You devoted the last six months to creating a transformative learning curriculum for your organization. Now it’s time to launch, but you are caught off guard by your learners’ unenthusiastic response to this new training opportunity. What could you have done differently?
The effectiveness of a curriculum hinges not only on its design and content but also, crucially, on the learner’s mindset before they even click “start.” A learner’s initial attitude toward the learning experience can profoundly influence their engagement. Incorporating gamification to boost early enrollment numbers is an effective strategy to gain the enthusiasm your learners need.
Pre-Course Motivation
Gamification isn’t limited to the learning platform itself; its principles can be powerful tools in internal marketing campaigns designed to promote upcoming training. By incorporating game-like elements into pre-launch communications, L&D professionals can generate excitement, build anticipation, and increase learner buy-in.
So, how can L&D professionals cultivate this crucial pre-course motivation? Octalysis, developed by Yu-kai Chou, is a human-focused gamification design framework that identifies core drives that motivate our actions. Understanding these drives can help learning designers craft gamified learning experiences where learners want to invest.
Key Drive: Epic Meaning & Calling
We each want to be part of something big. When training is framed as an opportunity for personal and professional growth, and learners see how the skills they gain contribute to a larger purpose, they are more likely to engage. Connecting training objectives to an organization’s mission and values can be a powerful way to inspire learners. Then, promote the significant meaning and calling aspects of your upcoming project in your internal marketing for the launch, and watch interest grow.
Ideas to implement:
- Narrative and Storytelling: Frame the upcoming training as an adventure or a quest. Develop a compelling narrative that connects the training to the organization’s goals and the learners’ potential growth.
- Mission-Based Learning: A cybersecurity course could be framed as a mission to protect the organization from cyber threats, with learners as the “defenders.”
- Company Success Story: Instead of presenting onboarding as a series of administrative tasks, frame it as an epic journey where new hires are the “heroes” contributing to the company’s ongoing success story.
- Early Adopter or Leader Testimonials: Share testimonial videos and quotes from other learners or leaders within the organization who have benefited from the training and used the skills to achieve success. This can inspire learners and demonstrate the real-world value of the training.
- Real-world Relevance: Frame the training as a “mission” where learners are tasked with solving a real-world problem that aligns with the organization’s goals. For example, a customer service training program could be framed as a mission to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Key Drive: Scarcity & Impatience
We are driven to want something we cannot have because it is rare, exclusive, or time-limited. Scarcity creates a sense of urgency and increases the perceived value of the training. People are more likely to act if they believe they might miss out on a valuable opportunity (FOMO). Furthermore, when a learning opportunity is time-sensitive or requires learners to “qualify” for this exclusive training, they are more likely to fully engage as they begin. However, caution is advised because overuse of this technique can result in unwanted stress.
Ideas to Implement:
- Limited-Time Enrollment or Access:
- Create a sense of urgency by announcing that enrollment in the eLearning course is only open for a specific period or has a limited number of “seats”. For example, “Only 25 spots left in the Excel Mastery Workshop!”
- Offer exclusive “early bird” bonuses for those who register and begin the course within the first few days. For example, “Register for the Leadership Development Program this week and unlock a bonus module on Advanced Communication Skills!”.
- Exclusive Content or Rewards: Promote that the curriculum offers exclusive content or rewards that are not available elsewhere such as access to subject matter experts, unique digital badges, or opportunities for mentorship. For example, “Complete the Cybersecurity Training to earn the ‘Cyber Guardian’ badge and gain access to our exclusive online forum with industry leaders.”
- Expert Q&A Sessions: For those who have earned badges, host live Q&A sessions with subject matter experts, where learners can ask questions and interact with experienced professionals. Award points or badges for active participation in these sessions.
Key Drive: Social Influence & Relatedness
This drive incorporates social elements such as mentorship, acceptance, social pressure, and even competition. When learners perceive that they will be part of a vibrant and supportive group, they are more likely to invest time and effort in the training. Internal marketing that promotes game elements like interaction, collaboration, and peer support can effectively tap into this drive.
Ideas to Implement:
- Cohort-Based Learning: Structuring the course with specific start and end dates fosters a shared experience among learners, encouraging them to progress together.
- Highlight the number of learners who have already registered for the training.
- Buddy System: Pairing learners to support each other throughout the course provides a built-in support network and enhances the sense of relatedness.
- Discussion Forums with Reputation: Design online forums where learners earn “reputation points” for providing helpful answers and participating in discussions. Display top contributors on a leaderboard to incentivize active participation and knowledge sharing.
- A social media campaign where learners share their learning goals and connect with other participants.
- Collaborative Learning Challenges: Promote team-based challenges that require learners to work together to solve problems or complete tasks. For instance, in a leadership training program, teams could work on a simulated business case and present their solutions.
- Social Leaderboards (with caution): While leaderboards can foster friendly competition, it’s crucial to use them judiciously. Emphasize collaboration and knowledge sharing, and avoid creating a “winner-takes-all” environment (Nash Equilibrium).
- Gamified Icebreaker Activities: Beginning the course with engaging icebreaker activities encourages learners to introduce themselves and interact with one another, building a sense of community from the outset.
Key Drive: Unpredictability & Curiosity
This is fueled by the desire to find out what will happen next. Curiosity is a powerful motivator; our brains are wired to seek new information and solve puzzles. Introducing surprise, mystery, and discovery elements can effectively pique learners’ interest and make the learning experience more engaging. When learners are intrigued and eager to discover what will happen next, they are more likely to willingly participate.
Ideas to Implement:
- Interactive Story Previews: Create brief, interactive previews of the course content that allow learners to explore and make choices, giving them a taste of the learning journey and sparking their curiosity.
- Personalized Recommendations: Utilize AI-driven systems to recommend relevant learning paths or specific content based on individual learner interests and goals, creating a sense of personalized discovery.
- Mystery and Teasers: Release a series of cryptic emails or videos that reveal a little more about the training each day, creating a sense of mystery and anticipation.
- Create an online game that learners must solve to launch the training announcement.
- Use teasers, puzzles, or clues to hint at the course content.
By strategically integrating these game elements into eLearning design, L&D professionals can move beyond traditional training methods and create engaging learning experiences that inspire learners to initiate and actively participate. Leveraging internal marketing techniques to showcase the thoughtful game design you’ve implemented will generate excitement and curiosity around your upcoming mission-critical curriculum launch, ensuring that your learners are nearly as excited about it as you are.
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