needs of modern organizations. Modern blended learning is more accurately described as a formula: combining the right elements in different ways to achieve a balance that meets the needs of all the stakeholders within the organization.

It’s really about chemistry.

How do we engage the modern learner? This loaded question generates answers ranging from design, delivery, implementation, learning environment consideration. Those are all legitimate answers! Each aspect of the modern learning experience deserve consideration, if we want to get modern learners excited about the prospect of professional development.

Obviously, we want to incorporate the most impactful elements into our training programs. In thinking about the evolution of learning, and how humans generally learn, two factors stand out: collaboration and community.

A new year presents new opportunities for modern learning advancements. Undoubtedly, exciting technologies will emerge, and practitioners will identify creative and innovative ways to engage learners while working to reach organizational goals.

What does the next year hold? We don’t have a learning & development crystal ball, but based on some trusted sources, a few predictions give us hope for a productive and successful year.

And it may surprise you to learn that none of them relate directly to technology!