A Fresh Start for Learning — Part 1: Reflection
Jan 7 • Written by Julie Dozier
What does your learning team do to reflect in the new year? We have some ideas.
Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash
It’s January, a time for reflection and goal-setting. A time for renewal and a fresh start. Everyone around you is focused on improvement. It’s contagious! This month we are spotlighting inspo all around us right now and sharing ways you can leverage the new year to build a culture of learning.
Reflection is a powerful tool. We use it all the time when we design — as part of a given learning experience, as an introduction to activate prior knowledge, or following a course or workshop to capture a-ha moments.
So how about taking a minute to absorb and then share what happened learning-wise in 2021? This reflection can surface helpful information and pave the way for a more solid plan in 2022.
Here are a few reflection techniques for your team to explore.
1. By the numbers
Photo by Susan Holt Simpson on Unsplash
You might think you know what happened last year, but have you taken a close look at your 2021 learning data? Pull the reports and crunch the numbers — the results may surprise you. For the rest of your organization that is used to focusing on business results, it can also be very heartening to look at positive numbers related to employee development.
How many employees learned something in 2021?
How many learning events did you host?
How many courses were completed?
How many employees chose to learn something that wasn’t required?
What platforms or programs are learners most engaged with?
Which groups or parts of the organization are particularly focused on learning?
Consider showing changes from the previous year if that reveals anything interesting. See if any of your learning results correspond with changes in business results. For example, was there a specific learning event that you can connect to improvement in results?
Inspo links:
LA Times, "By the numbers: Looking back at 2021 (and 2020)"
"Netflix Library By The Numbers 2021," by Kasey Moore
2. What learners liked the most
Photo by Andre Mouton on Unsplash
Let’s be honest — we all love to learn new things about ourselves ;) See what trends and patterns you notice about the members of your organization. Which of your offerings are they most interested in? You don’t need to conduct a survey to know this information — just take a look at your learning data:
Which non-mandatory courses were most viewed?
Which courses have the most likes or highest ratings?
Do different parts of the organization have different preferences and behaviors?
Sharing these insights will also raise awareness of what’s available and give people ideas about what their peers and other parts of the organization are learning.
Inspo links:
NPR’s All Songs Considered, "Poll results: NPR listeners pick the top albums of 2021"
3. Team insights
Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash
Another technique is to share your team’s takeaways. As the learning professionals at your organization, you have a unique perspective!
Consider using a storytelling approach. You might tell stories about:
The role learning has played for specific individuals in your organization
Business problems you are working to solve through learning
Teams that came together to learn and grow and transformed as a result
If you’re feeling brave, you could also make projections about 2022 learning behaviors you expect to see. What does the future of learning look like for your organization?
Inspo links:
HBR Presents, "Learning from 2021: Azeem’s Takeaways"
Forbes, "Top Ten HR Trends For The 2022 Workplace," by Jeanne Meister
Beyond the interesting insights you can surface for your organization, analyzing and packaging this information is always an eye-opening and encouraging activity for learning teams. And one final note: Resist the urge to gloss over things that aren’t flattering — those realities are important for your team and your organization to be aware of. They can also provide support for changes you’d like to make in the new year!
Your turn
We want to hear how you reflect as a team:
What data do you reference?
What is your process?
Which channels do you use to share your insights with your organization?
How are your 2021 reflections informing your plans for this year?
Happy 2022! Let’s make this a great year :)