HOW TO WRITE KILLER WIIFMs THAT WILL MAKE LEARNERS WANT TO TAKE YOUR COURSE

In the event you’ve labored for any size of time in L&D, you have to be acquainted with the time period WIIFM. You’ve gotten most likely introduced it up in discovery periods with the SME, and even argued about it in design evaluation discussions along with your staff. However what precisely is it, and why is it vital?

WIIFM is principally an acronym that expands to What’s-In-It-For-Me, and seeks to reply one easy query from the learner’s perspective – Why ought to I care?

Staff in any respect ranges of a corporation are usually time poor, with a large number of calls for being positioned on their focus and experience. So, any time you ask them to take out of their busy work schedule is time that they don’t seem to be being productive, and time that they’re sacrificing to spend going via your program or course. And after they do decide to undergo your course, they count on worth for his or her cash (which on this case, is their time).

And when you assume they’re going to do it in their very own time, both earlier than or after work, assume once more. You’ll be vying for his or her consideration with household time, social time, me time, and even Netflix and the myriad different leisure platforms on the market. You actually don’t wish to compete in that area.

If you’d like your learners to dedicate time to your course within the midst of all these claims on their consideration, each at work and off it, it’s worthwhile to talk upfront about how the course will assist them. That is the place WIIFM is available in.

WIIFM is a time period that’s borrowed from advertising, the place a services or products is positioned in such a approach that its advantages are instantly clear to the possible purchaser. The customer, on this case, is our learner. A robust WIIFM will talk what the course is about, and the way it will make their life simpler or higher.

I like to consider WIIFM as a two-event, two-part idea. Two-event, as a result of there are two separate events in which you’d want to speak the WIIFM to the learner:

1. In the beginning of the course, the place you’re setting expectations about what to anticipate within the course; that is the one that you just’re most likely most acquainted with, and are doing already.
2. Properly earlier than the learner units foot in (or finger on, if you’ll) the course, the place you’re drawing consideration to its existence.

Consider the WIIFM as promoting to your course. You’ve obtained to allow them to know the course exists, and it’s a must to persuade them that it’s actually value their time.

Your WIIFM ought to include two elements:

1. How / how effectively the course will assist them get higher at Subject X
2. Why Subject X is vital

For instance:

• This course will show you how to ask extra focused inquiries to prospects, which might result in extra knowledgeable conversations, and hopefully to extra conversions.
• On finishing this module, you’ll higher respect and contribute to the protection measures which might be in place in your division. This can show you how to partake in a secure setting, for your self and your colleagues.

In any case, be sure that the WIIFM:

• Is written from the learner’s perspective, and never from the attitude of their supervisor or the group
• Makes a really particular promise to the learner

Don’t be afraid to make it so long as wanted. On the finish of the day, you might be really promoting the course to the learner, and if it takes just a few extra phrases, by all means, go for it. On the similar time, keep away from:

• Weak WIIFMs equivalent to “Record…”, “Outline…”, and many others. Even for a subject that they actually care about, they don’t seem to be excited about itemizing or defining stuff. So when you’ve created a course on negotiation methods, simply say that it’ll assist them enhance their bargaining recreation when discussing with distributors. You don’t need to current them with a laundry checklist of goals, the best way we’re used to doing in L&D.
• Overpromising, or making false guarantees. WIIFMs like “You’ll develop into 10 occasions extra productive…” could attract learners, however as soon as they determine that the course isn’t going to ship on that promise (let’s be trustworthy, which course can create THAT degree of transformation in anybody?), you’ll lose their belief ceaselessly.
• Different metrics that they don’t care about. This can be troublesome for us to swallow as L&D professionals, however actually, most workers don’t care if the corporate goes to seize 80% of the market in 5 years’ time. All they’re involved about is their WIIFM. So, even when the course is working in direction of the talents or talents wanted for this (improved market share) to occur, flip it round and current it in a approach that solutions the WIIFM for the learner.

The WIIFM is a technique of speaking along with your learners that you just’ve thought of their wants, and that you just respect their time and a spotlight.

It is usually a promise that you’re making to the learner. When you make that promise, be sure that your course delivers on it. Doing so constantly over a time period will construct belief with learners. And the extra belief you construct, the extra open they are going to be to the content material that you just put on the market.

Written by Srividya Kumar, Co-Founder @ Learnnovators

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