Learning and Engaging Move Your Business to the Head of the Class
Learning is something you always do. Education can be formal in a classroom or in the school of hard knocks as entrepreneurs go about their business.
James L Katzaman
Toss away tired old approaches that make education a bore
Learning is something you always do. Education can be formal in a classroom or in the school of hard knocks as entrepreneurs go about their business.
“If you’re not learning, you’re stuck in the same place,” said Melissa Chiou, who constantly seeks the latest nuggets to stay ahead of the competition.
A content strategist, she audits websites and social media platforms. Besides being an expert on social media strategy and content development, she writes a blog on Medium.
“I also pitch and sell concepts to companies, including National Geographic, McCormick and Chime,” Chiou said, recalling how she pitched and sold a live event activation concept to National Geographic.
With each pitch and sale, Chiou acquires new business knowledge, typical of a culture of learning that successful entrepreneurship demands.
Marketers Ivana Taylor and Iva Ignjatovic have empathy and swim in that same ocean.
Taylor owns DIYMarketers, which is “committed to helping small business owners get out of overwhelm.” Ignjatovic is a marketing, strategy and business consultant.
On a scale of 1–10, Taylor rates herself high for love of learning.
“I used to be an 11,” she said. “These days I’m more of a 9. I still love learning, but I prefer to learn things I’m interested in.”
A prime struggle is with motivation.
“I love learning, but my motivation on learning certain things and implementing them to mediocre results is low,” Taylor said.
Being driven to learn is important because Forbes says the worldwide e-learning market is projected to be worth $325 billion in 2025.
Meet Individual Needs
“I can go from 3 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 for motivation,” Ignjatovic said. “It’s about the topic, the deadline and if it’s essential for me.”
There are a variety of learning formats to suit any personal preference.
“I like a combo of networking to learn from others, Google searching, blog posts and YouTube videos,” Chiou said. “Everything changes all the time. It’s mostly googling questions. I don’t like sitting through long presentations.”
Convenience also promotes ease of education.
“This is how I learn most anything,” Taylor said. “I’m old enough to be in awe of technology’s ability to bring the world to my laptop.
“Plus, I really like online learning supplemented by a live review class,” she said. “I also learn so much more when I’m muddling through something, experimenting and trying things to see what works.”
Best results come when you’re smart about online courses to help your business grow.
“I love to learn in a more hands-on way,” Ignjatovic said. “I retain new information best when I actively do something, whether that is working on a project or trying out new things.”
One of the benefits of online seminars, classes and courses is being able to attend them as often as you want.
“I go to one to two sessions a week on a specific topic with an interesting speaker,” Chiou said. “I watched a replay of one about aligning your business and personal goals. I found it very helpful.
“The good thing about replay is that I skip around and speed up the process,” she said.
Persuasion Over Selling
Taylor might attend an online workshop once a quarter.
“I’m pretty particular,” she said. “I don’t like being sold. I’d rather pay to learn something.
“It’s taken me a lot of back and forth and looking at research and experience,” Taylor said. “I’ve solidly come down on the side of investing in employees and just loving them. Besides, you control that.”
Udemy has found that 62 percent of companies use online learning and development programs to close gaps in employee knowledge.
“I try to attend at least one online class or seminar per month,” Ignjatovic said. “The benefits are vast. The cost of online courses is becoming increasingly more reasonable. It’s absolutely amazing how many opportunities we have.”
There are varied ways to acquire new business knowledge.
“I love professional newsletters,” Chiou said. “Social Media Today and Marketing Dive both have excellent ones that keep you updated on the latest industry news.”
The internet also has its fans.
“I definitely prefer an online platform,” Taylor said. “I love independent learning. Although, if I’m learning a new skill or process, I appreciate having support.
“When I’m doing something online, I prefer video,” she said. “However, when I’m learning big concepts, books are my go-to.”
DIYMarketers has a related article, “4 Shocking Things We Learned About Online Learning.”
“I prefer to read business books and articles, and attend business webinars and courses,” Ignjatovic said. “I like case studies, too. It’s good to know the theory and the basics, but after a while I want something real: tangible.”
Tech’s Blessing and Curse
Technology, the ability of instructors to provide valuable information or finances: Any of those can make online learning difficult.
“It’s commitment to a long course that meets every week or something very expensive,” Chiou said. “Plus, what professors are teaching now may be irrelevant four years later when kids graduate.”
There is also the possibility of getting inundated by a data dump.
“I always worry about too much information and get overwhelmed or behind,” Taylor said. “Most instructors aren’t familiar with teaching content that is meant to be consumed online. So, the hangups are a combo of tech and instructor.”
In addition, most people are in class not to talk but to get the work done.
“I really concentrate on doing the work being taught,” Taylor said. “Some content just begs for physical interaction and engagement. Yes, you can do it online, but there’s so much distraction in an online program.
“I’m usually the person with my camera off and the trainer is like, ‘Turn off your cameras,’” she said. “I need to be focused on learning and don’t want to engage with folks there.”
Taylor recalled her father’s advice.
“My dad used to say, ‘When you eat you eat, when you sleep you sleep,’” she said. “When I’m learning something important, I’m learning something and not chatting. If they put us into groups, I will absolutely engage.
“This is online during workshops,” Taylor said. “The instructors love that. They ask people questions. Folks are responding in the chat, using hashtags. That’s just too distracting to me.”
Focus on Conversation
She found similarities to Twitter chats.
“Some brands like being on a phone or Zoom and chats while tweeting,” Taylor said. “This makes me nuts. I’ve found that it reduces engagement and conversation.
“There is an important engagement that represents the learning process,” she said. “Empty comments in the chat, I’m not into that.”
eLearning Industry states that corporate e-learning takes 40 to 60 percent less time to complete when compared to traditional learning.
“One challenge with online learning is that it’s easy to become distracted by other things going on in your life and business or both, considering that so many people work from home,” Ignjatovic said.
Not all online learning is created equal — or good.
“If it’s a live session, then you have to sit through the whole thing,” Chiou said. “A lot of times presenters will pad the beginning with too much intro and background to fill time.”
That will disappoint students trying to squeeze in precious time.
“I would much prefer a shorter session that’s packed with content and process,” Taylor said. “As much as I love independent learning, it’s hard for me to implement a skill without a milestone live session.
“Then there are problems when something is live and the main speaker has difficulties — even after a solid tech check,” she said. “Something always goes wrong.”
This is why, whether as presenter or student, entrepreneurs need to stay on top of their game to succeed.
Engagement Out of the Ordinary
“While online learning is convenient, conversations that you might have in a classroom have a different flavor than when you have them online,” Ignjatovic said. “I’m not sure why that is. We have conversations online for meetings, but learning feels different.”
Ideally, a course, material or presentation should leave a student delighted.
“I randomly found the book, ‘A Whole New Mind,’at the library,” Chiou said. “Even though it was published in 2005, it explains why the current tech layoffs are happening.”
Taylor completed the Quiz Funnel Masterclass with Ryan Levesque.
“It was great instruction, outstanding tools and support, but that took a long time to perfect,” she said. “Training heaven is a group with great chemistry.”
SHIFT has found that e-learning increases learning retention rates by between 25 and 60 percent.
“I read several interesting materials, but what I’m looking for is a good course on artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Ignjatovic said. “A friend of mine, Pam Didner, did a LinkedIn course on how to write a business-to-business marketing plan. If you’re interested in the topic, check it out.”
Online courses should be designed with engaging activities in mind.
“If it’s live, the best is usually the beginning asking where everyone is from or the end for questions and answers,” Chiou said. “The social links with content info at the end are also engaging.”
Anything that promotes involvement can aid learning.
“A lot of online courses have Facebook groups,” Taylor said. “They will run contests and competitions for their audience. People also ask questions and share progress.”
Eager for Information
As DIYMarketers notes in a post, no matter what you know how to do, there are likely tens of thousands of people who want to know what you know.
“Engagement really depends on the course itself,” Ignjatovic said. “Some possibilities include discussion forums and individual assignments.”
Not everything about e-learning is rosy.
“There’s boring slides with lots of text,” Chiou said. “Long exposition needs to be broken up with stories. Storytelling will activate the audience’s visualization.”
Packages also pass up on flexibility.
“By definition, if it’s a prerecorded class, there won’t be engagement,” Taylor said. “Although, a lot of folks will have a Facebook community. I might be in the community, but I’m mostly a lurker.
“Tough teachers really meant a lot,” she said. “My best teachers were tough and had high expectations.”
Any variety is better than nothing.
“Bad classes are just talk, no examples,” Ignjatovic said. “The worst is if all is theory and personal views without application to some other situations.”
With that in mind, students naturally have wish lists of what they would do if they ever because instructors.
“I would definitely have prerecorded tutorials supported by live working sessions,” Taylor said. “People would have the opportunity to implement and ask questions.”
Storytelling would have its place, up to a point.
“Stories are good, but sometimes there are too many stories and not enough process or practice,” Taylor said, allowing that education flows both ways.
“There’s a saying somewhere that if you want to learn something, teach it to someone else,” she said.
Open to All Ages
DIYMarketers points out if you’re a coach, consultant or trainer, research findings give ideas on how to better serve students. This also applies to making online learning accessible to seniors.
“I wouldn’t do anything without consulting with my target audience,” Ignjatovic said. “I’d ask them and create a course or workshop based on their answers.
“It’s tough to create a good experience, but that’s what matters,” she said.
This comes back to doing whatever possible to keep students’ interested. As Chiou urged, “Build in exercises for them to do along the way.”
About The Author
Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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James L Katzaman
Jim Katzaman is a charter member of the Tealfeed Creators' program, focusing on marketing and its benefits for companies and consumers. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as well as subscribing here on Tealfeed.
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