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Imagine you have been looking forward to going out to eat at one of your favorite restaurants. You have your heart set on seafood and are picturing a succulent fish or shellfish dish. Now, you walk in, and the server informs you that there is just one option tonight: chicken. But you already had chicken for lunch, and not only that, you really don’t like chicken all that much. 

Now, take that same concept, and imagine you’re an employee who needs to learn a new skill or process at work. You’re excited to learn: you’ve always tried to stay engaged and look forward to learning new things. But your employer has provided you with a large, 200-page manual that you must read by the end of the week, and you’re expected to be up-to-speed by then. 

But what if you don’t learn best by reading? What if you pick things up much more quickly by watching videos or with a more hands-on approach? 

The point is that everyone learns differently, just like we all enjoy different foods. Some people learn best when left to themselves to read a manual at their own pace, while others need to listen to or watch a video or demonstration, and still, others work best when they are hands-on, figuring things out by practicing. 

Here’s another analogy: think about the tools you like to use to drive somewhere you’ve never been before. Of course, most of us use Google Maps now, but do you like to view the map? Do you review directions to get there? Or do you like to listen to someone directing you step by step? Or even better, do you just like to muddle your way through, looking for familiar landmarks? 

Again, we are all different and learn best using different approaches. In fact, there are three basic categories of learners: 

• Visual Learners 
• These are people who learn best by seeing or reading. They may choose that manual and be able to learn just by studying it, or they may choose to look at the map to get to their location. 
• Auditory Learners 
• These people learn best by using their hearing skills. They would prefer listening to or watching a video or having someone verbally direct them. 
• Kinesthetic learners 
• These people learn best when they are hands-on. They don’t do as well listening to or reading about a skill or procedure; they need to jump in and practice. 

So how do you cater to all of these learning types? You need to offer different types of learning, and that’s where “blended learning” comes in. 

Suppose you want to train employees on Microsoft Word. What would a blended learning program look like? 

Well, instead of simply writing the features and functions on PowerPoint slides, you might start out with a PowerPoint presentation as your framework. Within that presentation, you may add short video clips to demonstrate functionality, a link to an online manual that employees can refer to and read through, some interactive exercises, and lots of engaging visuals that show the highlights of what you’re trying to teach. And finally, you may want to consider adding a live component to your training.

Many people are social learners, meaning they like to collaborate with others and learn in groups that they can bounce ideas and questions off. If you don’t have the opportunity to get everyone in one place together, there are many ways to integrate a live or social component to your training using available technology, such as Microsoft Teams or other mechanisms that allow learners to chat with each other. With this approach, you satisfy those who like to read, those who like to listen and watch, and those who want to try, as well as those who want human interaction. 

A blended learning approach can be taken with just about any training topic you need to tackle, from soft skills training to technical training to legal training. 

As you put your training curriculum together for your upcoming year or quarter, be sure to build in a blended learning program. In doing so, you’ll find that more of your employees will engage better with the training and retain more information. Remember, we all learn in different ways, and the more options you have in your training program, the better your outcome will be.

Intellezy can help your organization implement a customized blended learning approach by leveraging our 30+ years of expertise in learning and development. Whether you want live virtual training led by an expert instructor or you prefer to have employees train and learn via the most up-to-date, focused eLearning videos, Intellezy can work with you to achieve your ideal blended learning approach. 

Connect with us at info@intellezy.com to explore how we can help implement blended learning into your corporate training.