GoodHabitz looks back on 2020.

Bull's eye

Was it a prophecy or just a coincidence? The fact is that we published Online Teamwork in January: the first training of the year and (as it turned out later) a lifesaver for every GoodHabitz student working from home. Communicating via Zoom and Teams, virtual leadership and online collaboration: before the lockdown, these issues were already highly topical , and they proved more relevant than ever during the pandemic. It made "Online Teamwork" the most popular new title of 2020 basically overnight. 

And then the world closed ... 

When the first disturbing reports from Wuhan reached us at the end of 2019, we already knew that the virus could not be stopped. In February, March and April, one country after another closed their borders. Public buildings closed their doors, just like the hospitality industry, offices and factories... Even the streets became very quiet. What is there to do if you can’t go outside? As it turns out, people start learning!

We kept an eye on our statistics and they certainly don’t lie. Students learned twice as much in March as they did in previous months. In April, students even followed four times the usual number of modules. GoodHabitz scored top marks in Spain, where students learned six times as much as usual. It’s harsh, really: the country that was hit hardest by the coronavirus ended up with the highest scores.

Personal development: fad or future trend?

But what happens, we thought, once we’re allowed to go outside again? Once we can go back to the office, visit each other again and pick up hobbies and sports once more? Will personal development be put on the back burner or is it here to stay? We were relieved when the latter turned out to be the case. Of course, we probably won’t be able to match the peak we achieved in April (more than a million modules followed) anytime soon, but the average number of modules followed during the months of May to November has doubled compared to 2019. At least we have one positive thing to say about that miserable lockdown: it gave a major boost to the personal growth of our students.

The winners

Every time we launch a training course at GoodHabitz, we can’t help but feel a little nervous. Well, let's call it healthy tension instead. What will students think about our training course? Will students study a new training course with as much care and enthusiasm as it was developed? Fortunately, thanks to extensive data research, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. We look at the number of clicks, the time that students spend on a training course or a specific component and the ratings that courses and components receive from students. It provides wonderful and sometimes surprising insights. Ready? Here they come! 

Most starts

In 2020, in the UK, our Excel course was started most often, followed closely by Time Management and Cultural Diversity. It is remarkable to find a practical course so high in the first place, while the rest of the top 10 consists of courses mainly focused on positivity, such as Test yourself, Do your thing, Mindfulness and Get a Grip, Clear Your Mind.

Best rated

Looking at the ratings of British students, the course The Art of Networking is, hands down, the best kid in the class, scoring a clean 10 (!!!). Other success stories are No Story, No Glory (9,6) and The Elevator Pitch (9,5).

Favourite learning methods

Not everyone follows a training course from A to Z. In fact, the majority goes through it in no particular order and picks out their favourite learning methods(s). That’s totally okay, as far as we’re concerned! The following learning methods (also called "activities") are the most popular in the UK: Get the message (rated with an 9,6), Your Voice (9,5) and Loud & Clear (9,1).

Finally: the Promo Studio 

We know that students sometimes feel a little hesitant about getting started on their personal development. In 2019, with the GoodScan, we've already made that a little bit easier. In 2020, we took another great step with our brand new Promo Studio: the tool you can use to put specific training courses and themes in the spotlight for your colleagues, individually or on a campaign basis. Because now that you know the smash hits of 2020, it might be interesting to put these training courses in the spotlight in the new year as well. With the Promo Studio, you can design exactly what you need to do that, exactly the way you want it. One last tip from us to you: write an annual report like this one about the use of our training courses in your organisation. Use the GoodHabitz dashboard (or your LMS) and ask your coach for advice. Do you think we can do even better in 2021?