3 Things to Keep Learners Motivated
What many people do wrong when creating training programs and what you can do to make them right.
The Struggle to Keep Learners Motivated
Getting learners and keeping learners engaged is a challenge for every setting. Whether it's a continuing education credit for medical professionals, safety training for construction workers, or a leadership development course, people can become distracted and lose motivation quickly if the learning experience is not captivating them.
The mistake that many people make when creating a learning experience is thinking that mentioning why the course or training is important will suffice. For example:
A continuing education credit for medical professionals will help advance your knowledge and skillsets so you can provide the best care to patients.
A safety training for construction workers will ensure your health and well-being on the job, preventing accidents and injuries.
A leadership development course will help you excel in your career, lead your team effectively, and potentially lead to promotions and salary increases.
That sounds like a pretty good reason to take these training programs, huh? Well, then, why do learners in training programs like these ones lose motivation?
Don’t get me wrong; it’s vital to explain why a training program or course is important, but these types of statements shouldn’t be the only source of motivation for your learners.
Motivation isn’t something to be instilled in others. It is something to be instilled in one’s self.
Even if learners understand why a course or training session is important and want to stay motivated, this doesn’t mean they will. What they really need are tools to instill and maintain lasting motivation in themselves.
So, what are these tools?
The Gamification Trend
One tool many people turn to is gamification. Gamification in learning refers to incorporating some sort of competitive incentive in the learning experience, like:
Giving out badges for certain skills obtained
Using leaderboards to track the top learners
Rewarding people who complete the training by a certain date
I’ll be honest…I’ve never been 100% sold on gamification in learning. I think it can be a valuable component to add to a learning experience, but it should not be the only incentive your learners have for completing a training or course.
You know when you tell a kid to do something and they say ‘no’, but then you turn it into a game and say ‘I’ll time you’ then they get all excited and rush to complete the task. Gamification is kind of like that in that it is a way to trick learners’ brains into doing what you want them to do. A trick that eventually loses its luster and that people stop falling for over time. A useful tool for older siblings and babysitters, but for the workplace or classroom?
Research states that gamification helps with engagement and makes the learning experience a bit more fun. But, while this may be true for some, it is not true for all types of learners.
I’m all for using it to reward people’s efforts and recognize those who deserve it. But, if gamification is the only way you are motivating learners, then you are not really motivating learners.
The Real Tools to Motivate
The psychology of motivation has been and continues to be a heavily researched topic. Much of the research being conducted today stems from Richard Ryan, Ph.D., and Edward Deci, Ph.D. These researchers set out decades ago to figure out what yielded “high-quality motivation when people can be wholeheartedly engaged in something and really can have both their best experience and their best performance.”
They quickly discovered that rewards were not the answer, and eventually, three components started to emerge as true motivators. These became the self-determination theory, which states that real, lasting motivation is predominantly intrinsic, not extrinsic.
The three things a person needs to create intrinsic motivation are:
Competence: the ability to overcome challenges and the experience of opportunities to exercise, express, and develop one's skills and talents
Autonomy: feeling that one is the author of their own actions, making choices and decisions based on one's own interests and values
Relatedness: being connected to others, caring for and being cared about, and having a sense of belonging and attachment to other people
How Intrinsic Motivation Looks in the Real World
So, how can these three components of intrinsic motivation be applied to the learning environment? Let’s look at our previous learning examples:
A continuing education credit for medical professionals…
Competence: Ensure the content is challenging yet achievable, allowing medical professionals to feel a sense of accomplishment and mastery over new techniques or knowledge. Regular feedback and opportunities for practical application in a clinical setting can reinforce this.
Autonomy: Offer choices in learning pathways or elective topics within the continuing education program so medical professionals can tailor their learning to their specific interests or career needs. Allowing self-paced learning or a selection of project topics can also support autonomy.
Relatedness: Facilitate peer discussions, group projects, or mentorship programs. This encourages a sense of community and shared purpose among medical professionals, fostering a network where they can share experiences and learn from each other.
A safety training for construction workers…
Competence: Incorporate hands-on training sessions where workers can practice safety procedures. Use simulations or real-world scenarios to help workers feel competent in applying safety protocols in their daily work.
Autonomy: Allow workers to choose certain modules or electives within the safety training that are most relevant to their specific roles or interests. Also, involving them in discussions about workplace safety can enhance their sense of control and responsibility.
Relatedness: Develop team-based safety exercises or discussions, emphasizing the role each individual plays in ensuring a safe working environment for all. This can create a sense of camaraderie and collective responsibility among the workers.
A leadership development course…
Competence: Include modules that allow emerging leaders to develop and refine specific leadership skills, such as conflict resolution, strategic planning, and effective communication. Providing constructive feedback and opportunities for self-assessment can enhance their sense of competence.
Autonomy: Offer choices in projects or case studies, letting participants apply leadership concepts in contexts that resonate with their own experiences or future career paths. Encouraging self-directed learning or research projects can also promote autonomy.
Relatedness: Foster networking opportunities, mentorship programs, or group discussions where participants can connect with and learn from each other and established leaders. This helps in building a supportive community that values leadership development.
To be clear, stating why a course or training session is important for the learner is critical information to share from the start. And gamification can be a great way to add a little competitive spirit and extrinsic motivation to a learning experience. However, if these are the only motivating tools you are incorporating, you probably won’t see your desired results.
To get your learners really engaged and caring about what they are learning, competence, autonomy, and relatedness need to be established. These components are easy to achieve when you put yourself in your learner’s shoes and ask:
What do they need to be successful?
What do they need to be self-sufficient in applying this information to their life?
What do they need to feel supported and connected?
