Statistics show that by 2025, millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce. That means that many work-related decisions, including decisions related to corporate learning, increasingly need to be tailored to the millennial generation.
Since millennials are the first generation of digital natives, they are more likely to be interested and engaged in e-learning than traditional learning options. They are also more likely to be able to intuitively understand your learning management system, making e-learning more accessible.
Who are millennials?
Millennials are the emerging generation in the workforce. They are the generation that was born between the late 1980s and the early 2000s. On average, therefore, they are aged between twenty and thirty-five.
They are the youngest and becoming the largest segment of the working population, but millennials are also the least engaged generation in the workplace. As such, management teams around the world are looking at ways to increase millennial employee engagement.
Creating content for millennials
While these pointers are specifically for millennial learners, they do work for other generations as well, though older generations are not strictly considered digital natives.
1. Microlearning
Millennial attention spans are shrinking. To meet their expectations, try using microlearning – delivering learning content through short bursts of engagement. Do not replace traditional corporate learning regimens with microlearning – it’s a tool for reinforcement and improved recall.
2. Storytelling
Another way to address shorter millennial attention spans is through storytelling. Storytelling makes complex concepts more interesting, increasing the learners’ attention and interest in learning.
3. Relevant content
There is no shortage of digital content, and this means millennials are exposed to a huge quantity of stimuli online. To make your e-learning content stand out, make it specific to their work. Deliver content that is practically oriented and highly relevant to increase learner focus.
4. Gamification
Millennials lead their life in public! They share a great deal of their personal lives on social media. Gamification elements (such as a publicly visible leaderboard listing scores of all learners) can, therefore, encourage healthy competition.
5. Visual content
Thanks partly to increased engagement on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, millennials tend to be more visually oriented. That’s something that greatly helps the e-learning experience. Visuals help reduce cognitive load, making comprehension easier. Wherever possible, do use images, videos and infographics in your e-learning content.
6. Leveraging the LMS
When preparing your instructional design, keep the learning management system in mind. Prepare content that takes advantage of the digital platform and the elements it has to offer – searchability of content, forums, chatrooms, rewatchability and more. As digital natives, millennials are used to similar technology and will not need too much hand holding!
When preparing e-learning content and instructional design, it’s important to do so with your specific learning audience in mind.
Reach out to our experts at Hornbill FX to discuss the details of your next project before you get started. We can help you design a course that is highly engaging for your millennial audience.
