How to Make Compliance Training Memorable

Can compliance training be as memorable as Julie Andrews spinning and singing in the Austrian Alps? Or Rhett Butler telling Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”? It could be, if it makes a significant impression on the learner.

The end goal of an effective compliance training program is to have a respectful and inclusive workplace. For this to happen, compliance training must be memorable. Employees must retain and apply the knowledge and skills they gain from the training.

HSI's compliance training is designed to do more than check the box. We understand that to truly impact an organization, to change behavior for the better, compliance training must capture the learners' attention. We prioritize storytelling, engaging visuals, relevant data, and memorable action items so the content sticks with the learner beyond that training session." - Mandy Owen, Senior Director of Content

What is Compliance Training?

Compliance training is one of the most critical types of training companies can offer. The courses educate employees on laws, regulations, and company policies. Proper training creates a workplace free from inappropriate and unsafe behaviors and reduces the risk of legal issues. When quality training is in place, the organization’s best practices support a diverse workforce and leverage unique perspectives, paving the way to a successful company that attracts and retains top talent.

Ways to Make Compliance Training Memorable

Here are several ways to make compliance training more memorable:

Visual Aids: The human brain remembers visuals more vividly than abstract concepts. Remind employees of compliance guidelines with visual cues, such as posters, infographics, and flowcharts. Share updates to relevant laws via email communications, internal company newsletters and social media platforms. Visual aids can simplify complex concepts and make them more memorable. They also serve as constant reminders. Always include company policies in the employee handbook.

Microlearning: Infrequent, lengthy compliance training courses make it difficult for employees to digest all the pertinent material. Not to mention, who enjoys hours of training? The learning experience is more effective when consistently presented over time and in short videos.

Microlearning allows the learner to be more engaged and retain new information. This type of training reduces cognitive overload. Information moves from short-term to long-term memory. Breaking down compliance training into bite-sized chunks makes it easier for the learners to digest. Short, focused lessons are more likely to be retained than lengthy ones. Consistent microlearning ensures employees get repeated exposure to the compliance training content and key takeaways, making it easier to absorb and retain.

Mnemonics: Mnemonics is an instructional strategy that can simplify complex information and aid in retention and recall through visual and auditory clues. Mnemonics can improve the learner’s ability to grasp complex topics with ease and streamline the learning process.

Acronyms, catchy phrases, and mnemonic techniques help learners remember important compliance principles. For instance, HSI’s training course, “Anti-Harassment for Bystanders: How to Intervene in Sexual Harassment,” uses the catchy phrase “The Four Ds” to help learners remember how to intervene in a sexual harassment incident. The Four Ds stand for delegate, distract, directly respond, delay.

Storytelling: Think about the impact Pixar movies have on kids, and adults, too! For example, Cars teaches how to be a respected and fearless leader. Remember Lightning McQueen going through the self-discovery and learning process to be an effective leader? Great storytelling is memorable and encourages people to change.

A great way to make compliance training memorable is to present compliance concepts through compelling stories or narratives. In HSI’s training video, “Understanding Harassment,” the presenter shares a hypothetical story from a research study. The story drives home the point of substantial differences in men’s and women’s perceptions of how frequently sexual harassment occurs and what qualifies as sexual harassment. 

Real-Life Examples: Share compliance violations or ethical dilemmas that have recently been in the news. By building increased awareness, it stresses the importance of compliance training. Address the cost of non-compliance. Share these real-life examples through the organization’s internal social media channels and in online courses.

One of the HSI training courses drives home the importance of compliance training by referencing a recent data breach involving Facebook. Cambridge Analytics sold data of 50 million Facebook users without their consent. As a result, Facebook’s profits decreased by 50% in one quarter. They accrued more than $3 billion in legal expenses. Hearing about this real-life example and the ramifications definitely makes a memorable impact on the learner.

Multimedia Content: Memorable compliance training videos, like HSI’s, have a predictable style and flow. They open with the title image and music. The presenters are relatable and approachable. They are filmed from the waist up to be closer to the viewer, more engaging, and mimic an instructor-led course. The use of videos, animations, infographics, and other multimedia elements conveys information in a visually engaging manner. The graphics are creative and compelling, and they help reinforce the learning points spoken by the presenters. The videos consistently deliver compliance training content, just like traditional classroom trainers.

Personalization: Tailor compliance courses to individual job roles and responsibilities. For example, provide information security training to the IT compliance officer and their team. Employees are more likely to remember and apply new information when it’s directly relevant to their daily tasks.

HSI offers personalized compliance courses for specific roles, such as policymakers, managers, and frontline employees.

Reinforcement: Implement spaced repetition techniques to reinforce key compliance topics over time. For instance, HSI’s anti-harassment courses build on each other. An ethics course may follow an anti-harassment bystanders course. Allow learners to rewatch online courses. Employees can regularly revisit and review an important topic to prevent forgetting pertinent information.

Role-Playing: Make compliance training fun by role-playing. Conduct role-playing exercises where employees take on different roles to practice compliance-related scenarios. Role-playing exercises help learners understand how to respond to various situations. Participating and seeing fellow employees participate in role-playing is worth the investment in time. Bringing compliance topics to life through role-playing makes it more realistic – thus, more memorable.

Peer Learning: Leaders and HR should encourage peer-to-peer learning and discussion forums where employees can share their insights and experiences related to compliance. Learning from colleagues can be more relatable and impactful.

Feedback and Evaluation: Make it a best practice to ask for feedback from learners to improve the compliance training experience. Conduct assessments and surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of compliance training. With consistent online training, HR can more effectively track the learner’s progress, identify gaps in knowledge, and adjust such training sessions as necessary. Feedback and evaluation will help leaders and HR to continually roll out memorable training.

Continuous Learning Culture: Foster a culture of continuous learning by encouraging employees to seek ongoing education and stay informed about compliance changes. Be sure the compliance training service provider regularly updates all training material to reflect current regulatory requirements and standards.

When employees see learning as a regular and valued activity, they’re more likely to view it as an integral part of their role. A consistent employee training program establishes a routine so employees can integrate training into their daily or weekly schedules. Setting aside time for learning and development becomes a habitual activity and reinforces valuable information.

By implementing these strategies, organizations can create compliance programs that are not only informative but also memorable and effective in promoting ethical behavior and adherence to regulations. Consistent ongoing compliance training will lead to a respectful and inclusive workplace.

HSI Can Help!

Workplace compliance training is vital for all of your employees and managers. Organizations must create a safe work environment while following all rules, laws, and regulations. It’s a challenge to keep track of differences between the sexual harassment training requirements in various states. Not to mention keeping up with periodic changes in legislation. It makes sense to outsource that responsibility to a company like HSI and rely on our off-the-shelf library of up-to-date compliance courses.

HSI offers an in-depth, all-encompassing online HR compliance training program for all audiences. The training bundle pairs learnings on key workplace regulations, such as FMLA, FLSA, and ADA, with comprehensive anti-harassment training.

HSI’s learning management system (LMS) is mobile-first and learner-first. Employees can access it on their own time and at their own pace. HSI’s training fosters learner engagement, job satisfaction, and retention. HSI’s compliance training enables organizations to build a workplace culture of trust and continuous learning, access and track training, and protect your company’s brand and reputation. Consistent compliance training does have a direct impact on the company’s bottom line.

Here’s just some of the wide variety of HSI’s online compliance courses:

• Family and Medical Leave Act
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Antitrust Law Overview
• Pregnancy Discrimination Act

For more information on the best way HSI can help, request a consultation.