What is Your Learning Promise?

Coming from the nonprofit sector, I’ve had it drilled into my head how important an organization’s mission and vision statements are. But what about it’s “learning promise”? Working in the eLearning industry got me thinking: With the growth in membership education offerings, I wonder how many of our partners have stopped to think about their association’s “learning promise”? How about you? Does your organization have a learning promise?

Think of your learning promise like a mission statement for your member’s education. If your goal is to ramp up the association’s educational offerings, then the first step is to determine the value your education offerings have to your members.

Here are the three steps you should take when drafting a learning promise:

Step 1. Who is important or what matters? (Cause)

First, think about the reason or cause your members utilize the education offerings. The cause is also known as “the why,” and will help you state your learning promise from the member’s perspective.  Why do members need certain information to stay relevant in their field? Why do members want to succeed? What material is important?

Step 2. What are you doing? (Action)

What action are you taking to help members reach their scholastic goals? Are programs or pathways in place?

Step 3. What change can you see? (Impact)

In this step you have an opportunity to show the statistical impact of your programs.  Gather the analytics and use this information to show non-members what they’re missing out on. Do members who participate in your courses earn higher salaries? Do they earn their certification faster? What impact are your courses making?

Here are some examples I came up with:

The Professional Association of Dive Instructors promises to teach safety and skills to educate and develop well informed scuba divers, resulting in 35% fewer scuba accidents each year!

The American Dental Society promises to advance the careers of its members through research, public programs, and online learning, making oral health education available to over 15,000 members anywhere and anytime.

Just a few reminders for your learning promise: keep it short, be sure it makes sense, is memorable and isn’t difficult to say. You want learners to understand what your organization provides. What would your learning promise be? Share your ideas in the comments section below!