Why are my 60 second audio clips so popular? It’s because they follow known laws of adult learning, some of which are these…
First, most of us learn in little chunks. Big huge ‘a-ha’ moments are rare, and when they do happen, they don’t stick. So most of us have learned what we know in little incremental steps. 60 second audio clips are exactly that.
Second, each clip contains what I call “attitude and action”. There is a bite-sized chunk of information or theory along with some kind of related action step. When you put attitude and action together, you create success in whatever endeavor you pursue, including learning. Unfortunately, most books and articles are just information with no action to follow up on.
Third, the themes of the clips repeat. So, two months ago, listeners may have heard me speak on the topic of procrastination, and a month from now, they may hear something similar. The themes repeat but the content and story styles are different, which creates different perspectives for different learning styles.
Fourth, I have heard from many listeners that they use the audio clips to start or contribute to a conversation they are having in the office or at home. In fact, any time one of my clips is chatted about with someone else, their impact is maximized, whether someone agrees with what I propose or not. (The same holds true for these blog postings too!)
And fifth, the audio clips are very self-directed. They land in a subscriber’s inbox each day but it is the LISTENER who chooses to listen to them, or not. Self-directed learning has the most impact when it is done by choice, not requirement.
Action – Whether you are creating learning for yourself or your team, use these known laws to increase the learning opportunities.