Content development is the process of designing, developing, managing and maintaining learning programs. Over a decade of Training Industry research on the best practices of great training organizations has revealed that content development is the second-most critical process capability for training organizations to hone in order to be successful.
Training organizations demonstrate exceptional content development capabilities by:
Making Training Engaging and Interactive
Training Industry research revealed that developing engaging and interactive training content is the most critical practice for effective content development. Designing learning experiences that require learners to engage and reflect on training content ensures that they apply knowledge on the job rather than forgetting it when the training event ends.
Using Industry-, Company- and Job-relevant Examples
Learners need to see how the training they engage with applies to their daily tasks and job function to fully engage in learning. If they don’t see how the training will add value to them by easing their workload, improving their performance or increasing their knowledge in an area that contributes to their professional development, learning quickly becomes scrap learning.
Personalizing learning in this way is difficult to achieve with off-the-shelf training content. Customized training content developed within the organization or with a third party is more likely to account for a company’s unique culture and an employee’s unique role. Organizations can determine which programs to develop, outsource, purchase or eliminate using the portfolio rationalization four-quadrant model.
Involving Subject Matter Experts
Inviting subject matter experts (SMEs) to participate in the creation of training content helps ensure the development of engaging, relevant and factually sound learning. SMEs provide insights from years of experience and knowledge in their field. Leveraging their expertise gives employees valuable knowledge to apply to their own work.
Great Training Content
Great training content conveys the knowledge and skills your employees need to succeed in their roles and in your organization. Creating content learners can engage with and recall and then use on the job is critical in achieving consistent high performance.