Creating Effective Learning Programs

Legend has it that when America’s foremost bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” Association groups who are struggling with their programming and looking for an answer to what seems a simple question—what education programs really work?—could learn from what’s now referred to as Sutton’s law: When having to diagnose a problem (in this case weak education programming), begin by eliminating the obvious.

Of course, it’s never that simple, is it? Most nonprofit associations operate with limited resources and this means that it’s the rare association that boasts an in-house expert who can design adult learning programs. Instead, most associations create programs around topics that are suggested to them by their members, who are, after all, the content experts of their trades and professions. But as important as content are issues that must be dealt with by staff and leaders, such as: What will the learning environment be? What format should be used? And at what level of complexity should programs be pitched?

In a quest to answer these questions and find association education programs that work, I talked with the planning pros at respected industry organizations such as the American Society of Association Executives, the International Association of Exhibitions & Events, the Professional Convention Management Association, Destination Marketing Association International and Meeting Professionals International. Here is some of what they had to say:

Fueling the Fires of Education. Nancy Elder, executive vice-president of professional development and meetings at DMAI, believes that many nonprofit association education professionals grapple with the challenge of creating and maintaining a learning culture. According to Elder, a learning culture thrives when three things happen: when membership is engaged in their own learning; when senior leaders back decisions that give financial support to ongoing learning programs for staff; and when the results of what has been learned are identified and communicated. “In this day and age, ensuring that these are accomplished is the responsibility of the very important association-education teams,” she said.

Advance planning is also key. Effective learning programs must be all-inclusive and everyone needs to understand their purpose. At DMAI, Elder said, when the group is in a design phase of a program, several departments will be involved so that the staff members can share their own insights. That openness is also encouraged with members. “That kind of intelligence and dialogue helps all of us to better understand the nature of issues that concern our members. And the synergy of these discussions allows our staff to reach out with solutions to members in unexpected ways that have nothing to do with planning education programs,” Elder said.

Creating Effective Learning Programs. Marsha Flanagan, vice-president of learning experiences for IAEE, described the process of creating learning programs as producing, “a little perfect storm. Not a destructive storm, of course, but one that contains rainbows and some sunshine,” she said. “I believe a good program is composed of a good speaker, a good setting and a good topic.” Planning education programs for nonprofit associations has changed quite a bit in the last decade, she said, because of factors that steal attendees’ attention, notably smartphones, tablets and even the stress of looming project deadlines. “This means we have to grab and keep their attention from the very start of a program. We now offer much shorter programs with very succinct learning objectives. And the subject matter needs to offer attendees immediate opportunities to apply the lessons. In other words, the takeaways of the program must be instantly useful,” Flanagan said.

DMAI’s Elder added another consideration: the ever-changing relevance of business topics. “Business is now changing constantly, literally from meeting to meeting. It’s why we no longer assume that a topic that was high-ranking last year is even relevant today,” she said.

Once your topics have been established and your program arranged, the next task to tackle is the setting. “As important as content is the room setting,” Flanagan said. “Adults learn very differently from each other; some are very visually inclined, others must have a hands-on experience and others are cerebral learners. A unique and different room setup prompts learning.”

Planners might consider a room setup that is intentionally disruptive. Such a setting makes people take notice that something is new and different, Flanagan said. “At our most recent meeting, we offered one room setup that contained informal lounge seating at the front of the room, traditional classroom- style seating in the middle of the room and a series of high-top tables with stools at the rear,” she said, then explained: “The lounge seating was offered for those who just wanted to listen and intended to stay for the entire program, while serious note-takers could take seats in the classroom-style section. Those who thought they might just stay for a while would favor the seating at the rear of the room.”

How sessions are introduced can set the scene. Many association meetings still begin when a volunteer steps to a podium and reads a biography of the next speaker verbatim. That’s an enthusiasm killer. Instead, customize introductions and make them brief (no more than 30 seconds, if that). And make sure the introduction tracks the learning objectives that have been defined.

Offering What’s New. Anne Blouin, chief learning officer for ASAE, believes that her organization has developed a winning formula. “We no longer focus on the half-day or one-day programs, nor do we offer generic topics that folks can get elsewhere. We focus, instead, on the functional areas of association management,” she said.

Blouin said that ASAE’s education staff spends as much time researching innovative and new ideas for members as they do planning content. This has led to some remarkable offerings such as “flash learning rooms,” where attendees can organize a session on any topic and market it using social media channels.  Another unique format, called “Ignite,” was launched at last year’s ASAE’s annual meeting: Session presenters produced a five-minute program using 20 slides that automatically advanced every 15 seconds for a more emotional connection with their audience.

But how do planners decide what topics to offer at their group’s education programs, especially for large associations whose members have very different needs and experiences? “That’s the crux of the challenge,” said Jessie States, manager of professional development for MPI. “Let’s face it: Audiences today can get all sorts of valuable—and often free—information online in a number of formats,” said States. “The solution for us is data—all types of rich data that tells us what our members are doing, what they are thinking and how they are interacting with us.”

Dawn McEvoy is director of education for PCMA where, as she puts it, the “culture is to use our events as incubators of ideas and laboratories for experimentation. Senior staff and our board of directors set the tone, so the staff is empowered to take risks.” McEvoy said that, when it comes to education events, her organization encourages members to share their opinions freely about what worked for them and what did not. This feedback helps determine programming.

The responses of members—good and bad—tend to be an accurate indicator of how well events are being received. Programming ideas that seemed good beforehand might need to be tweaked or discarded, while others may have true staying power. Like the bank robber Sutton, things might not always go your way. But he was a man who created and carried out a plan (one that was successful for quite some time), and with the right tactics and research and a bit of daring, so can you.

Pro Pointers: How to Prep & Produce Your Best Education Event Ever