How do you use adult learning theory to improve your training?

1 Know your audience

Before you design your training, you need to know who your learners are, what they already know, what they want to learn, and how they prefer to learn. You can use various methods to gather this information, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or pre-tests. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your training objectives, content, and methods to their needs and expectations.

2 Make it relevant

Adult learners are more likely to be motivated and interested in learning if they see how the training relates to their goals, challenges, and experiences. You can make your training relevant by linking it to their current or future roles, tasks, or problems. You can also use examples, scenarios, case studies, or stories that reflect their real-life situations. Additionally, you can involve your learners in setting their own learning goals and choosing their own learning activities.

3 Use active learning

Adult learners learn best by doing, not by listening or watching. You can use active learning strategies to engage your learners in the learning process and help them apply what they learn to their work. Active learning strategies include discussions, debates, role plays, simulations, games, quizzes, or projects. You can also encourage your learners to collaborate, share, and learn from each other through group work, peer feedback, or mentoring.

4 Provide feedback

Feedback is essential for adult learners to monitor their progress, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and improve their performance. You can provide feedback to your learners in various ways, such as verbal, written, or visual. You can also use different sources of feedback, such as yourself, other learners, or self-assessment tools. Feedback should be timely, specific, constructive, and actionable.

5 Respect diversity

Adult learners come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. You need to respect and value their diversity and create an inclusive and supportive learning environment. You can respect diversity by using inclusive language, avoiding stereotypes and biases, and acknowledging different opinions and experiences. You can also adapt your training content, methods, and materials to suit different learning styles, preferences, and needs.

6 Support transfer

The ultimate goal of training is to help adult learners transfer what they learn to their work. You can support transfer by providing opportunities for practice, reflection, and application during and after the training. You can also provide follow-up support, such as coaching, mentoring, or resources, to reinforce and sustain learning. Moreover, you can involve managers, supervisors, or peers in supporting the transfer of learning by setting expectations, providing feedback, or rewarding performance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?