If you could peek inside a learning brain, you'd see multiple areas actively engaged in forging new physical connections between the neurons responsible for extending knowledge. Learning is change—change in our brains and change in our behaviors. If we want to make a difference with our associations' professional development programs, the ultimate end of our education design should be change.

Instead of designing education that will change brains, we're too often stuck in information-delivery mode.

Where We Get Stuck

Instead of designing education that will change brains, we're too often stuck in information-delivery mode. Offering info is not enough to ensure that change will happen. That's like expecting someone to become a competent Starbucks barista after browsing a coffee-drink infographic! Starbucks doesn't hold that expectation for its new employees in training, but unfortunately associations typically allow their speakers to continue disseminating information instead of designing a meaningful learning experience. In order to rise above the info deluge and deliver education that makes a real difference to our members, we must design for change.

What's Required to Change?

It's important to start with a clear understanding of the change you'd like to see in your learners. Since small behaviors must be addressed before overhauling complex behavior, mapping out the steps to larger change is a great blueprint for a conference track or curriculum that will encourage meaningful advances in your learners. Here are four steps to get you started.

1. Write measurable learning objectives. With your end goal for change in mind, draft learning objectives that outline the steps to meet that goal.

Tips:

• Craft objectives you can measure so learners know they've met the objective.
• Consider any barriers to making the change that may need to be addressed as an objective.
• Use active verbs and ban objectives that describe what happens in the course; instead, write objectives to describe what change happens in the learner.

Resource: "Action Verbs for Learning Objectives" [PDF], Penn State University Instructional Design Resources

Establish a baseline. Change is work! You must earn agreement from your learners to change. Accomplish this by helping your learners discover how they measure up to the end-goal expectations so they have a clear idea of the gaps they can address through your training.

Tips:

• Addressing the need for change and the benefits of making the effort draw clear lines to WIIFM ("what's in it for me") for your learners.
• Offer self-assessment tools or a challenging case to allow learners to discover their personal gaps and motivate them to invest in the change you propose.

Resource: "Self-Assessment," Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence

Design for how brains learn. An individual making a change—such as earning a promotion or quitting smoking—will create an action plan. When designing education to inspire change, we create our learning plan using instructional design. These four key questions are a great start to a solid learning plan.

Tips:

• How can I grab attention and maintain my learners' focus?
• How will I structure my content to connect with what the learner already knows?
• How can I create space for reflection so my learners can personalize this content to meet their individual knowledge or skill gap?
• What exercises, resources or tools will I offer my learners for practice?

Resource: "Design Your Success: How Instructional Design Elevates Your Online Learning Game" CommPartners Learning Center on-demand webinar

Offer opportunities for reinforcement. Change is not as easy as "once and done." Nurture the change you seek by extending the learning beyond the session room through reinforcement activities.

Tips:

• Offer job aids, rehearsal prompts, reminders, additional resources, and mobile quick tips to encourage your learners to continue using their new skill and refine it.
• Provide a social support component to promote accountability as well as community around shared development goals.
• Optional follow-up such as a Twitter chat, progress assessment, or next-step recommendations reengages busy leaners with the objective and connects them to experts or resources to deepen the change.

Resource: "Shadow Con: Extending Conference Learning," by Kristin Gray, Tchers' Voice blog, June 3, 2015

Why Invest in Designing for Change?

Our members are skilled at locating information when they need it. They look to their professional associations, however, for meaningful learning experiences that make a lasting difference. Your learners are looking for actionable content at your education events that they can apply to solve problems, develop critical competencies, or grow their careers. Differentiate your program offerings by designing your education to inspire change.