Five ways to make your learning and development strategy stick.

Picture this: Your organization has made a firm commitment to learning and growing to be more inclusive and effective. You’ve booked the workshops, started the book club, and created a space on Slack for conversations around these issues. But it feels like the work just isn’t sticking. How can you ensure your learning and development plan resonates? And how can you build more accountability to convert these insights into practice? Here are our recommendations.

Use pre- and post-assessments.

Ask your employees questions before and after the session to organize their thoughts and build discipline in reflection. A pre-and post-assessment will also help you track readiness on critical skills and resonance with the lessons outlined in the session.

Pre-assessments are especially helpful for ensuring your content reaches the right audience. At Reclamation Ventures, we use pre-assessments with clients to help break employees into cohorts. If the pre-assessment is anonymous and we notice wide ranges in readiness with the content, we’ll encourage participants to break themselves into groups and provide introductory and in-depth resources as takeaways so each person can self-select the depth they’re ready for,

Send the same questions shortly after the session ends, prompting employees to reflect on the same points. This can give you a clear and quantitative way to understand how the content resonated. Following up a few weeks after the session ends is also helpful in gathering more qualitative thoughts. Prompt participants on how they’ve used the skills outlined in the session at the office or how it’s helped them further understand similar scenarios they encounter. 

We recommend providing an anonymous place to provide feedback, but you could tailor by roles or departments to get a better sense of impact at different levels of the organization.

Get creative.

Go beyond a traditional webinar with a static speaker and slides. There are many ways to model inclusivity and equity in diverse and engaging ways. Consider using comedy, songwriting, or improv to help your employees practice interpersonal skills. Bring in a magician or mime to help contextualize complex concepts through performance. Go on a virtual art tour as a team to dive into history. Learning and development don’t have to look traditional. A great place to start? Note what activities your employees enjoy outside the office, and explore what hidden talents anyone may want to put in the spotlight!

Encourage internal facilitation.

When external parties lead learning and development sessions, it can feel as if the wealth of knowledge and insights leaves when they exit the room. Don’t let the work feel unrooted in your office. Model your organization’s investment in this work by having staff help manage and moderate the session. Creating key roles, like a notetaker, someone to moderate questions from the audience, or a person to introduce the speaker, can help build more engagement in the session and create shared accountability on its success.

Create a culture of continuous learning.

For L&D programs to be truly effective, learning must be seen as a continuous process rather than a one-time event. Encourage ongoing development through regular workshops, webinars, and self-directed learning opportunities. Provide ways for small groups and individuals to take a recent topic into their own lives, scheduling short coffee breaks to discuss afterward with a colleague or giving a list of books and movies for individuals to explore on their own. Creating a supportive environment where continuous learning is recognized and rewarded will motivate employees to participate actively in their development.

Measure impact and adapt strategies.

The only way to truly understand the effectiveness of your L&D initiatives is to measure their impact. This approach involves tracking participation rates and feedback scores and analyzing how training programs influence employee performance and business outcomes. Use data analytics to assess the ROI of your L&D efforts and be prepared to adapt your strategies based on these insights. Continual improvement should be the goal, with metrics guiding the way.

By focusing on these areas, companies can ensure their L&D programs are effective and integral to building a diverse, inclusive workforce and equipping it for future challenges. Remember, the goal of any learning program is to foster an environment where all employees feel valued and have the opportunity to grow. Implementing these strategies will place your company on the right path toward achieving a truly inclusive workplace.