Finally, the participant must be interested in the subject. Interest is directly related to reward. Adults must see the benefit of learning in order to self- motivate.
I’ve created several motivational strategies that should assist instructors in motivating adult learners.
- Organize your materials and lessons so that they are in “bite size” chunks, which enables the learner to better digest and understand the information.
- Use the whole-part-whole concept, which provides an overview, followed by details, and then a refresher of the overview.
- Allow the learners some flexibility with their assignments and provide them with options.
- Allow the learners to explore and support their own findings rather than proving a pre-determined theory.
- Provide plenty of documentation and learning materials which address the different learning styles.
- Provide the students with opportunities to work in both small and large groups, enabling them to ask questions of one another.
- Make the learning relevant and as close to the actual requirements of the learners’ job(s) as possible.
- Explain WHY the assignments were chosen and their relevance to the overall learning objectives.
- Make sure the training is not too simple or too complex for your audience. You must know who the learners are prior to developing the specific materials.
- Be respectful of the learners’ time and the commitments they have.
- Allow the learners the freedom to try new things; be creative; empower them.
Robert Gagne, a behaviorist, created an information processing model of the mental events that occur when adults are presented with various stimuli. Gagne created a nine-step process called the events of instruction, which correlate to and address the conditions of learning.
The figure below shows these instructional events in the left column and the associated mental processes in the right column. (Gagne 1992)
Figure 1
| Instructional Event | Internal Mental Process |
| 1. Gain attention | Stimuli activates receptors |
| 2. Inform learners of objectives | Creates level of expectation for learning |
| 3. Stimulate recall of prior learning | Retrieval and activation of short-term memory |
| 4. Present the content | Selective perception of content |
| 5. Provide “learning guidance” | Semantic encoding for storage long-term memory |
| 6. Elicit performance (practice) | Responds to questions to enhance encoding and verification |
| 7. Provide feedback | Reinforcement and assessment of correct performance |
| 8. Assess performance | Retrieval and reinforcement of content as final evaluation |
| 9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job | Retrieval and generalization of learned skill to new situation |
This Nine Events of Instruction model can be used to ensure that the needs of the adult learner are met thus creating an environment conducive to motivating the adult learner. This model connects objectives with prior knowledge, uses group discussions, case methods, role plays etc. to ensure active learning and learner engagement.
Instructors can help motivate learners through a variety of behaviors. Including: expertise, empathy, enthusiasm, and clarity. We can display our expertise with the subject matter. We must be competent, be knowledgeable in the course content, be competent and have experience. Meeting the learners’ needs and expectations show empathy. We must be cheerleaders and show that we believe in these adults; be enthusiastic, excited, vocal, energetic, and passionate about what you are doing. Last, and most importantly is clarity. Language is powerful and we must use it properly. We must be organized, be able to think on our feet, develop connections and a rapport with the adult learners.
The ADDIE model, which is the generic process traditionally used by instructional designers and training program developers, consists of five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. In this model the instructor assesses the learning needed by completing a learner analysis; designs a program that is conducive to adult learning; develops a program that addresses Malcolm Knowles adult learning principles; implements the program by using an instructor who knows how to motivate adults to want to learn; then evaluates the effectiveness of the program by looking at the return on investment (ROI). This final phase is the most important for instructors and facilitators because this is where we can provide company officials with concrete documentation to support the validity and the training in numbers.
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