Marc My Words: Are They Ready to Learn? Nine Questions to Ponder

If learners have the prerequisite skills and knowledge for a particularcourse (classroom, eLearning, etc.), they should be ready to learn, right? Notquite. There are other factors. Too often, we don’t look deep enough at how we can best getlearners ready to learn. Here are nine questions to consider:

1. Do learners have the right prerequisites?Yes, I just mentioned this, but it’s worth repeating. If learners can’t handlethe content because they lack prerequisite skills and knowledge, it’s anon-starter. If this is your situation, stop here and don’t continue untilyou’ve assured that learners know what they need to know before starting a newcourse.
2. Are learners resistant to the content? Sometimes,learners just don’t want to learn what you plan to teach them. They might notbelieve in it, may think it’s just the “flavor of the month,” or perhaps are fearfulthat what they are about to learn might make their jobs more difficult. This isnot a learning issue as much as it’s a management issue. Communication and supportmay be critical in helping learners overcome a negative disposition about thecourse. Testimonials, front-line manager support, help lines, etc., all canmake a critical difference here.
3. Are learners resistant to technology? Forlearning programs that involve technology, such as eLearning in all its forms, technologyresistance can come from fear, lack of confidence, a preference for anotherapproach, or just plain disdain. If we understand the nature of the resistance,we can take steps to reassure users and help them be successful with technology.But be careful—resistance to change (theycan but don’t want to) and inability tochange (they want to but can’t) are different; be sure you understand eachlearner’s trepidations before you act.
4. Are the learners motivated to learn? Closelyrelated to possible resistance is concern about motivation and incentives. What’sin it for them? Articulating benefits within your communication plan is a goodstart. Showcasing success stories is another effective approach. Sometimes,motivation can come from within, e.g., the desire to do a good job, improveperformance, or help the business. But other times, incentives—perhaps in theform of money, perks, or opportunities for advancement, along with management recognition—canalso help. Knowing where and how to apply incentives is key. Overdoing it canbe as bad as ignoring incentives. And if you think simply mandating thetraining will solve this problem, think again. You may get people to show up,but if they don’t value it, what’s the point?
5. Are the goals of the learning clear? Thisalso gets at motivation. Why would anyone want to learn something new if thereasons for learning it are unclear, confusing, contrary to expectations, ornot relevant to them? This is more than instructional objectives. Goals focusmore on the big picture. They answer questions for the learner like, “Why am Ihere?” and “How will this improve my performance?”
6. Do managers support the learning? Talkis cheap. Lots of managers will saythey support learning, but for many, their actions tell a different story. Executiveswho praise learning and then cut learning budgets send mixed messages thatdiscourage employees from taking time out of work to learn. But the biggestarea of support comes from front-line managers and immediate supervisors. Ifthey don’t support learning, it’s going nowhere. This is why it is oftenprudent to train managers first, to make sure they understand their role in thelearning process. Finally, if you’re not appraising managers on how well theysupport and facilitate learning, they’re likely not going to do much of it. Youget what you measure.
7. Is there time to learn? Related tomanagement support, learners should feel comfortable taking the time to learn,and the organization should clearly support reasonable time away from the jobin order to learn. If learners view going to class or learning online asunproductive or a waste of time, chances are no one will do it.
8. Are the right learning resources readily available?Obviously, learners must have access to the right learning resources, butif they have to wait for access to a needed course rather than having access atthe moment of need, their enthusiasm for the course might wane. And, moreimportantly, when learners return to the job after the course, do they haveaccess to materials or tools that can help them integrate what they’ve learnedinto their work?
9. Do learners know how to learn? At theheart of learning readiness is the ability of individual learners to takecontrol of their own learning. Unfortunately, there are too many trainingenvironments that, after years of lecturing atemployees, have so diminished those workers’ ability to learn on their own thattheir expectations of the value of learning decline. If we don’t createopportunities for employees to ask tough questions, do their own research, thinkon their own, be creative, or learn with others, we significantly diminish thevalue and the benefits of learning. This is why good instructional design is soimportant. Designing challenging, engaging learning programs can help buildhigher-level learning skills in people. And the ability to learn in class can,and should, transfer to the ability to learn on the job.

Thesuccess or failure of any learning program is not just dependent on the qualityof that program, although if the program isn’t very good, not much elsematters. But if you have a good and important course, getting employees readyto learn matters a lot. Readiness to learn can magnify the impact of greattraining. Lack of readiness can kill it. This is not something the training andlearning organization can do alone, nor should it. This is a challenge to theorganizational culture and the leadership provided by those who run it.