Today we’re talking about something crucial but often overlooked in our workplaces: Compliance Training.

We know, just hearing ‘compliance training’ probably makes everyone think of long, droning sessions and it can be pretty hard to get your people to complete it, right?

But, what if we could change this perception? What if compliance training was something your team looked forward to instead of dreading?

Truth is, compliance training isn’t just a box to tick. It’s an essential part of maintaining a safe, ethical, and legally compliant workplace.

But here’s the challenge: if it’s not engaging, its importance gets lost in the monotony. This is why making your compliance training engaging isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must.

Today, we’ll dive into why engaging compliance training is critical and how you can revolutionize how it’s perceived and executed. Because when compliance training is engaging, it’s not just endured – it’s embraced.

Let’s get started.

1.    Mix up your content

Take a guess, what’s the average person’s attention span in 2023?

It’s just 8.25 seconds.

That’s how long people can hold focus before getting distracted. And the scariest part of all is that it’s declining, which is why it’s more important than ever to find more engaging ways to hold your audiences’ attention.

This brings me to my next question: have you ever sat through a training session that was just slide after slide full of text?

We’ve all been there, and let’s be honest, it’s not the most thrilling experience. To capture and keep your team’s attention, it’s time to mix things up!

With the rise of TikTok, Instagram reels, and YouTube shorts, it’s no surprise that video is a powerful way to grab and hold attention. That’s because it creates a compelling story.

Not only is it engaging, but it also caters to the needs of more visual learners by breaking down information into small digestible chunks.

But why stop at videos? What else is hugely popular right now? How about audio?

Podcast-style discussions, expert interviews, or even narrated stories can make learning more dynamic. Audio is also perfect for those who might prefer to listen while they’re on the go, making learning flexible and easy to access.

And we can’t forget about incorporating interactive coursework. Interactive elements like quizzes make learning active rather than passive. This hands-on approach ensures that your team doesn’t just watch or listen but actually participates.

And here’s the kicker: people learn more when they participate and engage in active learning, as outlined by recent research at Harvard University. So it’s more engaging and more beneficial.

By combining videos, audio, and interactive elements, your compliance training becomes a much richer experience. You’re catering to different learning styles, keeping the content fresh, and most importantly, making learning about compliance an engaging journey rather than a tedious task.

2.    Gamification

Remember as a kid, you’d get a gold star for doing a good job in school. It made you feel great and encouraged you to do more to get another gold star.

Do you know what caused you to feel great? It was the release of dopamine, known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone. But dopamine doesn’t just work on kids.

“Dopamine is part of our reward system. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in our reward system. You feel good so you seek more of that feeling” as outlined by Cleveland Clinic.

This is why gamification works so well for motivating adults to do things they ordinarily might not want to do. And maybe you haven’t even noticed but we’re surrounded by gamification.

My fitness app creates a timeline of every day I’ve exercised and calls it my fitness streak. Each day it congratulates me for continuing my streak. It motivates me to keep it up.

There are other examples of gamification too like loyalty programs that encourage you to collect a certain amount of points, daily steps challenges, and apps that encourage you to leave reviews by offering a prize or incentive.

Why not do the same with your compliance training content?

Adding elements of gaming into your learning experiences makes the process more enjoyable and interactive. This significantly boosts employee motivation, engagement, and completion rates.

This approach can turn dull and boring compliance training into a fun and compelling activity. People almost forget they are learning and focus on the fun.

You can do it by adding elements of gaming directly into the training. But also, if you add gamification in the form of badges for completing courses, you’re adding achievement and recognition which further motivates people to participate. 

This means learners will not only, participate more actively but also retain the information better because they feel a sense of accomplishment and progress.

3.    Scenario-based learning

Have you ever been on a first-aid training course? And as part of the course, you don’t just learn how to give CPR by listening to someone present slides, right?

In my experience, they always have a dummy that you practice chest compressions on and there is dedicated time for role-playing. This is scenario-based learning.

Instead of simply telling people the information, replicating real-life scenarios and encouraging people to practice for those situations, has many benefits.

The benefits which are more important and relevant for compliance training include:

• Increases active participation & engagement
• Increases knowledge retention & reinforces learning
• Provides a safe space for making mistakes and improves knowledge application

Scenario-based learning is a powerful way to help compliance training resonate with learners more because they relate to real-life scenarios more easily than theory and they are more likely to pay attention if they have to do it themselves.

Role plays and simulations are examples of scenario-based learning that help to make the learning experience more immersive, allowing learners to practice in a safe environment.

This approach not only enhances understanding but also improves the retention of compliance principles, as learners see firsthand how these concepts apply in real-world contexts.

Final thoughts

Compliance training is not something people get excited by but it is essential. Therefore you must make it as engaging as possible to encourage people to complete it without delay.

By mixing up your content, adding gamification where you can, and introducing scenario-based learning, it will make it more engaging for your learners, they’ll be more likely to complete it on time and they’ll retain more of the information.

Give it a try and see the change for yourself.

EduPivot LLC is a learning agency that specializes in empowering small and mid-sized companies with tailored eLearning solutions. Whether you’re seeking to optimize existing training programs, implement a cutting-edge LMS, or craft custom eLearning tailored to your industry, we’ve got you covered. Contact us for a free consultation.