--- title: How to Create Training Materials That Keep Your Employees Engaged description: When creating engaging employee training content, apply the same mentality that makes you click on a news feed or pick that specific movie on Netflix. image: https://www.backstitch.io/hubfs/training_materials_engagement.jpg --- [![backstitch purple logo](https://www.backstitch.io/hs-fs/hubfs/backstitch_logo_purple_2020.png?width=170&height=36&name=backstitch_logo_purple_2020.png "backstitch purple logo")](https://www.backstitch.io/) ## [Integrate Mental and Financial Wellness into Your Total Rewards](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/mental-wellness-total-rewards) [Read](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/mental-wellness-total-rewards) ## [Implement Flexible Benefits Allowances for Your Workforce](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/flexible-benefits-allowances) [Read](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/flexible-benefits-allowances) ## [Essential Skills and Tools that Every Total Rewards Professional Need](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/skills-and-tools-for-trs-professionals) [Read](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/skills-and-tools-for-trs-professionals) ## [AI and HR: Realistic Expectations for Automated Benefits Communication](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/ai-and-hr-realistic-expectations-for-automated-benefits-communication) [Read](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/ai-and-hr-realistic-expectations-for-automated-benefits-communication) ## [Open Enrollment in a Hybrid Workplace: Best Practices for Virtual Success](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/open-enrollment-in-a-hybrid-workplace-best-practices-for-virtual-success) [Read](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/open-enrollment-in-a-hybrid-workplace-best-practices-for-virtual-success) by [The backstitch Team](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/author/the-backstitch-team) on Jun 12, 2018 [Internal Communications](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/internal-communications) [Human Resources](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/human-resources) [Employee Engagement](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-engagement) [Company Culture](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/company-culture) [Messaging Tools](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/messaging-tools) # How to Create Training Materials That Keep Your Employees Engaged ### Subscribe to Email Updates When content is engaging, people will often consume it even when not required to.  Usually, this applies to movies, TV, and books, but if you play your cards right it could also be applied to your training materials. The benefits of engaging training materials are obvious. [Happy employees are good employees](https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/12/13/promoting-employee-happiness-benefits-everyone/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/), and people who are engaged learn better. This leads to an overall better workforce. When creating engaging training content, we can apply the same mentality we use for content as a whole. What exactly is it that makes you click on an article on Facebook? Or pick that specific movie on Netflix? Would you still be as likely to engage with the content if you were forced to view it? ## **Offer Choice and Align Your Materials with Your Employees** Although your employees need to learn specific material, it shouldn’t be forced upon them.  To strike a [good balance between providing choice](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/how-to-offer-flexibility-to-employees-without-being-taken-advantage-of) and still enforcing requirements; try to focus on tailoring and personalizing content to engage specific types of personalities. Many people already choose to use online services to learn by themselves all the time and these same aspirations don't change depending on whether they are at home or at work, so we can assume that an [employee will be more engaged](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/an-introduction-to-employee-engagement-analytics) if their materials work in tandem with a sense of purpose, and align with the employees goals. This is especially important for younger generations that put a high value on a work identity. ## **Gamification** This can be a bit of a double-edged sword, but in general, gamification has positive results.[Gamification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification_of_learning) is the process of taking your learning materials and applying game elements and incentive structures, rewarding employees for taking the correct actions.  People are often more attentive and engaged when they are competing or focusing on a specific set of rules, working towards some attainable goal. For some employees though, this can be alienating and stressful. It's important to offer some choice in the matter and try to encourage your less social employees to engage with your workforce. ## **Go Beyond the Facts** If you're passing around pages of data and information, it is not only going to be overwhelming but also boring to consume.  Try to [get creative](https://hbr.org/2008/10/creativity-and-the-role-of-the-leader) with how you display your training materials and don't be afraid to have some fun with the wording. You can add some extra layers by building a story around the facts you are trying to convey. Applying facts and data to a story format is proven to increase engagement. Remember, your objective here is to get the information across and make it stick, not bore your employees to sleep. ## **Keep It Short, Simple and to the Point** While it is good to get across all the information, you need to take the time to figure out what may be relevant and when. The longer your training materials take to get through, the more likely you are going to start losing interest. Try to keep the length of your materials in sync with the amount of time your employees have to read them. If they begin to feel overwhelmed, you've already lost the battle. ## **Focus on Motivation** Your materials should be both informative, interesting and [motivating](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/six-ways-to-motivate-detached-employees). Not only do you need to motivate your employees to get through your training, but they should also be able to apply it later. This is key to getting the most out of your employees. You can do this with a couple of easy things: -       1) Give employees some level of control over how they work through your materials. -       2) Provide meaningful feedback along the way. -       3) Try to incorporate social elements wherever you can. -       4) Provide opportunities for workers to collaborate when possible. -       5) Keep the pressure off and allow ample room for practice. If you work these ideas into your training content, you are [bound to see improvements](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/3-reasons-why-you-should-track-employee-engagement-analytics) in your workforce. You can do this by promoting choice, aligning with your employee's values and goals, keeping your materials short and interesting, and offering ways to learn that are fun, like games and activities. Keep these ideas in mind, and have fun while making the content, then you're sure to see improvements in multiple areas of your business. [![Get Access to More Free Strategies](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/731034/cb931ce8-f8b2-4c4c-bdb7-099e1c8f940c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/731034/cb931ce8-f8b2-4c4c-bdb7-099e1c8f940c) ### [The backstitch Team](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/author/the-backstitch-team) [Follow me on Twitter](http://twitter.com/backstitch) [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.backstitch.io%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-create-training-materials-that-keep-your-employees-actively-engaged) [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.backstitch.io%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-create-training-materials-that-keep-your-employees-actively-engaged) ![post_img](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/2558854/hubfs/Future-Vision-Assets/post_img1.jpg?width=786&name=post_img1.jpg "post_img") ### READ MORE OF WHAT YOU LIKE. [Internal Communications](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/internal-communications) [Human Resources](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/human-resources) [Employee Benefits](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-benefits) [Employee Engagement](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-engagement) [Messaging Tools](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/messaging-tools) ## [Implement Flexible Benefits Allowances for Your Workforce](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/flexible-benefits-allowances) [Internal Communications](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/internal-communications) [Employee Benefits](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-benefits) [Total Rewards Statements](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/total-rewards-statements) ## [Open Enrollment in a Hybrid Workplace: Best Practices for Virtual Success](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/open-enrollment-in-a-hybrid-workplace-best-practices-for-virtual-success) [Internal Communications](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/internal-communications) [Employee Benefits](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-benefits) [Employee Engagement](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/employee-engagement) [Total Rewards Statements](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/total-rewards-statements) [HR Documents](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/topic/hr-documents) ## [Strategic Planning for Open Enrollment](https://www.backstitch.io/blog/strategic-planning-for-open-enrollment) [![backstitch logo in purple](https://www.backstitch.io/hs-fs/hubfs/backstitch_logo_purple_2020.png?width=200&height=43&name=backstitch_logo_purple_2020.png "backstitch logo in purple")](https://www.backstitch.io/) © 2026 backstitch Inc. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "The backstitch Team", "url" : "https://www.backstitch.io/blog/author/the-backstitch-team" }, "dateModified" : "2021-04-27T20:19:25.528Z", "datePublished" : "2018-06-12T20:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "How to Create Training Materials That Keep Your Employees Engaged", "image" : [ "https://www.backstitch.io/hubfs/training_materials_engagement.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.backstitch.io/blog/how-to-create-training-materials-that-keep-your-employees-actively-engaged", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.backstitch.io/hubfs/backstitch%20logo%20purple%202020.png" }, "name" : "backstitch" } } ```