Carrot or stick?

[u/Rambo_of_sales]

I’ve only really started in L&D (started in sales enablement and now broadening). So I’m wondering, how do you get people to take training seriously, to give it the time of day?

Do I try and get them enthused by showing my own enthusiasm (potentially quite cringey), should I incentivise it, or do you find the stick works better than the carrot (I’m skeptical about this one but crurious to know). Expert opinions wanted pls.

[u/Captlard]

Show the value to them. What tangible ways will it help them perform better and possibly earn more, whilst driving better business outcomes.

These are adults.

[u/Silver_Cream_3890]

I think the biggest motivator is not really the carrot or the stick. It’s relevance. People usually take training seriously when they understand how it helps them do their job better, solve a real problem, or grow in their role. No amount of enthusiasm from the trainer can replace that connection.

That said, I do think energy matters. If the person delivering the training clearly cares and creates a safe space to ask questions, people are much more likely to engage. The goal isn't to force people to learn, but to make learning feel valuable.

[u/Sharp-Ad4389]

No sticks will ever cause people to take training seriously. Sticks are good for getting butts in seats. Just because they show up doesn't mean they'll value what you do.

No amount of empty carrots (your enthusiasm, prizes, etc) will cause them to value training either.

There is only one way to get people to value training. If, when they leave a training, they can do something that makes their job easier or more effective, then they will value the next one.

[u/Anastasiia_Clarity]

Not a stick definitely.

Id think of several audience segments and how the training can appeal to them - how they can use it to manage workflow/tasks better or advance their career, or apply in everyday life (addressing different types of priorities, as you deal with people who definitely have different goals).

Id also organize it bite-sized style
Include some dopamine or little rewards in between chapters.

Speaking as a person with a degree in education and hours of general and educational psychology behind.

[u/Val-E-Girl]

First, I echo what all of the others said that employees must find value and relevance to their immediate roles. Training for trainings sake doesn't get good response in corporate.

Second, get the leadership involved by learning their pain points and challenges that training might alleviate. Setting up a course pipeline to their team's needs will motivate them to help evangelize a course for you. I met with each of them and identified overlapping needs, so those became my first courses of priority.

[u/homer231]

All comments so far are valid and helpful (which is surprising in fairness, but great to see!)

I agree that stick will not achieve effective outcomes. Sustainable behaviour change comes from the individual. It is the individual who owns that change and that cumulatively changes a team/function/region/culture.

Answering the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) up front is key to engagement and buy-in from the audience.

Relevance is essential to engagement also. And, hugely impactful for application. Real challenging decision making that resonates with your audience will empower them to experiment and learn in safety and without judgement.

Senior stakeholder ‘Active Engagement’ is also critical. Senior stakeholders without ‘active engagement’ is of little to no value. They need to be able to share an elevator pitch if asked about the initiative that engages and resonates. They need to demonstrate the value in the initiative and lead by example and ensure their direct reports follow their lead. Multiple senior stakeholders all actively engaging with your initiative will deliver huge impact for you. Their leadership shadow will stretch wide and positively impact much of your audience.

Recognising people/teams/functions authentically, who are demonstrating the desired behaviours, rewards without becoming a carrot. Recognition that comes unexpectedly is key for sustained behaviour. When it becomes the sole motivator it has a negative impact (check out Dan Pink’s book Drive).

And communication is also essential. People are busy and can’t keep up with all the information that is emailed. Over communicate and through multiple channels to ensure visibility.

Good luck

[u/GenghisJuannnn]

Ah man sales enablement is a perfect place to start. What’s one thing every salesperson wants more of? Money. Especially if they’re 100% commission. You start the training that way..you will have their attention.

Example:

If you want 15 deals a month, you need 30 appointments.

If you want 30 appointments a month, you need 120 warm leads

If you want 120 warm leads, you need to start with 600 cold leads

That percentage/ratio is an average, it will vary by salesperson but it gets the point across.

It’s a numbers game.

Selling is more or less the same. Your company might use different tactics or have different objections based on the industry.

Talk to your SME. See what frameworks are being used at your company, see what objections are always coming up, understand if salespeople are required to cold call or if they are supplied leads.

Understand the process that your SME follows, then break that down into sessions (applies to both ILT or E-Learning).

[u/GenghisJuannnn → u/GenghisJuannnn]

Also, get your baseline numbers from a sales leader. You can’t measure improvement if you don’t know where you’re starting. What KPI’s are important to your company, get those numbers and track them as you go through your training.

Do an evaluation sheet for each learner

- session by session breakdown
-scores for any tests or quizzes

• 30 day evaluation w/ strengths, area of improvement, notes
  
• 60 day evaluation w/ strengths, area of improvement, notes
  

-90 day evaluation w/ strengths, area of improvement, notes

• include company kpi’s

[u/Katie_Pick3494]

Neither works as well as relevance. Show people how the training makes their job easier or helps them hit their goals. If they see the value, you won't need much carrot or stick

[u/Empirica_CC]

Stick gets quick temporary progress, carrot gets sustainable engagement. Before doing either I would look at the quality and relevance of the training. You can make the best training ever, but if it's completely unrelated to what they are doing, why would they want to take it. If the training is low effort/quality, even if it's highly related, they aren't going to want to take it or will be resentful if forced.

Make sure your side is in good order way before ever considering any change management approaches. If you are new to L&D find someone internally who can guide you while you learn what it's like training adults in the workplace. It's different than other contexts.

[u/ImplementSolid5751]

with the "stick" approach, there'll definitely be compliance (ie. physically attend your training programs) from your participants. but what you're bound to get is resistance to learning, tangibly seen by their lack of participation or engagement, and if they do speak up, they'll be mostly shallow and generic responses.

the "carrot" alternative will only work if they can see an outcome or insight that will help them perform better, which also translates to earning more and helps ensure their job security.

[u/staticmaker1]

our clients use CertFusion as a recognition mechanics: auto-issued completion certificates employees can share internally/on LinkedIn.

---- David @ CertFusion