Restyle L&D like a Belgian Soccer Academy

Update your wall chart.

Fill that sticker album.

Got, got, need, got…
 
The 2018 World Cup is hotting up.

And so is the office sweepstake.

C’mon England” reverberates around the pub.

And with a last 16 place secured, despite losing to Belgium, who knows how far they can go.

Reality check, before we get carried away though...

Since the national side hoisted the trophy for the first and only time in 1966, it’s been (mostly) downhill ever since.

And for their opponents yesterday, it’s been a similar story.

The odd bright spot, punctuated by lengthy spells in the doldrums.

But things are on the up.
 
Big time.
 
Ranked third in the world, how did a tiny nation like Belgium become genuine title contenders?
 
Well, what it comes down to is coordination, planning and a relentless focus on skills...
 
Back at Euro 2000 the co-hosts crashed out early.
 
Tired of also ran status, the powers that be acted decisively - establishing new academies working from the same coaching blueprint.
 
Where the emphasis is firmly on technique, awareness and positioning.
 
Watch the Belgians play and you’ll notice their great first touch and respect for possession - they rarely give the ball away.
 
Truly beautiful game.
 
And in Eden Hazard, they have one of the most diminutive players at the tournament.
 

Undersized?
 
Not at all.
 
Try kicking lumps out of him and you won’t get anywhere close...
 
A product of this new system - he run rings around bigger opponents.
 
And what’s true in football, is true in business too.
 
Agility lets you turn the tables on large but lumbering rivals.
 
Leaving them chasing shadows while you carve out new opportunities to hit the back of the net.
 
At work, more than ever, we need to be able to think and move quickly.
 
New systems, new tech, new process.
 
Rapid response that requires us rethink our learning culture.
 
Shrinking content, personalising the environment and offering learning on demand far beyond the classroom.
 

Less ponderous, more agile.
 
Like a tricky Belgian winger leaving defenders for dead.
 
Ready to mix up your game?
 
Maybe Skill Pill can help.
 
Our micro-learning content and tools can help you create your own skills academy.
 
Nurturing talent and keeping it on its toes, ready for the next challenge.
 
Just hit us up if you’d like to talk.
 
Until next time,
Gerry Griffin
Founder, Skill Pill

Blue 42..hut..hut..hike!
Why good microlearning is like a Super Bowl Ad.

So that was Super Bowl 52!

In an upset for the ages, the Eagles deposed the Patriots and grabbed that elusive ring.
 
From humble beginnings, the Super Bowl has become one of the biggest sports events in the world.

And a huge commercial bonanza.
 
Check out the numbers:
 
More than 160 million viewers tuned in.
 
Around $4 billion was bet on the outcome.
 
Hungry?
 
A belt loosening 28,000,000 pounds of chips, 1.25 billion chicken wings, and 8,000,000 pounds of guacamole got guzzled during the game.
 

And those ads you watched as you filled up your plate...
 
$5 millon a pop.
 
Remarkably, back in the day, they were all repeats.
 
Until Apple broke the mold in ‘84 with a big brother themed spot introducing the Macintosh.
 

Directed by Ridley Scott, it started the trend of shooting commercials specifically for the occasion.
 
Apple’s machine bombed, but that didn’t stop everyone else.
 
The Budweiser frogs.

Snickers - you’re not you when you’re hungry.
 

Volkswagen - the force.
 

30 second narratives seared into our consciousness long after they debuted on game day.
 
So, how do marketers do it?
 
And can we repurpose their techniques for our own altruistic ends?
 
Less sell more stuff, and more make learning stick. 
 
With a short window and a bunch of competing distractions, ad guys know how to keep it pithy.
 
Take Wendy’s “where’s the beef” commercial. An oldie, but a goodie.
 
The gist is this: Wendy’s burgers are bigger than the competition. So big, they stick out beyond the bun.
 
So, rather than explain to the consumer at great length at how big the burger is.
 
And if you go to Maccy Ds you’ll have to lift up the bun to find their patty yadda yadda yadda.
 
It’s said in three words.
 
And now you want a burger right?
 
But, smart marketers also know the importance of being entertaining.
 
And unconventional.
 
If it looks and sounds like everything else, it’s boring. No consumer engagement.
 
Making it short is only half the battle.
 
Just like microlearning.
 
Like any hot learning trend, there’s a lot of it about.
 
Got any microlearning? Of course. Can I see? Go right ahead.
 
Except just chopping content into little pieces and giving it a fancy label won’t cut it.
 
Call up a talking head video on your phone, plonk a learner in front of it, and time them until they yawn.
 
I promise it won’t take long.
 
Skill Pill’s learning videos are short. But a whole lot more besides.
 
Because we borrow these techniques that advertisers use to get our message across - quickly AND effectively.
 
Animation and NLP hooks wring every last drop of attention from learners.  We analyze learner traffic through the content  - looking for trends such as drop-out rates - and factor the data into the editorial process.
 
Turning content from this:
 

To this:

Independent research shows that this approach doubles content engagement and retention
 
Food for thought.
 
Until next time,
The Skill Pill Team

Game of Thrones season 7 had everything you’d expect - battles, back stabbing, revenge and of course, dragons.

But while fire and ice rained from the skies, one character was holed up in a library, learning. Or not as the case may be. Swivel your gaze from the swords and sorcery, and there’s wisdom we can glean and apply in our own world... He might not be a hero, but you can count on Sam Tarly.

Loyal, dependable and with a huge thirst for knowledge - he’d be an asset to any training department. And all he’s ever wanted to be is amaester- a ‘knight of the mind’. So, when his chance finally comes, why does he turn his back on his life’s ambition, walking away from the citadel - a place literally stuffed with learning? Well, first up, frustration. Sam is given endless menial tasks before learning anything useful - emptying chamber pots and collecting library books.

Pay your dues and then we’ll see… I mean c’mon, a man of his talents. OK what next? Knowledge is placed off limits - *hushed tone* the restricted area.

But why check his aspirations? It’s not the 90s. Information isn’t a commodity to be doled out as a reward. Then there’s the teaching. The citadel might house the greatest minds in Westeros, but Sam is patronised by his elders. Belittled and ignored, no wonder he tires of the place.

Besides, he’s able to find information critical to the defence of the realm proactively - carrying out studies that are both independent and unauthorised - but his learning gets results.

Which is just as well given Ser Jorah’s predicament AND what’s massing beyond the wall. Ingesting dragonglass might cure greyscale? Whoa! There’s a mine of dragonglass at Dragonstone? Result! And eventually Sam leaves because he doesn’t want to be stuck in some ivory tower learning for the sake of learning.

He wants to make a difference in the real world and apply his new found knowledge in the battle to come - the war between living and dead.

Denied the information they need to work around the challenges they face. Pedagogy and dull content conspiring to make people quit. So, how about we shake things up? Skill Pill microlearning videos free knowledge from it shackles. Short top ups of learning, accessible via any device means no gatekeeper, no rules, no limits. Just the information you need, right when you need it. No matter what Archmaester Marwyn says.

Why not take a look for yourself with a free trial? Hurry though. Winter is coming. Gerry Griffin Founder, Skill Pill