How to leverage employees to effectively develop training content

In the case you do not know what subjects to select for your training programs, you may want to set up an internal crowdsourcing campaign and leverage subject matter experts. Here are a few suggestions on how to get started:rnStreamline your idea/intake processrnIf you want to be innovative and capture new ideas for training programs, a great place to start is with your employees. To do this, you can design an internal crowdsourcing program with a training request intake process. New platforms like Learning Design Systems enable you to create digital training request forms that capture ideas from departments and employees throughout your company. Leveraging technology enables you to collaborate on training requests and quickly approve or decline them. For example, you may decline a request because you already have content that serves that requestors need. You can then redirect that employee to the content accordingly. rnNeeds AnalysisrnMany people have said that a training needs analysis is overkill, but we disagree. A needs analysis can quickly tell you if training is the right solution to meet the needs of the employees. The Chapman Alliance Research Study states that it takes 40 to 140 hours of labor to develop 1 hour of training content and an average cost of $10,000. Without a needs analysis, it can be difficult to get all your stakeholders aligned to ensure that the training material is worth the investment before starting the training development process. By first asking your workforce for their input on what training should be delivered, and then by doing a quick needs analysis, it will be easier to get everyone to collaborate and contribute to build quality content that much faster. A needs analysis can save you time and money.rnDigital CollaborationrnNo one wants to be interviewed by a group of training developers or instructional designers. We’re all busy and in today’s digital economy, we need to do things…. digitally. So do yourself a favor and invest in collaborative software that makes the knowledge transfer and content gathering process effortless and effective. By moving away from manual processes and leveraging technology to streamline and automate antiquated administrative tasks, you can save time and develop training content with fewer resources, enabling the company to maximize a ROI.rnIntegrated DeploymentrnWith the right software, you can make your training delivery process much more effective. Platforms like a Learning Design System enable you to publish content via share links, embed codes, and also traditional learning standards like SCORM or the xAPI. Software solutions nowadays need to be flexible and open source to enable data transfer. For example, your Learning Management System (LMS) should be able to “speak” to your Learning Record Store (LRS) and leverage industry standards like the xAPI. Accordingly, your Learning Design System should be able to integrate with your authoring tools. This makes it possible to design, develop and deliver content with a technology stack of your choice - saving time, costs, and providing employees with the right learning environment. rnIf you want to learn more about innovative technologies to automate and streamline your training development process, download our FREE eBook.