Do you work? Or do you go TO work? Is your work a place or an action?

Technology is changing our workplace and making it… well… less of a place. Technology gives us access to the people, content, and tools, we need to get work done. Most of today’s knowledge work can be done from anywhere around the globe. You’re only constraint is connectivity.  So, if you still think of work as a location, then I’d argue that work is where the wifi is.  And connectivity gets you connected to your training which makes you better at doing your work. And this is one of the reasons why your business needs a modern LMS.

Learning vs. Training

Similar questions can be asked of the learning and development industry. Do you go to learning? Or do you learn? Just saying “go to learning” feels wrong. Learning happens everywhere, all the time, with and without technology. This is obvious. But in our businesses its important that all employees learn the right things. And this is where we need training.

Training is something we attend, or tend too. Or as many have said in the past, “learning is something we do, training is something done too us.” It is structured with goals designed to meet business objectives. It is not always based on a location, but it is most definitely an event.

A training event can be short, or long, it can be spaced out over time, or consumed in one sitting. Training events can be delivered live in real time, or saved as a digital artifact and made available 24/7 via any device.

The Shifting Ecosystems of Work and Training

The culture shifts around work, and what it means to work, directly impact training organizations. This new and changing workforce expects simplicity and flexibility in all aspects of the job. The training you deliver should be simple and flexible as well.

If your training initiatives are going to keep pace with the changing workplace you must have systems in place that support work as both an action and a place. By that I mean your system must have the flexibility to support both a culture of learning, and training events.

You should be able to build a training experience that incorporates all types of media, and include instructor-led events as needed. You should also be able to record live events, quickly and easily making them available via your learning management system.

Training via Video is Growing

One of the most powerful forms of media today is video. And yes, it is only one of the many media options in your training toolbox. But it is without question the fastest growing. When apps originally intended for text only messaging are now live streaming NFL games and presidential debates, it’s easy to see how important video has become. And it’s not just alternative methods for consuming video content. Video production is now simple for everyone. And while older generations may be hesitant to record themselves on video, the younger generations have little to no fear of it.

Video has always been a powerful medium for delivering instruction, but now it’s easier than ever for anyone to produce content and share online. It’s even simple to start your own live streaming channel of content. Technology is changing everything, but the technology around video production and delivery is impacting training the most.

Video gives small training teams the ability to support growing organizations with additional resources. Scaling up the knowledge of your subject matter experts is more important than ever, and video makes it easier than ever to do so.  Live events can be streamed around the world at very low cost. And it’s not just passive viewing like classic television. Now anyone can turn on the camera on their mobile device and join the live video stream.

Ask Those Who Have Done it!

Read this case study from Yorktel if you’re interested in learning how they reduced on boarding costs by 50%.

You can also hear from the Learning Leaders at Coupa by attending their session at Dreamforce. This is a perfect opportunity to hear them dive deeper into how their training solution integrates with Salesforce to move the learning closer to the work. But you need to get signed up. So do that today!

And if you’re in the HR world then you may be headed to HRTech next week. Be sure to stop by the Litmos booth and get a live demo. See for yourself how an LMS can scale up, and adapt with your changing workforce.

Or just start your free trial of Litmos today!