Developing employees has never been an easy process. Even with the emergence of learning management systems (LMS), training and development departments still struggle to pass on the right skills to workers due to poor communication. Yet, good communication has a direct impact on employee productivity and morale. Let's look at four reasons why your LMS platform is failing to enhance team communication.
Training Content is a One-Sided Conversation
From frontline workers to remote employees, two-way conversation is the heart of great communication. Although LMS applications are here to improve the way we train and develop employees, most of these platforms are designed in a way that doesn't promote two-way conversations. Employees are given training content and expected to learn it, failure to which one is considered incompetent.
Although employees are required to complete their duties meticulously, the training they receive doesn't offer them enough hands-on experience. Yet, such experience is best gained when the training allows some level of interaction and back-and-forth communication. Without interaction, it becomes harder for them to understand some aspects of the training, thus impacting their ability to perform their roles. This can lead to lower morale, disengagement, and low productivity. To prevent this, your LMS platform should offer a dynamic and inclusive training formula.
No Platform to Give Feedback
Some LMS applications don't offer employees the chance to give their opinions or ask questions regarding the training. For instance, when an employee is learning, he may want to ask a critical question about how to perform a particular task but may lack the platform to ask it. If the manager also lacks the right answer, the employee may guess the answer, and this may lead to mistakes in a real-life situation. Up-to-date LMS applications avoid this problem by offering a platform for employees to give feedback and get answers in a timely manner.
A Lack of Convenience
Although LMS systems allow some level of team communication, the process is more often inconvenient. For instance, in the example above, the employee results in guessing the answer to his question since he has not gotten an answer. If he decided he wants to get feedback from an older LMS platform, he may be forced to access the manager's computer to relay the question. This can be a challenge if an answer is needed urgently, and you can't be sure if the recipient has got your question and whether an answer will be sent immediately. Modern LMS applications allow you to send feedback instantly through a mobile device.
Too Many Communication Channels
Sometimes, employees are bombarded with information from too many channels. They have to keep up with messages from SMS, instant message, Audio, Video, email, and even the training content itself. With too many messages from different modes, something is bound to fall through the cracks. Older LMS applications may not have a system that delivers messages to team members and alerts them. This can complicate communication and collaboration. Luckily, there are now LMS platforms and employee communication software that allow you to pull all information together and send it in a coherent manner.
Closing Thoughts
For clear and concise team communication, you need to have an up-to-date LMS platform. Such a system will help your employees develop faster, effortlessly get feedback to the questions they have, and receive the right messages in a structured manner. With the right employee communication software, your training efforts will always bear fruit. If you are looking for an effective communication plan for your frontline employees, check out this guide on The State of Internal Communications for Frontline Employees!
