Looking for an easy way to introduce microlearning to your company? Start with reinforcing learning events! Training programs, workshops, conferences, or educational webinars —any activity that is led by your learning and development department can be complemented with a short and sweet microlearning course.

Let’s dive into a real example of utilizing warm-up bites, follow-ups, and other engaging activities for a MicrolearningConf* and walk through the process of setting it up.

* MicrolearningConf is a 60-min virtual conference with micro-sessions from leading experts in L&D.

What we’re going to cover:

Step 1. Entice your audience

Step 2. Provide excellent support before it’s needed

Step 3. Follow up on your learning event like a pro

Step 1. Entice your audience

Microlearning Conf was scheduled for Thursday. On Tuesday we wrote a short email to all the registered participants and added a link to a 7taps bite with an amusing code of conduct. We wanted to spark enthusiasm, engage with the audience, and get everyone into the MicrolearningConf spirit.

We sent the email to people who had already attended a MicrolearningConf before and so they had a basic understanding of the concepts that we use in microlearning. (That way we didn’t have to explain what micro learning is).

The email we sent out:

In preparation for this Thursday’s epic conference, we’re sending a little microlearning tip (and an example).

Use Case #1:

Create a microlearning asset to prepare learners before an event.

And, as an example, here’s a 7taps to prep for MicrolearningConf (trust me, you’ll want to click through to the end).

Want to learn more simple-yet-powerful ways to incorporate microlearning into your strategy?

Join us on THURSDAY, FEB 24 at 4pm EST

— Kate

PS: We’re giving away a few prizes only to LIVE attendees!

Results

The 7taps course had a 98% completion rate and we got hundreds of requests for our funky socks (which were offered to people who completed the course). People also loved the stylish design of the microlearning content and the fresh take on pre-event communication.

Looking forward to the session tomorrow and great initiative with this taste tester before we join!

— John F., MicrolearningConf participant

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❤️ Pro tip

Know the audience and speak the same language

If you assume that your attendees might have different backgrounds and knowledge levels, your warm-up course can include basic concepts and helpful resources. For learner engagement try adding AI-generated videos for narration or record a personal voice note to your audience.For instance, if you’re organizing corporate training on advanced sales techniques, use your chance to brush up on the basics that you will refer to during the event. Don’t overengineer it by squeezing in everything there is to know —that’s not what microlearning is about.

Highlight the time needed to interact with your learning content

Something we forgot to mention in our email was the time commitment needed to complete the course (in our case it was ~30 seconds). Do not make the same mistake! Tell your learners up front how much time they’ll need to invest in your microlearning content. If they see that only a minute is required, they're more likely and eager to do it.

Plan ahead

If you’re willing to send out an informative warm-up, do so a week or a few days before the event. Give your audience a chance to go through it and prepare.

Step 2. Provide excellent support before it’s needed

Right before the conference started, we presented a micro-course with helpful information on logistics and the agenda. We also advised what to do and whom to contact if any tech issue occurred. We learned from the previous events and had the most frequently asked questions answered in advance (for example: yes, the sessions will be recorded and shared 🤗)

‍Here’s the welcome screen that everyone saw when logging into the conference platform. An FAQ was shared via a 7taps QR code (try scanning it with your smartphone!).

Results

We drastically reduced the number of questions about the agenda and technical problems in the chat and improved the learning experience for the attendees. Our support engineer had a few messages to answer and half of the requests contained the full information about an issue. For example, someone read about using Google Chrome for the best experience with the event platform and asked for help with the browser installation.

We believe that traditional learning events should adapt to the changing learning technology environment. So we delivered this pre-training content via a QR code.

Doing things this way also allows learners to support one another during an event. We were pleasantly surprised when one attendee asked about the order of sessions in the chat and received a link to the FAQ course from a fellow participant.

The event feedback 🥰:

This was the MOST AMAZING virtual learning session I have ever attended. Thank you for once again reminding me why I love my profession. Thank you for the sessions that told me I am already doing all the right things, but still holding my attention, thank you for sharing some new tricks, tips, and suggestions that I can use in my next job

— Jilletta Jarvis, Learning and Development Management Professional

Step 3. Follow up on your learning event like a pro

The Forgetting Curve theory states that most new information learned is forgotten within days if there is no intervention. Your learner needs to either (A) immediately apply the received knowledge or (B) receive ongoing training reinforcement.

Because follow-ups after learning events are vital for knowledge retention, we sent an email with another microlearning course on the fifth day after the conference. Even if your event was fun and informative, people will still forget the knowledge that isn’t immediately applied or reinforced.

Results

Learners not only enjoyed themselves at the event, they received valuable and actionable insights from the speakers and from the organizing team during and after the conference.

When sessions include information that’s essential for job duties, then it needs to be constantly reinforced. Consider creating a series of microlearning assets for each presentation instead of one big follow-up. Comprehensive employee onsite or online training would be a good example. In the case of MicrolearningConf, where sessions are delivered in micro-format, we simply provide the participants with all the materials and recordings in one follow-up 7taps.

❤️ Pro tip

‍For an efficient but engaging way to help your learner retain knowledge use 7taps learning paths. Create a chain of micro-courses and schedule them to deliver in defined intervals to reinforce knowledge after your learning event.

To wrap up

Make the upcoming learning event/training session more meaningful with a 7taps warm-up:

balance knowledge levels among the participants
tell learners why they're coming to your class or event
set expectations

Make knowledge stick with a follow-up:

re-introduce the concept via a drip learning campaign
share exercises and case studies
remind learners to use their new skills

❤️ Pro tip

Recommendations work both for onsite and online events like corporate training, coaching sessions, product webinars, or lectures at educational institutions.

💡 More microlearning ideas for your events

Add a QR code with key takeaways to printed event materials
Drive asynchronous learning next to live sessions
Send a workshop review or a follow-up‍
Schedule check-ins to cohorts throughout the following weeks

How to reinforce a learning event with microlearning in 3 steps

Step 1. Entice your audience

Results

❤️ Pro tip

Know the audience and speak the same language

Highlight the time needed to interact with your learning content

Plan ahead

Step 2. Provide excellent support before it’s needed

Results

Step 3. Follow up on your learning event like a pro

Results

❤️ Pro tip

To wrap up

❤️ Pro tip

💡 More microlearning ideas for your events