The power of microlearning: How to take advantage of it in your organisation

Most people don’t enjoy flicking through a 75-slide training deck or nodding along in a four-hour webinar. They probably aren’t remembering much from these types of training either. And yet, many organisations still roll out learning like it's 2003. Long, draining, and easily forgettable. 

But what if your training could be short and sweet while actually sticking in people’s minds? Welcome to the world of microlearning. 

What is microlearning? 

Microlearning is all about delivering information in small, manageable chunks. We're talking five to ten minutes, not half a day in a meeting room while participants mentally plan dinner. In fact, experts say that anything more than 13 minutes no longer counts as microlearning. 

Microlearning is often built around one learning objective at a time. So instead of trying to teach someone everything about GDPR in one go, you might just cover “How to handle a data request from a customer” in a short video. 

This type of learning can be delivered through a range of formats depending on what fits best: videos, podcasts, infographics, quizzes, or even a simulated chat. What matters most is that it’s easy to remember and digest. 

Why microlearning beats traditional training 

Microlearning might sound like a passing fad, but it has huge practical advantages over more traditional learning methods. People are busy, and your team has meetings to attend, targets to hit, and messages popping up every few seconds. While employee training is crucial to your organisation, it often gets pushed to the bottom of the list because there simply isn’t enough time. 

This is where microlearning comes into its own. Short learning moments fit into the flow of the working day rather than disrupting it, and someone can complete a quick activity between tasks or while waiting for a meeting to start. It’s the learning equivalent of doing small amounts of exercise regularly to improve your health rather than tackling a marathon in one go. 

Of course, it’s not easy changing established learning and development methods. Perhaps you’re worried about losing the detail that comes with longer training sessions. The trouble is that when you overload people with information, they don’t tend to retain much anyway. 

Research shows that we forget around 75% of what we learn within hours if we don’t revisit it, and microlearning combats this by reinforcing key ideas in short bursts. Think about it: it’s easier to remember something you’ve looked at regularly over the last year than something from an all-day training session six months ago.

If you really do have a lot to cover, microlearning can still be useful. It means you can split knowledge up into smaller chunks and spread it out over a longer period. You can also revisit the same topics in different ways to reinforce the key points. You’re not actually teaching people any less – just giving them a chance to take things in one step at a time and put their learning into practice. 

How to get started with microlearning

Eager to give microlearning a go in your organisation? That’s great! But before you rush off to get started, it’s worth pausing to plan your next steps. Here's a simple way to get started: 

1. Identify your learning goals 

Think about the desired outcomes rather than the knowledge itself. What do people need to get better at, and what does that look like in practice? The more specific you can be, the better. If the goal is better customer service, for example, break that down into sub-skills like handling complaints, using active listening, and adapting your tone of voice.

2. Look for natural microlearning topics

Not all content is suited to microlearning. For example, topics that require in-depth technical knowledge and practical application probably aren’t a good fit. On the other hand, high-level product information and onboarding processes are great places to start. If you can summarise a key point in under ten minutes, you’re on the right track. 

3. Choose your format

Some ideas lend themselves to short videos. Others might be better as a quick quiz or a simulated task. Pick formats that suit the topic and your learners. 

4. Build it into the day-to-day

If you treat microlearning as something extra, people will ignore it. But if you build it into regular communication channels like your learning experience platform or your HR platform, it becomes part of the flow of work. 

5. Measure the results 

Microlearning can be fast and fun to create as well as to learn from. But be careful not to treat it as a throwaway activity. Measuring outcomes can help you build the case for investing in more, high-quality microlearning. 

You can also use the data to refine your content so that it does exactly what you need it to. So track how well people are engaging, and whether they’re putting what they’ve learnt into practice to benefit your organisation.

What does microlearning look like? 

Still not sure how microlearning works in real life? Let’s look at a few examples of microlearning in action. 

Onboarding new starters: Instead of giving new hires an information overload on day one, you could send a five-minute video introducing the team, followed by short modules on policies, systems, and company culture over their first few weeks. 

Compliance training: Rather than making everyone complete a lengthy annual course, deliver a series of short, focused pieces of learning throughout the year, from password safety and phishing emails to handling customer data. 

Leadership development: Microlearning works well for personal growth too. A manager might complete a quick scenario-based module on giving feedback, then try it in their next check-in. Small, continuous steps give busy leaders a chance to use what they’ve learnt, rather than a big away-day they forget half of by the time they’re back at their desk. 

Just-in-time learning: This type of microlearning makes an immediate impact. Say someone is about to have a tricky conversation with a client; with just-in-time learning, they can access a two-minute refresher on difficult conversations right before the call and go into the situation confident and prepared. 

These examples of microlearning show how valuable it can be in all sorts of contexts. 

Why microlearning works 

If you’re wondering whether microlearning is just another trendy idea that’ll soon be replaced by something else, there’s good reason to think otherwise. 

Microlearning is backed by solid cognitive science. We know from decades of research that humans learn better when information is broken down into smaller parts and revisited over time. 

This could be linked with the concept of spaced repetition, which helps transfer information from short-term to long-term memory. When you space learning out and keep it bite-sized, people are more likely to remember it. 

There's also cognitive load theory. Our brains can only hold a small amount of new information at once before they start tuning out, and microlearning reduces that load by offering small doses instead of overwhelming people with a flood of facts and frameworks. 

Finally, some of microlearning’s power could be down to active recall – the idea that you remember things better when you actively try to retrieve them. A brief video with a short quiz or challenge at the end taps into that principle. 

The tech shaping microlearning 

Technology is playing an important role in the rise of microlearning. Here’s how some of the latest developments are fuelling more memorable training. 

AI: AI-powered tools are now helping to deliver personalised learning nudges based on what someone’s already completed, or even based on performance data. It’s like giving team members their own learning coach to offer helpful reminders and micro-tasks when they need them most. 

Interactive learning: Chatbots and voice assistants are being used to deliver learning in more natural, conversational ways. Rather than passively watching a video, learners might interact with a scenario through a chatbot, practising decision-making in real time. 

Gamification: Learning should be enjoyable, not a chore. Gamified learning uses features like progress bars, points, badges, and small challenges to make learning feel more rewarding. Done well, it gives people a sense of achievement and encourages them to keep going, and this works well with short, punchy pieces of learning that feel like the levels in a game. 

Integration: Microlearning is also benefiting from better integration. The best platforms now connect learning with existing workflows, embedding content into tools like your HR platform so learners don’t need to go looking for it. 

So, where is microlearning heading? While it won’t solve every learning challenge, its power lies in how naturally it fits into the way people already work and learn. 

Looking ahead, we’ll likely see more blending of microlearning with live training and mentoring. Development professionals aren’t looking to replace experienced coaches with apps, but short-form learning can bolster real conversations and on-the-job development. 

We’ll also see more organisations treating microlearning as part of a wider learning culture, encouraging curiosity and making development something that happens all year round, not just right before annual reviews.

For HR and business leaders, the message is clear: if you want your learning strategy to actually stick (not just tick a box), it might be time to think smaller. 

Discover how our intuitive learning experience platform, People First Learning, can help you make your learning more effective and engaging.