CollaborateUp supports organizations around the globe that seek to drive societal change and impact. One of the ways we provide this support is through staff and partner training. For more than 10 years, CollaborateUp has designed and executed high-impact training to help organizations accelerate the adoption of new innovations and improve the quality of their operations. We integrate the principles of empathy and experimentation into our training services to help participants quickly learn, test, and develop concrete skills for tackling challenges that require multi-sector, multi-stakeholder collaboration. But despite our success, we continually battle one of the greatest challenges to effective training – LAG. The Learning Application Gap (LAG), the delay between learning something new and using it in real life, can derail even the most effective training. Learners can leave a training excited to apply new skills, only to slowly ‘lose’ those skills as they wait for an opportunity to use them.
We developed our Training Formula, a data-driven, technology-enabled approach to reduce LAG, even when learners aren’t able to immediately apply new skills to their work. Employing multiple teaching approaches and delivery methods across the Learning Continuum (pictured in the graphic), we move training participants from simple knowledge/skill acquisition toward transformation, where they experience a mindset shift and can apply new learning to many aspects of their day-to-day work, their career, and even their life. Our trainings are always rooted in adult learning theory, employing experiential learning that speaks to the lived reality of trainees, maximizing long-term adoption of the course content.
We developed a storytelling training for USAID around its private sector engagement efforts and closed the LAG by incorporating real-world examples shared by USAID staff from around the globe. Participants explored authentic cases, applied their newly acquired storytelling skills, and practiced crafting narratives based on actual events.
To deepen the learning experience, we introduced a storytelling clinic where participants selected real private sector projects to write about. Guided by the training sessions, a field guide, and a storytelling checklist, they created stories that underwent peer review. This collaborative process provided invaluable feedback, enhanced their narratives, and offered the opportunity to publish their work on the USAID website. By completing a task directly tied to their professional responsibilities, participants not only solidified their storytelling skills but also made meaningful contributions to their work, closing the LAG effectively.
To move training participants across the Learning Continuum, we shift participant outcomes from simply understanding to diagnosis, implementation, reflection, adaptation, and embodiment. We progress teaching approaches from presentation to self-assessment, group discussion, role play, peer coaching, work integration, and real-life practicums and case studies. Delivery methods also change, from online, self-paced modules to immersive, in-the-field experiences. These shifts naturally move learners across the Learning Continuum so they are ready to utilize skills at any time because they have experienced a mindset shift through active participation, practice and application.
If you’re looking for further guidance or have specific questions about training and closing the LAG, feel free to reach out to CollaborateUp for assistance.