6 Barriers to Learning (and How to Overcome
Them)
Olivia McGarry, Content Marketing Manager at LearnUpon
Building a robust training program, from planning to launch, is hard
work. After putting in all your energy, the last thing you need is an
easily surmountable barrier getting in the way of its success. Be it
emotional, motivational, or the learning environment, we’ve broken
down the top learning barriers modern, fast-growing businesses face,
and share actionable tips to overcome them.
Emotional barriers to learning
Peer pressure
Not just a school yard issue, your workforce can experience this too.
Maybe senior management is putting pressure on training managers
to achieve certain goals, without first finding out how feasible they
are for your learners. Or a learner is being asked to complete training
on a topic they’re not interested or adept enough in. So, what do you,
as a trainer, do?
Start by ensuring your learners are comfortable with the goals being
set for them. Before a course is rolled out, do your research by asking
your learners what they want, and expect, from training. Then post
course, survey them to get their feedback on the course. Listening to
what they have to say will help you tailor the training on offer to meet
their needs, overcoming this barrier to learning in the process.
Fear of failure
No one likes to fail, however it’s a real blocker for some learners,
especially in a workplace scenario where people want to shine. But,
without failure it’s impossible for them to learn from making mistakes.
Having an open culture of learning within your organization is
essential to support those who fear failing. These learners need
structure, an end goal in sight, and reassurance that making mistakes
is okay. Check out our post covering the top 10 common training
mistakes to avoid.
If you’re using an LMS, take advantage of Learning Paths so your
learners know what to expect. They can see each step they need to
take to succeed and it makes taking the training less daunting.
Gamification and Certificates are great ways to tackle this barrier too.
We’ve seen this work for a number of our customers as their learners
get a taste of success from finishing a course, motivating them to
complete more.
Lack of self-esteem
Like fear of failing, lack of self-esteem can be common among
learners. These learners can often think “I can’t do it, so why try.”
To help learners tackle and flip this negative perception, you need to
make learning a positive experience. You can do this by rewarding
their training efforts, either through Gamification, or in-person praise,
to encourage those learners you feel may be affected by low self-
esteem.
All learners need to know that they’re not just time-wasting by taking
a training course. Reinforce the value of training to keep your learners
motivated. Help them understand that the training on offer will enable
them to upskill in a way that not only benefits your organization, but
themselves too.
Motivational barriers to learning
Lack of goals
We always recommend setting clear training goals to get your
learners focused and help them understand why learning should be
prioritized.
Whether it’s setting an overall goal, or small, incremental goals that
are achieved by completing each module within a course, this is a
great way to motivate learners.
If you struggle to set training objectives, try answering these simple
questions to get you started:
What should your learners walk away with from completing this
training?
Is it a skill that they can put to use straight away?
How will this help them do their job better?
Answer these questions for all of the courses you offer, and share this
information with your learners. When learners can clearly see the
benefits and practical application of their assigned training, they’ll be
more invested when it comes to completing it.
Learning environment barriers to learning
Course format
Don’t just stick to text-based courses, instead evaluate the different
formats you can feature within your courses to make training more
engaging.
Let’s look at the various media used in eLearning:
Text: Dense but excellent for providing context.
Imagery: Communicates a lot of information in a short amount
of time, but can lack context.
Video: Rich media, high in information and context, but unless
you have the necessary equipment and resources, this content
can be time consuming to create.
Presentations: Slide-based content, usually contains a
combination of text, imagery, and video.
Live session/Webinar: Excellent for creating a feedback loop,
allows you to answer questions on the fly.
Luckily, there’s an abundance of tools available that will help you to
create great presentations with video and audio included.
Poor learner experience
Putting your learners front and center – that’s what we all aspire to
do, but the reality can be a little different. That’s why finding an LMS
that’s both learner-friendly and easy to use is a top priority. When
there are no confusing processes, your learner knows exactly how to
take their training and what training to take.
Not only is training centralized, a good LMS will also have features
that will keep your learners engaged. Having an interface that your
learners can navigate with ease to access the courses they’re enrolled
in is key.
A learner-friendly LMS should also give learners the opportunity to
train in a way that best suits them best. Elements like a catalog filled
with courses that learners can pick and choose from works perfect for
motivating them to self-direct their learning, further breaking down
any barriers to learning.
