Most people hear “microlearning” and immediately think about condensing content into short videos. In this post, you will learn why that misses the point entirely, and how to design microlearning that actually changes what people do.
Employee Training Under a Microscope
Okay, so here’s the deal. I walked outside to my back garden and ripped off a potato leaf. Then I brought it under a microscope.
The idea and point behind a microscope is to illuminate things that were previously invisible. When I look at this leaf with the naked eye, it looks like a standard leaf. When I look at it under a microscope, I can actually see there’s some cotton stuck on it, a disease, a little bug eating a hole. I illuminate all the stuff that previously was not visible.
I have coached many heads of learning and development at Fortune 500 companies, and I’ve taught small armies of university faculty and professors how to design learning. What I want to tackle today is this idea of microlearning.
Typically, you hear that word and most people’s brains go to sending quick videos. What if we condense our content into shorts and every day we drip out a short video to our employees that onboards them to our culture? Forget about how you are delivering that microlearning for just one second, because you’re missing the point.
The point of microscopes is to illuminate something that’s previously invisible. I would argue that the point of microlearning is exactly the same. And when you raise awareness of that thing, then people have choice. When awareness increases, people’s choice of what they do with that also increases.
Try This: A Participatory Exercise
You ready? This is a participatory exercise. I’m going to ask you to do something right now, and I want you to fully pause and take five seconds and actually do it.
Think of something red.
For me, what came to mind? Strawberry. I don’t know what came to mind for you. I’m inviting you to go into your brain’s archive and pull something out. The context was completely open.
Really good microlearning focuses in on one particular aspect. So watch this. You ready?
Think of something red… that’s within three feet of your location right now.
All sorts of weird stuff under the desk. The socks of Ken. Soccer Ken. I grabbed it for my daughter before I started filming. This is something novel that otherwise I would never have thought of, because when context is open, we hang onto what’s obvious.
Really good microlearning actually shrinks the context.
Focus on One Tiny Aspect, Not the Broad Umbrella
If you’re trying to do microlearning under the broad umbrella category of leadership development, don’t try to generally teach better leadership in short videos or little snippets sent to everybody’s Slack channel once a day at nine. Focus people’s attention on one very tiny, particular aspect. You take them from “red” to “red within three feet.”
For example, if I’m creating microlearning to help a whole group of people become better leaders, I’m going to say, “Hey, most of you want to actually be better leaders. I want you to forget every aspect of leadership right now except for the one-on-one conversations that you have with people. Ignore everything else. This idea is just for that.”
Then you deliver that piece of content in a way that’s designed for contribution or participation.
Design for Contribution, Not Just Consumption
Here is what that might look like, taking this example to another level.
I want you to think about just your one-to-ones. Get a blank piece of paper. Think of the person’s name who you’re meeting with next.
When you leave a pause in microlearning, it is not about quick cuts going as fast as you can, condensing it to be as short as possible. Sometimes creating productive silence is the most useful form of learning that you can invite into somebody’s day. So take that pause while someone has time to write somebody’s name.
Behind the camera is Stephen, so my next meeting after we film this video will be with Stephen. Now think about one thing you’re naturally, genuinely curious to ask that person. Not just the thing you ask in every one-to-one. Not what’s on the top of your template or the agenda the company gave to you. What are you genuinely, naturally curious to ask? Take a minute and write that question down.
Great. You’re prepped for your next one-to-one. Have an awesome day.
That form of microlearning, if you condense it and chop it down, is a maximum 30-second video that invited someone to actively contribute and focused their attention microscopically on one idea or element.
Want to try this kind of engagement with your team? Download our free printable cards, book excerpts, and more here.
Efficiency Is the Enemy of Connection
Maybe the most attention-getting thing in your microlearning might be leaving some authenticity in there. Sometimes when we shorten things down and try to be so efficient with our learning, we lose all form of connection.
My late co-founder and partner, Will Wise, co-author of Ask Powerful Questions, used to say that efficiency is the enemy of connection.
So as you’re designing your microlearning, how can you sacrifice a bit of efficiency to really connect the content that you’re wanting to get across to people and make it relatable? Maybe it’s leaving in a blooper of somebody laughing at their little following-a-shiny-object squirrel moment.
This video in and of itself is microlearning. You could copy it and send it to all your training staff.
Ready for Macrolearning?
If you want macrolearning, once a year I teach one cohort of people what I call The Contribution Method, which is a method for flipping the podium around, making your training really deeply engaging and interactive, and cutting your prep time in half while also doubling your impact.
I put together a free field guide that shouldn’t be free because of how much goodness is in it. You can grab it along with other free resources at when you register your interest in The Contribution Method.
Have an awesome day.
