Digital expertise
Developing Virtual Learning – Case Study 1
Working with an international pharmaceutical company following a merger. The need was identified to develop their people’s assertiveness, confidence and clarity in communicating with internal and external stakeholders.
The majority of participants were in R&D roles and had scientific backgrounds, so the content of the communication tended to be too detailed, complex or lacked understanding of what the other party needed to know. The company wanted a series of bitesize learning sessions that could be delivered both virtually and face to face. The sessions needed to exist as ‘standalone’ pieces, but also to build on one another to create a ‘journey’ for those who would benefit. Previous virtual learning in the organisation had been unsuccessful and the L&D team were keen for this to not only deliver the learning objectives but also to change the perception of virtual learning.
The project was approached by both designing the content but also involving people from the teams in the co-production of the content which increased acceptance and understanding of the platform. Positive experiences were shared with the wider team via internal comms and as a result we saw increased uptake of virtual sessions throughout the project. Following completion of the 6 month journey the client chose to roll-out the training to all technical roles in the European region.
Replicating the Classroom – Case Study 2
Working with a major Japanese bank in EMEA following creation of new company-wide competencies. They wanted to create a consistent appraisal experience across the business which was focussed more on development than ratings. With a workforce with only a handful of people in each office outside of London they wanted to develop virtual learning that didn’t feel like the ‘poor relation’ of classroom learning. In order to do this I developed an Adobe Connect classroom space which allowed for breakout rooms, pairs activities and the download of editable materials that could be worked on in real time. In an unusual move I also designed the virtual sessions as half a day, with offline sections that allowed for face to face practice in order to embed new behaviours. The programme rated at 4.8 out of 5 in satisfaction, the highest in virtual training in the bank.
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Pulling learning together
Defining the Journey –Case Study 1
Working with an international mental health recovery organisation who had developed a suite of learning materials in collaboration with the NHS, people with experience of mental distress, universities and facilitators. They were looking for support in working through the content to develop a clear learner journey for someone to become a certified Peer Support Worker. Following a review of materials I created a re-designed programme along with a 1-page visual representation of the learner journey.
Following the successful completion of the learning product, the client rolled the training out to all NGOs in Singapore and Hong Kong as well as to the majority of UK NHS Foundation Trusts.
Modernising the Experience – Case Study 2
Working with a major global app and game design company. The client wanted to take their training ‘out of 1985’, which meant moving away from traditional style training to adapt to a younger workforce and what they needed.
I developed a learning strategy which blended the ‘pick n mix’ approach with a defined learning journey. The ‘dim-sum’ learner menu allowed staff to follow a logical journey that built on skills, but allowed for them to select only the interventions relevant and helpful to them. Blended programmes could vary in duration from 2-3 short sessions and 18-month programmes and in areas including presentations, storytelling, management and leadership, influencing, personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence and various others. The emphasis was on maximising opportunities for workplace and self-directed learning, curating content, identifying the right places to host information and the style that could be digested most easily. This is a gradual process which is still ongoing.
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Getting it Down on Paper
Off-The-Shelf Training Products – Case Study 1
Working with an international training company who were looking to develop a series of standard 1-day materials to increase their responsiveness to clients and reduce the strain on their client services team. I developed 14 programmes which could be delivered as 1 day, half day, bitesize or webinar sessions. The products were all tested in pilots with clients who gave positive feedback which has led to the development of additional modules.
‘I Am The Change’ – Case Study 2
Working with a team of European L&D consultants to develop a programme to improve the feelings of confidence, empowerment and buy-in around a significant company-wide change initiative. Aimed at middle managers the training design was called ‘I Am The Change’ and focussed both on traditional change content as well as developing a disruptor mentality where employees were encouraged to challenge the status quo and encourage their teams to achieve new business results through the aggregation of marginal gains.
The key deliverable in addition to the workshops was a workbook which included book-length content, company specific examples and case studies and written activities and examples that could be used as individual or team aides.
Feedback was positive, with the workbook being translated into several additional languages from those initially proposed.
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Innovation Doesn’t Have to be ‘New’
Participant-generated Content – Case Study 1
A UK-based insurance firm had problems with learner engagement. They had provided an extensive training package for their people for ten years but had seen attendee numbers steadily drop with lots of last-minute cancellations. Financial penalties made no difference, in fact the numbers of cancelations increased. Working with them I developed a process of ‘co-production’ where the learners developed their own content and the learning was developed out of good practice in their industry, modelling excellence and company-specific tips. Learners were interested to learn the tips of partners and directors and numbers increased, with those at the top driving their teams to join and showing company-wide engagement in learning again.
Agile Learning – Case Study 2
Working on the design of their leadership development pathway, a well known technology company wanted to move to a more self-directed learning style based on an agile approach. Working with business leaders and academics I sourced and curated content that mapped to several key leadership behaviours. Following group sessions to set up the structure of the programme; participants were given 2- week sprints to individually or collaboratively work on the learning and to then present back actions.
The second wave of delivery took on board feedback about the positive aspects of collaboration and peer input at senior level and the programme was developed to include cross-continent participation and mentoring by C-Level businesspeople from a range of industries.
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Engaging and involving
Involving the Public in Suicide Prevention – Case Study 1
Working with a health network on a suicide prevention programme aimed at funding innovative and digital solutions to remove factors that place people at increased risk of dying by suicide. The engagement was with innovators to source, inform and persuade them to put forward solutions. It was with health leaders in the eastern region of UK to attend the innovation exchange event and it was also with the general public to learn about their experiences of suicide to inform the selection of successful innovations. Public involvement took place via different social media channels, designed graphics to appeal to different social groups, virtual facilitated sessions, face to face workshops and surveys. The outcome was the funding of innovative prevention solutions that will save lives.
Avatar Co-production – Case Study 2
Ongoing project to use avatar technology as a vehicle for sharing experiences and allowing people in secure services to be able to engage in conferences. This case study will be updated once the project has been completed.
Helen Blythe Consulting 