Russell Cullingworth, MBA
Covid, and the resulting rise of Zoom-based learning, has fundamentally changed our expectations and the way we want to learn.
Have you ever listened to an audiobook while on a long drive or flight? If not, I recommend it, especially if you like fiction novels. A well narrated audiobook can keep your mind and imagination engaged and occupied for many hours. The other benefit with audio stories - if you miss a chunk because you're distracted, you can still follow the story and understand the lessons, meaning and context. If you miss too much, you can always skip back a bit.
I recently had a valuable meeting with Kristan Strate, President and CEO of Synergy HR, based in Calgary Alberta. We talked about learning in the post-covid world.
"I think that there has been a comfort level created by our web learning or our online digital learning experience that's almost made it more comfortable for people to learn. That way I could sit back in my chair, I could turn my camera on, turn my camera off, and still be with you. " Kristan Strate
Kristan shared a valuable insight into how COVID-19 has changed the learning landscape - and, more importantly, how it has shaped our habits and expectations for learning.
Before COVID-19, in-person, classroom-style learning was the predominant format. Half-day or full-day workshops were the norm, and multi-day programs were not uncommon.
Kristan shared her experience:
Kristan: "In January of 2020 I ran a really big five-day in-person leadership development program and it was all centered around emotional intelligence and building strength and competency in preparation for succession planning. So it was working with that sort of VP, Director level to move them up to potential C-Suite level positions. Super cool program!
It was just a phenomenal experience, really phenomenal! And the skeptics bought in at the end. And I think that when you pull people together in a classroom like that, you get a group influence, where people are expressing their emotions and then the person that's maybe a little more shut down feels a little bit safer getting vulnerable. So that emotionally vulnerable piece of leadership was easier to practice in that setting because there was a lot of support. Learning was about connecting with the people that were sitting right beside you. And there's a shared personal journey that adult learners in particular enjoyed in that personal environment."
This format worked well for instructors and facilitators too. As a facilitator with Insights Discovery from 2010-2018, the ability to work and talk directly to in-person, as well as having interactive activities, groups, games and breakout sessions was the most-powerful way to get the learning across. seemed be a rich learning environment for everyone.
But Covid and the introduction of Zoom webinars and online learning changed us in ways we could not have imagined.
Kristan: "During COVID, of course, we all scrambled to create our webinars and the Internet and the business universe was inundated by webinars, which was kind of a cool place to learn at first. And the cool thing about it is, you know, you could shut off your video and pet your dog. Or put your earbuds in and go bake a batch of cookies. So this whole notion of online learning, not just video learning, but audio learning opened up this, let’s call it distracted learning - where people are there, but they're not really there.”
Kristan's words have stuck in my head and I haven't been able to shake them. Distracted Learning. What does that mean for the future of learning programs and instructional design?
Then she added one more nugget of advice, which resonated with me because StoryStyle™ audio learning is what I've been working on and perfecting for over seven years:
Kristan: "What really captures people is this idea of storytelling, and learning through storytelling. It's huge, absolutely huge. And when you can personalize that and put people in the shoes of your protagonist, then you win because they can relate. And so these really relatable, deep shared experiences, whether they're in classroom or online, they're super valuable.”
Lastly, one of my business mentors, Daniel Priestley from Dent Global, recently posted a video on YouTube about how the Trump campaign effectively used long-form podcasts to reach a very broad audience, far more than any visual social media campaign. https://youtu.be/SCt4LIXJqNw?si=xBoS8pj7eFJEUSdD
Podcasts are rapidly overshadowing video-based media as a powerful way to reach people.
In a nutshell then, in this age of "Distracted Learning", I believe that StoryStyle™ audio learning will become an important form of portable online learning resource that can be consumed while distracted. By teaching through stories, it's not too serious if you skip over a bit of the narrative - the story will still carry the learning and lessons, and they will remain connected through the storyline.
Learning becomes a part of life and work, not something that interrupts it.
Learn more about StoryStyle™ audio learning here: https://www.prodio-learning.com/storystyle
Take a look and try our Future-Ready Learning Scorecard - a 15 question self-assessment of your learning program. https://www.prodio-learning.com/scorecard
Russell Cullingworth, Founder and CEO
ProDio Audio Learning Inc.
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