The importance of learner-centric language

Low hanging fruit. Synergies. Circling back. All (well most) of us hate corporate jargon, don’t we? Phrases that are impersonal, overused, over-exaggerated and often meaningless. So we all know language has the power to create an emotive response. But have you ever considered how your language impacts your learners?

No? I didn’t think so.

Language has the power to influence and engage (or alienate!) your audience. So if we want real, long-term engagement, we must adopt learner-centric language in all of our comms.

WHY DOES LEARNER-CENTRIC LANGUAGE MATTER?

The best marketing for L&D initiatives talk directly to the audience. They answers the ‘what’s in it for me?’ and gets to the crux of their wants, needs and pain points. So how well do you think that marketing would work, if your audience doesn’t feel like your message is speaking to them? Would it work if your terminology confused them? Would you get increased learners through over-complicated phraseology? I doubt it.

And that’s why language matters in your L&D communications. Because no matter how great your learning offering is; if your audience does not see how it’s relevant to them, then you’re not going to get the engagement you want.

The good news is, this isn’t the hardest challenge to overcome. It’s just one we need to keep front-of-mind at all times to get our message across. And we’ve got some tips to get you started:

TIP 1: KNOW YOUR LEARNERS

I concur, this is a very obvious place to start. But you’ll be shocked at how many L&D pros overlook this. To know what to say, in the right way, to your audience, you must understand them deeply. And you can only do this by conducting market research (aka, speak to your audience!) Then, you'll want to create some learner personas to make that research more accessible in the long-run.

(And yes, calling them “learners” might be part of the problem, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

TIP 2: ANSWER THE WIIFM

Here at MAAS we genuinely can’t get through a podcast, blog or client call without mentioning the ‘WIIFM’. WIIFM stands for What’s In It For Me? And it’s the most important question in L&D. What will your audience get out of getting involved in your offering? Make sure you articulate that clearly in all of your communications. Because nobody is going to take your learning just because you said so. (Sorry, truth hurts 🤷‍♀️)

TIP 3: DITCH THE JARGON

I know we’re all guilty of it sometimes. We get caught up in the industry, in theory, in details – and that leads to a whole lot of jargon that means nothing to anybody aside from us. Make sure you don’t bamboozle your learners with messaging that doesn’t make sense to them. Instead of ‘virtual instructor-led training, with flipped classroom elements’, simply tell them ‘It’s online via Zoom, and you’ll get a bit of pre-session work to do too!’ Simples.

TIP 4: BRING THE FUN

Ok, not everybody reading this blog will be able to write as informally as we do here at MAAS, but that doesn’t mean you can’t inject fun into your work. Look at these examples:

Boring: “There’s a new leadership course on the LMS”
Fun: “Step into your potential.”

Boring: “Join our webinar on time management”
Fun: “Feel like the clock is always against you? We’ve got the solution”

Boring: “Compliance training due Friday at 5pm”
Fun: “Tick compliance off your to-do list”

Now, I’m not saying that any of those alternatives are fun. But they’re not drab, dull and boring. They’ll cut through the noise of the standard corporate comms.

TIP 5: TELL A STORY

Humans are wired to respond to stories. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that storytelling is a great way to convey messages in marketing for L&D. Use colloquial language to tell a natural and human story to your audience. Even better if you can tell a real-life story jam-packed with social proof! And remember to make sure that your story:

• Has a clear beginning, middle and end.

• Focuses on a clear challenge your audience faces, and presents a compelling solution.

• Connects emotionally with the audience’s wants, needs and pain points.

LEARNER-CENTRIC LANGUAGE: MORE THAN A NICE-TO-HAVE

Learner-centric language changes the long-standing narrative in L&D. Instead of your learning comms being about you, your offering and what you’re sharing with your audience. It’s about them, their goals, and what they will get out of getting involved. And that’s not just a case of semantics. It enables you to grab your audience’s attention and keep it. Of course, this is only one piece of the puzzle, but it’s one that’s easy to address. No technology. No bells and whistles. Just some simple, human language, enabling you to connect with your audience in a meaningful way, at last. What more could you want?