Low learner engagement is a major problem in many law firm training programs. Reaching a high level of engagement can seem like Mission Impossible. But, without your training, your learners won’t receive the skills and knowledge to succeed, and your entire law firm is impacted negatively.
Talk about pressure!
But just like the movie franchise, you can do the impossible and increase learner engagement. How? By better leveraging one of the most important features of your law firm training program: communication.
Communication Best Practices
Gather Learning Advocates in Your Law Firm Training Program
With many in the learning industry lacking resources, along with being a siloed department, it can be hard to get your training noticed.
As a learning leader, you need to create Advocates of Learning. These Advocates can be gathered from firm leadership, the C-suite, HR, staff and other key stakeholders who have the power to impact who is taking your training.
Is there a manager who is particularly beloved at your law firm? Ask him/her to lend their bona fides to your law firm training program by sending out an email touting its benefits for both professional development and the firm’s future.
Ask the HR department to weigh in during annual reviews, discussing the value of training. Get your engaged learners to invite friends to trainings or to log into the LMS, and give Amazon gift cards to those who successfully refer a co-worker to a training.
You can’t be the only one talking about how great your law firm training program is. Learning Advocates can significantly help you make training a priority firm-wide.
The Value of Learning
Now you have leadership in your corner, the next step is infinitely easier: communicating with learners.
With regular communication, you can weave training programs into your firm’s culture. Your learning management system (LMS) should have the tools you need to reinforce this. For example, use your learning management system’s notifications and reminders to push training to the forefront. It’s not enough to tell people that training is available; you also need to show them exactly how to access it and why they should even try.
Let your learners know the following so there are zero barriers to training:
- Where they can find their courses
- The benefits and objectives of the courses
- Rewards and recognition they will achieve by completing training (Work with HR to develop some meaningful rewards and recognition programs.)
Reward Learners in Your Law Firm Training Program
The chances of your learners having a lot on their plate is high. Many will have a full workload and won’t want to waste their precious time doing a task that has no clear benefits for them. It’s crucial to make the benefits of your law firm training clear from the offset.
First, align the training message with each learner’s priorities and motivations. For example, if you’re offering a PDF course, create messaging that clearly communicates the benefits the learner will gain from completing it, such as keeping client data safe.
No matter the training, offer a reward on completion for your learners. This can be anything from company-wide recognition to a gift voucher. Talk with leadership and get their input on what rewards would work for their department and training type.
Think Like a Marketer to Promote Your Law Firm Training Program
Every member of a learning team needs to be part educator, part marketer. You need to shine a spotlight on the vital training that is taking place.
What are your firm’s most popular communication channels? Take advantage of these to create a campaign that:
- Promotes your business’s training efforts as a whole and the tools you are using to do it
- Promotes individual courses or training programs
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box too, as Frances Kleven, Manager of Customer Success at LearnUpon, explains:
“I love to geek out with customers about the cool ways they are promoting their training. One of my favorites was a company that went above and beyond when launching a new training program – social posts, videos from the CEO, emails, even a podcast! – the engagement and feedback was amazing.”
Whether it’s setting up a simple email stream via your LMS or going all out with an in-depth marketing campaign for your training, remember one thing: If you’re passionate about training, tell people!
(Watch our ILTA webinar for more ideas from law firm trainers just like you!)
Share Training Wins
Now that you’ve communicated your training’s value to leadership and learners, and promoted the benefits, it’s time to highlight positive training performance. Showcase learners whose behavior is positively impacting the overall performance of your training programs.
For example, if someone recently received a raise or a promotion because she completed a learning path that you and HR created for her, ask her to provide a testimonial.
Not only do these stories reinforce and promote engagement, but it also humanizes the process. Team members clearly see that great work is valued and appreciated. This creates a culture of encouragement.
(This article was first written and posted by our partners at LearnUpon but we altered it with some specific ideas for law firm trainers.)