In today’s workforce, a high proportion of workplace learning occurs through informal learning.

In the past, many organizations carried out the majority of learning and development through formal learning channels such as training courses, workshops and seminars. These days, however, knowledge sharing is occurring more organically and through less traditional methods, as employees absorb and share information through social media and online learning communities.

With this shift in learning, employers and managers need to take note of the importance of informal learning, embracing it as an effective tool that can be used alongside their regular formal channels.

Read on to find out more about how informal learning works and what benefits it can bring to your organization.

Learning in general is an ongoing process, with the world around us providing an endless source of inspiration, knowledge and experience.

In this way, the type of learning that we refer to as ‘informal’ is very natural – it’s not something that’s planned, or scheduled. It’s something that occurs spontaneously, as you’re casually scrolling through Facebook, reading an article online, or chatting to a colleague over IM.

In these cases, you didn’t plan to become more educated on a certain subject, or sit down to explore a specific topic. Informal learning just happens as a part of everyday life.

Informal learning allows knowledge to be shared through an organization much faster than formal learning channels, which is advantageous for both employers and employees. 

With social media delivering information both constantly and instantly, employees don’t need to wait for a set training day or team meeting to be aware of company updates or organizational news. From a business perspective, these channels mean knowledge can be disseminated to all staff in an instant, making communication more effective.

As an employer, informal learning can also be a very economical option for your staff’s learning and development. While most companies spend a huge part of their L&D budget on formal learning methods, such as training courses and workshops, informal learning will cost your organization far less as it uses channels that most employees will already be using – such as social media.

Social media channels, namely Facebook and Twitter, are where most workers are turning to informally seek knowledge. In this way, social media platforms can be very effectively harnessed for informal learning.

They deliver instant, relevant and mobile-friendly information to users, making them perfect for informal learning. With social media easily available on the go, individuals can choose to digest information in a way that suits them, absorbing knowledge organically at a suitable time and in a suitable format.

Organizations can use Facebook groups to engage employees in discussions and knowledge sharing, which can be very useful for dispersed teams with remote workers. With Twitter’s instant updates and ongoing commentary, businesses can also provide fast and easy education on new services, products or company information. LinkedIn can also be used for informal learning, allowing users to connect with other professionals for knowledge sharing, relevant updates and industry news.

Blogs are a popular way for many organizations to provide employees with information, instead of the traditional training room or workshop learning environment. With the ability to enable comments on articles, blogs also encourage discussion, feedback and informal learning amongst readers.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are another online solution that can be used very effectively for informal learning.

A recent article about the use of LMS for informal learning  encouraged employers to look for “Learning Management Systems that support social collaboration tools, such as web conferencing software and Project Management online platforms. These features allow corporate learners to work remotely with their peers and share feedback. They can also send instant messages, upload documents, and address common concerns to form a supportive online learning community. Better still, all of these interactions are facilitated and track[ed] through the LMS platform.” 

Investing in a good Learning Management System is a great way to promote online collaboration between your employees, improving levels of engagement and team work. In doing this, you’ll be facilitating informal learning for your staff, leading to increased knowledge sharing and education across your organization.

For a Learning Management System that offers flexible features to suit the needs and preferences of your learners, consider Go1 – an online staff training system where employees can complete courses anywhere, anytime.

False

Why you need to be talking about informal learning

Communication is an essential part of leadership. Fail to communicate effectively and mayhem could ensue or, at least, people can lack confidence that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It is important to let people know when they are on the right track, as well as when something isn’t going as you want it to, because only then can people continue with confidence or redress the issue so that tasks are completed effectively.

It may sound simple, but many leaders lack the skills needed to truly get the workforce behind them and working effectively and efficiently. Below are some of the skills that make up a truly great leader.

Communication works both ways and in order for you to be able to say the right things, you first need to know the right things. Your workforce is on the frontlines of business every day completing tasks, overcoming issues and dealing with other people. If there is something that you need to know in order for you to be able to continue to lead effectively, it is likely that that information will come from the people that are closest to the action.

Hold meetings regularly, whether one on one or in teams, so that you can get feedback from your team to help you keep up with what is happening. Listen intently to the feedback you receive, negative as well as positive, so you can get a full picture of what is happening and what you need to do going forward.

Don’t dismiss people straight away as being pessimistic. Even though they may begin with something that you don’t want to hear, they could also be about to offer you a solution to the problem. It could be that the person that starts to speak with what may sound like a problem for you could be about to make your life a lot easier.

According to psychology today, empathy is a key component of a successful leader. Every task has its own set of challenges, and the people carrying out these tasks will have to overcome these challenges on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if the challenge is something as ‘simple’ as finding items on a shelf, or as complex as creating advanced accounting spreadsheets, they are still tasks with obstacles that are very real to the person undertaking them. Sharing that you understand the challenges people face and that you share their feelings on them will help them to connect with you and have confidence that they can get behind you.
Remember also that in addition to tasks at work, people also have lives to lead outside of work and life does have a habit of making things difficult for us at times. Emergencies at home do need to be taken care of, heavy traffic is beyond our control, and so on. If somebody is repeatedly late or not performing then there might be an issue with that person, but try to remember that life does occasionally throw something at us that we simply must deal with.

A great leader will also put their ego aside and try their best to work on the same level as their workforce. Let them know that you too once did a similar job and that you are willing to get hands on yourself to help out if you need to. Doing so can also act as inspiration as it lets your workforce know that someday, they too could be in your position if they put their mind to it.

Leadership isn't about dazzling others with your intellect and knowledge. Speak to people as though you are competing in some kind of competition to see who knows the most and there's a good chance that people will just switch off and lose interest in what you are saying, and in you.

A good leader will keep everything simple to help make sure that everybody can understand what is being said. Try to use lingo and technical terms sparingly so you can be sure that your message gets to as many people as possible.

A varied workforce will be host to a plethora of ideas and opinions, and some are likely to be quite unexpected. Even if something doesn’t sound at first as though it will work, keep an open mind and consider it thoroughly because ‘different’ does not necessarily mean ‘wrong’. New ideas are what drives innovation, and great leaders embrace innovation whenever possible

People look to leaders for advice and solutions and this means knowing the job at hand in detail. When it is clear that you know what you are talking about then it is easier for others to trust that you have the correct solution. Regular meetings with your workforce will help you to understand practices and procedures inside out, while occasionally getting hands on can also help you to understand exactly what you are talking about.

If there is something that you are unsure of then don’t pretend you do and give advice anyway. If necessary, delegate some tasks to others in the short-term at least, with a view to learning the task yourself so you can deal with it yourself directly in the future.
Being True to Your Word.

Gaining the trust of your workforce is essential if you are going to be a great leader, so it is important that you are seen to be acting in accordance with what you say. Act in a manner that is contradictory to what you are saying and your workforce will quickly begin to lose confidence in you, making it so much harder for you to lead them.

It is OK to change your mind from time to time provided that you keep people updated, and that they know that the change is for genuine reasons. If you have made certain assurances to some people then you should do your best to honour those assurances the best you can even though circumstances have changed.

Leading is not just about telling other people what to do, that's the easy part. A great leader will be able to not only tell people what needs to be done but do so in a way that they are happy and confident in what they are doing. Under a great leader, a workforce will be not only happy in their role but also inspired to push on, while having the confidence to speak out where necessary. If you share the attributes stated above, you too may be a truly great leader.

Learn the communication strategies used by great leaders

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a very real issue and employers are expected to take it very seriously. Even if an employer is not directly complicit with an instance of sexual harassment within their company, they could still be held accountable. Employers must be seen to be educating employees on sexual harassment to help prevent instances from happening, they must also be seen to be taking necessary action should cases occur.

One of the difficulties of dealing with sexual harassment is that it can often be very subtle, meaning that even those with the best of intentions can miss it is even occurring at all. Others might even be complicit in some cases without being aware of it. Sexual harassment could be inherent in your workforce yet still go unnoticed if those in certain positions don't have the required training.

In an effort to tackle instances of sexual harassment in the workplace, it is now law in all states that adequate training on the matter must be provided to all employees. Tackling sexual harassment is not only about complying with the law, of course, as there are other benefits to be had from training your staff.

Go1.com offers a free training course on sexual harassment in the workplace, and here are 5 very good reasons why your business should enroll.

Many sexual harassment issues are very nuanced, meaning that a lot of people are not likely to recognize they are even happening at all. This course will help to educate your staff on more discreet aspects of sexual harassment, as well as the obvious, so that issues can be dealt with when they arise or, even better, prevented from occurring in the first place.

Just providing training can help to create an environment that is not tolerant to sexual harassment. This helps to create a fair environment where all employees feel free to try and progress which is positive not only for them but also for your business.

"A happy workforce is a productive workforce". It might sound cliché, but it is true, and the most successful businesses often take steps to ensure that their employees are as happy as possible. High employee morale can be key in taking your business to the next level, and sexual harassment can undermine morale significantly if not addressed.

Remember that sexual harassment affects not only the target but also those around them. If a woman is one the receiving end of sexual harassment and nothing is being done about the situation then it is understandable that other women in the vicinity are also likely to feel very uncomfortable. Not only women will be affected of course as male associates of a victim are also likely to be unhappy that a colleague is being victimized.

In enrolling to our course, you will be educating those in key positions to recognize cases of sexual harassment and on how to deal with it if it arises. In hopefully eliminating sexual harassment from your workplace, your morale will remain high and your productivity along with it.

Training courses can be very expensive, yet also mandatory by law. According to Forbes, over $70 Billion was spend on corporate training in the US in 2014. By enrolling in our free sexual harassment courses, you can meet legal requirements in having your workforce trained while potentially saving thousands of dollars at the same time. In addition to saving on the cost of paying for training courses, our free course can also help to improve productivity overall to help your bottom line, as well as helping to avoid potentially high legal costs and fines in the future.

Training staff on sexual harassment is not only about complying with the law, more importantly, it is a genuine attempt at tackling issues of sexual discrimination. Even though some courses can be very expensive, they are not always effective at teaching meaning your staff can come away from the course having gained little of lasting value.

Not only will our course potentially save you a lot of money, it will also be more effective at helping your staff to retain the information within. Quizzes are located throughout the course to test what the students have learned so far, while also helping the course material to register, ensuring it has a lasting impact further into the future.

More effective training not only represents better value for your time and money, it also helps to ensure that instances of sexual harassment are less likely to occur in the coming months and years.

Even if your business is not directly responsible for cases of sexual harassment in your workforce that does not automatically exonerate you from responsibility. Employers are expected to educate their workforce on the recognition and prevention of sexual harassment and if found guilty of not taking steps to provide necessary education, you could get a big fine coming your way.

Legal action can also lead to a damaged reputation, potentially causing you to miss out on talented new recruits in the future as well as causing your current workforce to lose confidence in you. Our free course on sexual harassment is free to enroll to, yet it can help to save you so many potentially costly situations in the future.

There are no excuses for not having your staff properly trained in sexual harassment, and none are likely to be accepted should you find yourself in court. Not only can training help to protect your business from the actions of errant individuals, it can also help you to create a happy and productive working environment for all.

Our course is free to sign up to and can potentially prevent many problems, while also bringing many positives. There is nothing to lose by signing up but you could end up regretting it of you don't.

Enroll in our free Sexual Harassment Training elearning Course here

5 reasons you should be using this free sexual harassment eLearning course

For retail managers everywhere, the phrase “The customer’s always right,” is a common theme throughout the workday.

After all, without happy customers, how much of a market do you really have?

So when a store is trying to convince the shoppers of America to spend their well-earned dollars, they need be thinking about what it takes to make their customers happy.

For starters, and most importantly, customers expect to be greeted by a staff of employees that’s capable of treating them fairly and meeting their needs.

Unfortunately, however, retail customer service is rarely as flawless and helpful as shoppers think it should be. Instead, managers find their days riddled with questions and complaints, such as:

Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?

I talked to your employee and they had no idea how to help me with my problem!

Does your customer service department even know how to do their job?

These scenarios are some of the most common customer service issues that arise on a day-to-day basis…but what’s the common thread between them?

They all tend to stem from high turnover rates and poorly trained staff.

Many retail managers do not understand the ways that comprehensive training can benefit their business. Thankfully, a variety of learning management systems are available to help streamline the training process and ensure your staff is receiving the best instruction possible.

Learning management systems provide a fast-paced learning protocol that still promotes successful training and education in the workplace. The benefits from these systems have made them a preferred choice for retail locations all over the country.

To truly comprehend the advantages of these systems, however, it’s vital that you understand the negative effects of high turnover rates and how digital training can solve them.

How Does High Turnover Affect the Retail Industry?

Retail locations are fast-moving machines. Owners and managers have a multitude of behind-the-scenes components to think about on a daily basis. For everything else, they rely on their customer service department to get the job done.

An employer’s customer service staff will become the face of his/her store. This means an establishment’s success and reputation lie in the hands of this group of people and they’re expected to handle shopper interactions with ease and confidence.

In an article written by journalist Erica Nicole, she claims that companies which prioritize the customer experience generate 60% higher profits than their competitors.

When a retail location starts to be affected by high employee turnover, its chances of providing the type of service necessary for success begins to diminish.

When managers begin to lose employees, they’re left frantically searching for replacements to fill the holes in the staff schedule. Every retail location requires a certain number of people to handle their particular business, and when that number begins to fall there’s no way to efficiently meet a customer’s needs.

To get themselves out of the bind, many managers are forced to spend large amounts of money and end up hiring under-qualified, or incapable, applicants. These new hires are then rushed out onto the floor before they’ve had enough, or any, proper training.

With conditions like these, it’s almost guaranteed that customers still won’t be receiving the top-notch service they expect and deserve.

Cost and Time: Two Common Side Effects of High Turnover 

A constant cycle of employees coming and going can really leave retail owners in a lurch. Not only are customers themselves affected by the lack in high-quality employees, but also the business will begin to face the challenges of time and money needed to keep the business afloat.

Without the proper resources, high turnover can really damage a company’s success.

Did you know that retailers sometimes spend an average of $3,400 each time they have to find a new employee?

When you consider the steps involved in the process, it’s easy to see why:

While there are certainly extraneous costs such as help wanted ads, travel costs for interviewees, and training salaries, management should also consider the fact that time is money during the hiring process.

Every moment spent on the steps to find a replacement employee is time that should be going into the business itself. After all, company time is a precious commodity that should be reserved for tasks to generate profits and expand the company’s vision and reach.

The employment process affects company time in much the same ways as the cost.

Each minute in the workday should be geared towards growth, but setting aside the time for these hiring tasks consistently pulls owners and managers away from their actual work. This can eventually lead to damaging gaps in the business’ chance for success.

Other customer service employees are also affected since they are forced to pick up the slack caused from being understaffed. Rather than focus on their job alone, they end up doing the work of multiple people and being stretched much too thin.

How Can a Learning Management System Help?

Implementing a learning management system is any easy way of fine-tuning the employee training process.

Not only does it provide a selection of flexible and comprehensive course selections, but it also provides retail managers and business owners a laissez-faire way of handling new hire training.

Management will have the chance to spend more time on tasks that will benefit the business as a whole, rather than just the customer service department.

With learning management systems, however, it’s not just about new hire; you’ll be receiving a program that provides so many things, such as:

Distribution of new policies and procedures

Ability to check-in and see employee training progress whenever you’d like

Learning Management Systems Can Help Eliminate High Turnover

When your staff of employees is well trained and confident about the work they’re doing, they will be more likely to achieve longevity within the company.  Many times employees decide or are asked to leave because they’re frustrated by their own inability or management’s disappointment in their work.

Learning management systems don’t stop working after a new employee has received initial training.

Providing your customer service employees ongoing training helps offer the tools needed to keep the workplace exciting and challenging.

At the end of the day, when your employees are happy with the work they’re doing, it means more overall success for the company. You’ll not only have a seasoned staff that knows exactly how to do their jobs, but you’ll also see the benefits reflected in your bottom line.

How learning management systems can solve customer service problems in retail

Taking time off from work over the holiday season seems standard, right? Traditionally, many employees will enjoy annual leave time during the Christmas and New Year period, to recharge their batteries and spend time with family and friends. 

However, many employees are deciding against taking time off for a vacation, choosing to work through the holiday season instead. What are some of the reasons your staff members aren’t taking their annual leave?

It could be one of several reasons. Some people might feel guilty about adding to the workload of others, or think they’re too busy to take time off. In this case, winding down might not even seem worth it, due to the amount of work they know they’ll come back to. Others may be worried they might not have a job to come back to if they take a break.

Whatever the reason, it’s critical that your employees understand the importance of taking proper time off, for positive work-life balance and to avoid burning out. As an employer, by promoting the benefits of proper vacations, you’ll also be building a better work culture, with happier staff and lower staff turnover rates.

Read on for more insight into the reasons some staff members might be reluctant to take time off over the holiday season and how you can address this.

Thinking that No One Else Can Do Their Job

One of the biggest reasons people don’t take annual leave is that they think no one else can do their job for them while they’re away. They worry that without their physical presence, the organisation will grind to a halt – which unfortunately, may be true.

 If this is the case, it could be a sign that there are employees in your organisation with far too much on their plate. If a staff member feels that they can’t take a vacation because their immediate workload doesn’t allow it, you need to address this issue. Individuals with perfectionistic tendencies, in particular, can often be fearful of taking annual leave, being uncomfortable with the idea of other people taking over their work and not having the same standards, or creating more issues.

For these workers, there may also be a concern about switching off from technology during leave time. With advancements in digital technology, grey areas have sprung up around appropriate levels of communication for staff who are on leave. While in the past, employees were instantly disconnected from the work environment as soon as they left the office or job site, these days employers can easily get in touch with staff by phone, email, text message or video call.

Expecting employees to communicate during the holiday period disrupts their personal time and stops them from properly switching off and recharging. As an employer, don’t encourage or guilt staff into answering calls or replying to emails over their break. Managers need to understand the importance of switching off after hours and be educated on the risks of technology burnout for their staff.

Feeling Guilty About Putting Extra Strain on Co-Workers 

Some staff members might also feel guilty about taking time off, worrying that by doing so they’ll be putting strain on their colleagues and adding extra duties or responsibilities to their workload.

Employers should promote a collaborative work culture, emphasising a workplace environment of trust, knowledge sharing and non-siloed work units. When teams work in collaboration, they support one another to accomplish team and organisational goals.

No staff member should need to feel stressed or guilty about taking time off in this collaborative and positive work environment. They should also be able to trust their team mates to pitch in and carry the work load in their absence.

Dreading the Amount of Work That Will Pile Up

Have you ever taken a holiday, only to return to an overflowing inbox with every email marked urgent and requiring immediate attention? Not to mention the amount of calendar invites and meetings you’re expected to participate in on your first week back.

Most of us have been in this situation at some point, returning from vacation to a giant pile up of work greeting you at your desk. Unfortunately, this can sometimes make employees feel like taking time off wasn’t even worth it, as stressed feelings soon replace any relaxation gained from their holiday.

As psychologist Sarah-Jayne Whiston explains, fear of taking annual leave is “a common occurrence in workplaces. It's that sinking feeling if you leave your work, the emails and things to do list will keep mounting, so taking time off will mean you have to come back to even more work," says Sarah-Jayne.

To address this, employers and managers can make sure teams are properly covered during annual leave periods, and allow staff adequate desk time when they return to work after a break, to catch up on their emails and in trays.

Worrying They Won’t Have a Job to Come Back to


Sadly, many workers may be afraid that they might not have a job to come back to if they take time off. With Australia’s unemployment rate rising to 5.7 per cent just before the new year, the holiday period can be a time of uncertainty for many people in terms of job security.

In Australia, annual leave is a legal requirement, however some employees still worry about being replaced during their break. Contractors in the construction industry, for example, might fear that the job will simply go to someone else if they make themselves unavailable.

As an employer, you can be mindful of the stresses that the holiday season can bring and reassure individuals of the security of their jobs in the new year. That way, staff members can relax and enjoy their Christmas break, returning to work with fresh energy and motivation.

Are your employees taking their annual leave?

The end of the year is fast approaching, and for most people that means a week or two away from work. While this is a great time to relax and refresh yourself for the new year, it’s also a really good time to learn some new skills so that when you head back to work you can hit the ground running!

We’ve got a list of some great short courses that are FREE for you to take and will teach you some awesome new skills so that you can make sure that you have a great 2017.

The challenges of the 21st century demand a different style of leader. The Organizational Champion eLearning series presents an innovative approach to leadership in this millennium and helps develop you into a new breed of leader known as a Champion. Based on Mike Thompson’s book, The Organizational Champion, these modules are an invaluable resource for developing you into a dynamic leader capable of steering your organization through today’s challenges and uncertainty into the realm of profit and growth. The ‘Introduction to the Organizational Champion’ is the first in the eLearning series.

These 2 courses can teach you new skill about improving your presentations with the help of picture effects and interactive objects. In only 25 mins you can turn your regular old presentation into an eye-catching tool for information by learning some of the picture effects tools in PowerPoint. Learn a range of effects with step by step instructions so you don’t miss anything. Bring your next presentation to life with the help of interactive objects. Your presentations no longer need to look like a boring PDF with the ability to add in hyperlinks, in page toggles and much more. This 25min courses will teach you how to take your next presentation to the next level!

Many people would rather die than stand in front of a microphone. It doesn’t have to be that way. This brief course will show that anyone can become a polished public speaker with practice. We’ve designed it for the person who wants to feel confident while powerfully delivering a message to any audience, large or small.

How to conduct effective business meetings

Meetings are an accepted part of office life, and can be a great way to increase productivity, brainstorm new ideas and accomplish goals. However, when not conducted effectively, meetings have the opposite effect. Employees are frustrated by what they see as a waste of their time and meeting facilitators are disheartened by their inability to accomplish goals. This course explores how to avoid discontent by conducting effective business meetings.

With these courses, you will be ready to take on 2017 and might even give your boss a surprise when you take charge of that next meeting or presentation to a big client!

What are you learning this holiday season?

At Go1 we have grown a lot over the past year, and one of our biggest additions to what we offer our users is the Go1 Course Marketplace. Stocking over 100,000 course, our course marketplace is packed with some of the best learning content from some of the best course providers across the world!

With so many courses on offer at the click of a button, it can be tough to track down that perfect training program for your team, so we are going to take a look back at what our ten most popular courses were in 2016, and maybe you'll find something that your team should be learning!

Accidents can happen at any time and regardless of how many precautions are taken. When an accident happens, how you respond could be the difference between life and death. In this four-module course, you will learn about what to do in an emergency, including initial responses to injury situations, first aid guidelines, and best practices. The course also covers the AHA’s 2010 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC), including both full and hands-only CPR.

A short course that introduces the importance of listening and internalising what others are saying before leading.

Many people would rather die than stand in front of a microphone. It doesn’t have to be that way. This course will show that anyone can become a polished public speaker with practice. We've designed it for the person who wants to feel confident while powerfully delivering a message to any audience, large or small.

4 – Creating an Awesome Customer Experience

Social media is defining how companies interact with their clientele more and more and it is proving to be very powerful in making or breaking a company. In this course, you can learn how to harness the experience your client is receiving and turn them into a promoter of your company.

5 – Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors

The pervasive, subtle, and sometimes ambiguous nature of sexual harassment, as well as its potentially devastating effects, make employee education on the topic a fundamental obligation for employers. In America, employee training is also mandated by law, both on a federal and a state level. This 2 hour course reduces risk and fulfills the requirements of California state law AB1825.

Provided by Equitation Science International, this 60 minute online course introduces how horses learn, their natural behaviour, and principles to help you train successfully. It's designed for anyone who is involved with horses, whether you ride for pleasure or sport.

7 – How Play Ukulele in One and a Half Hours

Playing a guitar-like instrument in only one and half hour. Don't worry about knowing your music theory, the chords you need to know are simple, and that's all you need.

Provided my Udemy, this Uber Analytics Test is the second test in the entire interview for General Manager, Associate General Manager, Operations and Logistics Manager and Marketing Manager positions at Uber. If you pass the recruiter screen, the next step is to do this 2 hour timed online analytics test.

9 – Process Mining: Data Science in Action

Provided my Coursera, Process mining is the missing link between model-based process analysis and data-oriented analysis techniques. Through concrete data sets and easy to use software the course provides data science knowledge that can be applied directly to analyze and improve processes in a variety of domains.

Configuration schema is a tool to replace drupal_get and drupal_set in drupal 7 and bellow. It's has a lot of features to make developer deal with configuration easier. It's also written in yml format, so anyone can understand and write their own schema for the application.

Thanks for your support throughout 2016, and happy learning! 

Over the course of 2016 we have published a lot of great articles to help you understand more about learning and training, and how you can help take your business to the next level. Today we are taking a look back at the articles that our readers enjoyed the most throughout the year.

Our top articles for 2016 cover a wide range of topics, and we hope that you've enjoyed reading them as much as we have enjoyed writing them!

1.   Structured vs unstructured learning in the workplace

It is a fact that, for all well-performing organizations, developing employees isn’t just a HR problem anymore. It is an organization-wide strategic challenge directly tied to overall organizational performance and growth. However, the subject is so hard, convoluted and filled with deep change that most people find daunting just to start thinking about how to tackle it. Continue Reading

2.  How to improve your sales calls in 6 basic steps

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in; sales are tough business. Over the past decade, the way in which sales teams operate has evolved at a rapid pace leaving teams scrambling to stay on top of their game. Online business has been a major factor in this evolution, and now the way in which we handle our initial calls with potential customers have become more critical than ever!

There are 6 steps that can be used to assist in creating a road map and a clear goal for your call. By applying these 6 steps I am confident your sales process, engagement levels and meetings will start to show signs of improvement. Continue Reading

If you could learn anything that you wanted within 20 hours, what would you learn? It might not sound like a long time, but a book titled ‘The First 20 Hours’ and accompanying TED talk from Josh Kaufman has shown that you through using rapid skill acquisition techniques you can go from knowing absolutely nothing, to performing at a high level of skill within a very short period of time. Continue Reading

4.   How to use your phone to record video with a green screen

As technology has advanced over the past decade, recording your own videos has become easier than ever! We all have a device that can record high definition video sitting in our pockets, yet most of us don’t know how to use these devices to their full potential. Video is now the go to communication tool across the world, and with a few tricks and some basic equipment, you can learn how to shoot professional quality video. Continue Reading

5.   How to use your mobile phone to record video with a green screen

The way that we learn is constantly evolving, but as new tools that allow us to incorporate virtual and augmented reality into our learning become more accessible, we are entering a new age of learning. The Microsoft Hololens has just been released to developers and is a huge step forward in the augmented reality, but how will this impact our learning? We’re going to take a look and find out. Continue Reading

This is just a selection of the hundreds of articles that we have published over the last year, and if you would like to read more - head over to our website! We will be back next year with more tips and tricks, help guides, best practices and much more, and if you would like to be a guest writer on our blog, please contact us!

Find out what our most popular articles of 2016 were!

It’s completely revolutionized how companies Thanks to the Internet and “the cloud”, sharing training material is now much easier than ever before and this has been a huge boon for HR departments.

As convenient as eLearning materials can be, though, it is still very important to get the right material so it is as effective as it can be. All too often, those that design eLearning materials fail to design courses that maintain the learner’s interest and engagement. Obviously, if the students aren’t engaged fully with the course, the effectiveness of the course will be low.

Below are some simple ways that you can ensure that your eLearning material is as effective as possible:

When creating any eLearning course it’s essential that you first create a plan so that you know just what you need to create. You will need to take into account the goals that you are trying to achieve before deciding on how you will proceed. By all means, look for ideas and inspiration from other eLearning sources, just remember to make sure that they are directly relevant to your specific training needs.

When you are absolutely clear on what goals you are trying to achieve it becomes easy to identify what needs to be included in your eLearning program.

As necessary as it is, training can be dull and if you don’t keep it interesting then your trainees are likely to simply “check out” for the day. Walls of text or long rambling speeches are not going to help maintain their attention so remember to break up passages where possible. Doing so

Text that has been broken up into easily digestible passages is also less intimidating and is far more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Infographics in particular are very useful in training material because as well as looking good, they make the material more appealing and easy to digest.

It’s fine to use humor where possible provided the training remains professional and on track. Indeed, humor could help to improve the effectiveness of training by helping to maintain the attention of those that are taking the course.  Strike the right balance between education and humor and you can create excellent material that will have a lasting impact on the learner.

One very effective way of ensuring that people are engaging with your eLearning material is to try and make it as interactive as possible. In doing so, you’ll make sure that your participants are actually following the course and paying attention to what’s being taught. Also, interactions are more likely to keep the mind engaged, helping to make the course material a lot more effective and easy to retain than it otherwise would be.

To make eLearning courses interactive, you can include things such as questions that need to be answered before moving on. Encouraging interactivity on courses that involve software can be particularly productive because you can ask the participants to carry out certain tasks for themselves, which is a great way of getting the material to “stick.”

If any part of an eLearning course is not relevant to those taking part then it will only cause confusion and poor engagement. if something does seem otherwise interesting and you think it might be a good addition, it could just lead to confusion if it’s not relevant to the training modules at hand. Don’t forget also that just because you find something to be interesting, it does not mean that everybody else will.

One way to ensure that you are keeping it relative is to follow the plan. If something doesn’t fit in with the plan, then it won’t be relative to your goals. If you are using 3rd party material then make sure you watch the material yourself first to be sure that it is what you need to be. Also, titles can be misleading so make sure your modules clearly convey what will be covered.

Studies show that sustained periods of working without breaks impairs peoples’ ability to remain focused throughout the duration of the task. When people do begin switching off mentally, the effectiveness of training w

Follow the simple tips above and you will enhance the effectiveness of your eLearning strategies, helping to ensure that your personnel has received all the necessary training they need. eLearning is not only a more effective way of training, it’s also a very cost effective method in the long run. Keep it engaging and you’re guaranteed to improve employee performance.

5 ways you can improve eLearning engagement and results

The Productivity Commission recently reported that more than two million Australians have experienced some form of workplace bullying  – a staggering figure when you think about the damaging effects this behaviour can have on each individual life.

In a previous article, we discussed how bullying impacts your business, affecting your staff’s morale, productivity and work performance, as well as your organisation’s overall work culture. It also has significant financial consequences for companies, with bullying costing the Australian economy an estimated 15 billion dollars annually.

So what can we do to stop bullying occurring in our own organisations? What are the best ways for employers and managers to deal with workplace bullies?

If you’re in a leadership or management role, you need to be equipped with proper strategies to identify, manage and prevent this toxic behaviour. Here are 5 ways to deal with bullying in your team.

Whatever form it takes, bullying is a type of abuse – a way of intimidating and dominating others, through physical, emotional or psychological control.

It may take the form of continual snide comments about a colleague, putting someone down whenever they pitch ideas to the team, or outright hostility towards another team member. Bullies might also make a point of excluding certain people from team conversations, meetings or project work.

Workplace bullies will often use nonverbal tactics or subtle humiliation instead of direct threats. They can be very good at making sure their behaviour doesn’t cross over into direct physical or sexual harassment, while still making their victims feel continually excluded, uncomfortable and anxious.

Don’t enable or tolerate bullies in your team 

Unfortunately, bullies often get away with their behaviour simply because no one can stand dealing with them. These negative personalities tend to thrive on conflict and drama, but for anyone who dislikes confrontation, standing up to a bully can feel very uncomfortable and intimidating – even scary.

Because of this, some managers will choose to turn a blind eye, unwilling to deal with the disruptive person in their team. However, overlooking or tolerating bad behaviour is sending a message that it’s accepted and even enabled in your organisation.

As a manager, you have a responsibility to address workplace bullying, making it clear that a respectful collaborative environment is to be adhered to at all times. Stop bullies from constantly interrupting others or being aggressive; pull them up when they mock someone else’s ideas or suggestions; work hard to build an inclusive work environment.

Control your own response to workplace bullying

If you’ve become aware of bullying going on in your team or organisation, it’s important to make sure you respond in an appropriate and rational way. Accept that you can’t control what bullies do or say, but you can control your own response.

Recognising that you are in control of how you respond will help you to detach your emotions and manage the situation in a more effective way. Besides, showing emotions such as anger or disgust will only be giving the bully what they want – a reaction and opportunity for further conflict. 

Act on all reports and complaints of harassment

Taking workplace bullying seriously means acting on any report or complaint that is raised in your team. This will make it clear that your organisation has zero tolerance for any form of bullying or harassment. 

If someone tells you they’ve been made to feel uncomfortable by another employee, don’t make excuses for bad behaviour or laugh off inappropriate actions as “just a joke” – treat every report with the diligence it deserves.

Make sure you have an anti-bullying policy in place

Develop and implement a strong bullying and harassment policy, to show your commitment to providing a safe and productive environment for your employees, while promoting a positive work culture for all. This policy will also ensure your organisation is compliant in this area.

Bullying in the Workplace covers useful information about the most common forms of bullying in the workplace and the costs this has for both victims and organisations. You’ll also learn practical strategies for dealing with workplace bullies.

Workplace Harassment for Managers explores the negative impact bullying and harassment can have on an organization’s work environment and looks at the role of managers in preventing and responding to all forms of workplace harassment.

Bullying: The Manager’s Role further explores the role of managers in preventing bullying and abusive conduct in the workplace.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

What are the best ways for employers and managers to deal with workplace bullies? Here are 5 ways to deal with bullying in your team.