How to create courses that deliver results

Linnéa Sjögren is a training producer who helps companies and organizations create first-class learning. We talked to her about how to go from insight to action and raise the bar on courses. Read her top tips and thoughts. 

For Linnéa Sjögren, training producer and consultant, most of her everyday life revolves around learning and how we can create better conditions for learning. Over the years, she has helped many companies develop trainings that truly lead to learning and benefit for the participants, customers and entire organizations. In parallel with her consulting assignments, she also runs her own YouTube channel where she shares tips and experiences.

- The assignments look different depending on the type of company and business. Sometimes I help with the strategy and creation of the training itself, other times it is more about giving feedback on how existing courses or learning methods can be improved, explains Linnéa Sjögren.

"I like to think of training as a small machine. You enter on one side and come out changed on the other."

It all starts with the need

For Linnéa, the needs analysis is the crucial factor in ensuring a training course achieves the desired impact. A course can be beautiful, interesting and fun, but if the needs and goals are not crystal clear, the change will not happen.

-  The only course that is good is the one that leads to results. As a training department or company, you need to agree that needs analysis is a priority. I like to think of training as a process from current problem to desired behavior, where everything starts with the needs analysis. It is very common to neglect this and instead throw together a course for the sake of it. Unfortunately, this has negative consequences.

Linnéa also explains that training is not always the whole solution, as other types of support may be needed to create long-term change and measurable and noticeable results.

- Just because there is a problem and a desired outcome, training may not necessarily be the solution to the challenge. It is also important to look at what else is needed in the organization. This can be anything from support or superusers to better manuals, instructions or time. These are factors you need to look at before you start building courses.

With the course objectives in sight

"The only course that is good is the one that leads to results."

In addition to conducting a thorough needs analysis, clearly defined course objectives are also crucial. Linnéa compares course objectives to baking: without flour and yeast, it will be difficult to produce a result. The guidelines for a training course must always come from the client and are not something an external consultant can "invent", but Linnéa can help chisel them out. To clarify the objectives, she typically recommends using a set of targeted questions.

– Many of my clients find it difficult to formulate course objectives, but it's really just about identifying a before and after. You do that by looking at everyday work tasks. For example, if the course is about customer service, we analyze how the tasks are performed today and how we want them to be performed in the future. I like to think of training like a small machine. You enter on one side and come out changed on the other.

Another important aspect is that the course objectives must be realistic – otherwise, the initiative risks failing. Is it reasonable to expect a short e-learning course to lead to a significant behavioral change? Or is this perhaps an overly ambitious goal given the resources and tools provided to participants? The key is to consider what is required to achieve the desired outcome, evaluate the level of ambition, and adjust the planning and course design accordingly.

- I am often asked if I can build a "quick e-learning" in two hours. My answer is always: hold your horses! Where do those two hours come from? The course objectives come first. Then we look at what needs to be done to reach them. 


Read also: Driving Behavior Change in Learning 


Even if the objectives are the same for everyone, they may need to be reworded in a way that is understandable to participants. I would also like to highlight how important it is to start planning follow-up already when the course objectives are set. Is there enough data or do we need to collect more? Maybe by sending out a survey? Use the course objectives to define what should be followed up.

Better, simpler and more fun

"Just because there is a problem and a desired outcome, training may not necessarily be the solution to the challenge. It is also important to look at what else is needed in the organization. This can be anything from support or superusers to better manuals, instructions or time. These are factors you need to look at before you start building courses."

With the foundation of the training in place, it's time to start engaging participants. Motivation starts with understanding why something is worth learning.

- We get motivated when we believe it makes life better, easier or more fun. Therefore, we need to clearly communicate these benefits. The course objectives should show participants how they can achieve better bargaining positions, less stress, increased productivity or simpler work processes and so on.

Unfortunately, the reality of modern business is not always like this. Many participants state that they attend a course because they have to, an attitude that needs to change if the training is really to lead to behavioral change. Linnéa sees several reasons why things often go wrong. Firstly, the preliminary work to promote the course is often neglected. Secondly, the immediate manager may struggle to explain why the training is important. And thirdly, the course may feel like coercion. But there are many effective ways to turn dissatisfaction into motivation.

- To ensure high engagement, you can, for example, get feedback from a focus group and adjust the message according to their needs and expectations. My tip is to frame learning as a privilege, an opportunity, something that not everyone may have access to.


Download our guide: 30 tips for creating learning that engages and delivers results

Content that engages and inspires

Promoting a course is one thing - keeping participants engaged right to the end is another. Linnéa looks at engagement from two perspectives: genuine interest and getting carried away.

- Genuine interest occurs when a person is motivated, curious and sees value in the course. Entrainment is when the course content itself sparks curiosity and interest, which can be achieved through engaging exercises that demonstrate the complexity or implications of the topic, thereby increasing engagement. Both are equally important.

In both classroom and blended learning environments, the engagement of other learners can act as a positive contagion, with their interest and enthusiasm influencing those around them. Linnéa underlines that the instructor's own engagement also plays a significant role, as it influences the participants' behavior. In digital learning environments, this engagement can be conveyed through recordings where the instructor's enthusiasm is clear, or by quoting engaged individuals and formulating the material in a way that inspires.


Read also: Blended is spendid


- I tend to use a simple formula: have a leader for clarity and a genuine impression, and an employee for influence and inspiration. The combination of these creates a balance that engages and conveys the company's values in a natural way.

"We are motivated when we believe that education makes life better, easier or more fun. Therefore, we need to clearly communicate these benefits. Course objectives should show participants how they can achieve better negotiating positions, less stress, increased productivity or easier work processes."

Linnéa also emphasizes the importance of interactivity in the courses, activities that make participants think and apply what they have learned. This can include scenarios, exercises and reflective questions that require participants to engage deeply with the content.

- Learning can take many forms today. But simply clicking through slides rarely creates real engagement.

A final tip for organizations struggling with training?

- The best way to achieve real behavior change is to establish learning over time. When the whole organization is involved, nurturing and supportive, the right conditions are created.

Continue to be inspired!
Watch the full recording from our webinar with Linnéa Sjögren (In Swedish)