How to Keep Your Students’ Attention When Reskilling on Technical Content

Computer technology has found its way into devices that five years ago weren’t even computerized. With this proliferation comes additional complexity: even those who are not Information Technology professionals find themselves needing more advanced computer skills just to perform their work. According to a 2025 report from the World Economic Forum, workers can expect that two-fifths (39%) of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the 2025-2030 period.

Employers face an urgent need, and they can’t simply rely on younger generations raised on smartphones. In 2018, the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) conducted a study of school-age students’ technology skills. 79% of students needed additional support to navigate modern technology. In a repeat of the study in 2023, that number had grown to 85% needing additional support!

For L&D professionals already working on technical reskilling, the material can be dry. Here are three top-notch tactics to use in order to keep students engaged.

Tactic 1: Don’t Rush into Technical Details

The beginning of the class is key for setting the tone and expectations. Starting out with too much technical content too early can lead to losing the class’s attention and never regaining it. This also holds true for “advanced” classes where students are expected to have a baseline of knowledge. As humans in a group, we generally want to get along and not make waves. If a student sees that the class is going to be very technical, and others don’t seem intimidated by this, they may ask fewer questions out of embarrassment or fear of looking “difficult,” thus ruining their chances to understand the content.

For more insight, let’s look to Dr. Malcolm Knowles. Dr. Knowles was a top-flight adult educator with a career that spanned over five decades. Over the course of his life, Dr Knowles developed and refined theories around adult education, which have served the L&D and education industries well for decades.

He noted that “adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact on their job or personal life.” Consider starting your course by showing off a completed product that uses the skills the students in the class will learn. It’s especially helpful if it’s a product that is directly relevant to their current job function. This can increase interest at the beginning of a class, which will help students focus during the more technical lessons.

Tactic 2: Use Hands-On Class Work

Dr. Knowles also noted that content should be task-oriented rather than content-oriented. For technical training, overreliance on slide decks and lecture-like classes will more than likely cause your students’ minds to wander. Providing opportunities to perform in-class work gives students a break to digest the material presented. And if the content is relevant to their job function, in-class work drives their motivation to keep paying attention. From my own experience as an adult trainer, my recommendation is to speak about the content for no more than 20 minutes at a time and then have a hands-on task that is relevant to the material just covered.

A common objection I hear is that it’s hard to know in advance what job function or experience a group of students may have. While this is an obstacle, consider creating hands-on work that is flexible enough to conform to the type of background the students will have. Or consider having a range of different hands-on activities that can be cribbed the day of the class.

Tactic 3: Use the Dale Carnegie LIONS Technique for Technical Demonstration

Maybe the course material doesn’t lend itself easily to hands-on exercises. This is where effective demonstrations can carry the day. Dale Carnegie, the famous author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, began his self-improvement career as an adult instructor. One of his key insights was that often when we present information to others, what is clear to us can be highly confusing to others. Technology and its complexity are no exception!

Dale Carnegie created a formula for presenting technical material known as LIONS, which can be a great asset when performing technical demonstrations. LIONS stands for:

• Language: Drop the jargon! Many technical trainers forget that terms they know through many years of work and presentation may be brand new to students. Avoid them as much as possible and substitute plain words.
• Illustrations: Use pictures, animations, or even short videos to highlight what is being demonstrated. The more the better, as a picture is worth a thousand words.
• Organized Thoughts: Present the steps in the correct order. If something requires additional setup, consider breaking it out as a different, precursor step since you want to…
• Narrow the Subject to Key Points: Don’t get “stuck in the weeds” as detailed in Tactic 1. Re-use the formula if necessary to expand on other topics, but don’t get too lost in “gotcha” points if they aren’t relevant.
• Summarize: At the end, provide a summary of the steps needed. This is a great opportunity to provide a handout that includes screenshots or pictures of what was done so students can replicate it later outside the classroom.

One final thought: Remember that computer technology has always been a complex topic, and its complexity has only grown over the years. This can make it tough instructional material. As these lesser-known tactics illustrate, a new perspective on how to deliver technical content is needed to build your own students’ skills. Don’t be afraid to experiment with “standard” class structures by incorporating these tips and make it your best one yet!

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