Sometimes, short is not only sweet—it’s powerful. Burst learning (also known as microlearning or short-form training) is an approach to ethics and compliance training that utilizes engaging five-to seven-minute videos to accomplish any number of an organization’s training objectives—from nimbly addressing a pressing “hot topic” issue to providing appropriate, affordable training for third parties.
According to NAVEX Global’s Key Trends, Issues and Best Practices in Compliance report, in the past two years, 23 percent of organizations have started replacing traditional courses with shorter courses, and 22 percent are supplementing traditional courses with bursts.
Bottom line: as the scope of compliance responsibilities increases, and available training time decreases, organizations are beginning to recognize the power of more frequent, shorter training. However, many organizations have yet to leverage the full potential of shorter format learning.
NAVEX Global’s new Burst Learning User Guide: 11 Meaningful Ways to Use Burst Learning in Ethics & Compliance Training and Awareness highlights some of the overlooked benefits of using this relatively new approach to training.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover the ideas and use cases outlined in the User Guide. You can also feel free to access the full User Guide at any time.
Benefit #1: Address Different Learning Styles
Dozens of studies have shown that not all adult learners have the same learning preferences. Some learn best through humor, some through the application of principles and others through hearing real stories or scenarios. With a short form training approach, organizations can add variety to their traditional training offerings without having to re-vamp their entire training catalog, meeting multiple learning styles and making training more memorable and effective.
Benefit #2: Cover More Risk Topics
No organization can address every risk topic that is a threat to their business. Bursts of training provide an affordable way to fill training gaps and cast a wider net on issues that are important to an organization, but that may not be specifically covered or emphasized in traditional training sessions.
Benefit #3: Address Secondary Risks
Not all risks are created equal. Some risks materialize less frequently, or only for a certain group of employees. Often secondary risks are left unaddressed—or under-addressed. Burst Learning can be an ideal solution for increasing understanding and awareness of important secondary risk issues.
Benefit #4: Raise Awareness
High-quality short vignettes can grab attention and spark conversation in a way it’s very difficult for organizations to achieve otherwise. Whether using humor or interactive scenarios, short form training can break through the clutter of an employee’s busy day, and reinforce awareness of their organization’s commitment to compliance and ethical behavior.
Benefit #5: Reinforce Foundational Training with Reminders
It’s natural: time erodes our perception of an issue’s importance. The same is true with compliance training. Reinforcing annual training with short form training can not only help employees keep important issues top of mind, it can also help protect companies in the event of a lawsuit. In several cases, the U.S. Department of Justice has cited periodic reminders as one of the reasons it declines to prosecute an organization. Burst Learning can not only help reinforce positive behaviors, but help limit unwanted behaviors.
Visit the blog next week as we explore four more benefits of Burst Learning.
