Consider these facts:

• Seven states require companies to provide sexual harassment training requirements. Other states recommend it, and others have a requirement for public agencies to provide it for their employees.
• More than a fifth of the U.S. population lives in one of the states requiring private companies to provide this training.
• The pace at which states are considering mandates is increasing, with two states added to the list in the last 18 months.
• Sexual harassment occurs at alarming rates. According to one study, more than three quarters of women and more than a third of men have reported verbal harassment; 49% of women and 18% of men reported unwanted touching; 30% of women and 12% of men reported unwanted genital flashing; and 23% of women and 9% of men said they were sexually assaulted.

That some states require training doesn’t mean that harassment necessarily declines in those states. Indeed, the quality of the training matters very much, and creating content that does more than merely tick the box of state mandates is vital to stemming the tide and changing behavior, said Christian Murphy, founder and CEO of Catharsis Productions, which develops both in-person and online training on interpersonal violence prevention, sexual harassment, and diversity and inclusion. He spoke at From Day One’s April virtual conference on managing the human impact of digital transformation.

“Although the intention behind the mandates may be noble, many companies invest in simply getting out required material,” said Murphy. “This typically means info-dumping policies, procedures and resources that employees are expected to read. The result may be checking the compliance box, but it does nothing to move the needle in cultural competence or workplace behavior.”

He asked the audience to think of their experience as HR professionals. “When was the last time someone said to you, ‘Wait, you’re offering a state mandated online training on sexual harassment in the workplace? I love reading policies! Sign me up.’” Never, of course, nor will anyone be excited about the training because they've always wondered if harassment is good or bad. “Employees are insulted by the presumption that they don’t already know [it’s bad] and are further bored to tears by the focus on legal language and policies. Seldom does the training address the why behind the policies and the nuances where misunderstandings of these issues lie,” Murphy said.

What’s required for optimal training is a real conversation, he noted. “When someone frankly says, ‘I know harassment is wrong,’ and then follows up with honest and yet often misinformed, victim-blaming comments, that keeps so many from really understanding what sexual harassment is when they see it. You need to engender real interaction and to meet your audiences where they are to generate real shifts in attitude and behavior.”

Best practices in harassment prevention were included in the landmark 2003 study, What Works In Prevention Principles of Effective Prevention Programs. Such programs need to be:

• Comprehensive
• Shared at appropriate times
• Based on the employee’s role and length of service in the company
• Composed of multiple sessions or offered on an ongoing basis
• Taught by varying methods
• Based on a sound theory of change
• Culturally relevant
• Focused on positive relationships, not negative ones
• Inclusive of an evaluation of outcomes
• Shared by a well-trained staff or be designed for autonomous learning

“Most would agree that in order to change attitudes and behavior, an institution cannot rely on one-and-done programming,” he said. Among many companies, onboarding is the only time employees get sexual-harassment education—a time when they are swimming in orientation materials and have no direct knowledge of the company’s workplace and social culture. “No matter how good a training might be, a lack of follow up programming inhibits the long term–and even short-term–impact.”

Your job, as an HR manager, is to facilitate a change to the kind of programming that is shown to work. Murphy said such programs should include four elements:

1.) Credibility: Base it on the most credible research there is. “That doesn’t mean older research should be dismissed–especially if no more recent data refutes it.” But do recognize new best practices, trends in education, psychology, and cognition. Pay special attention to advancements in technology and how people interact with it. As an example, online training has been found by multiple studies to be more effective than in-person training in specific circumstances, he said, noting that the training must be engaging and interactive.

2.) Engagement: There is strong evidence that active involvement in the learning process is vital to the mastery of skills like critical thinking and problem solving, Murphy explained. “Having an employee watch a 45-minute video with no need for an engagement creates a passive learning environment. Without ongoing touch points of active learner engagement, it’s far too easy for a learner to disengage.”

That doesn’t mean just adding a few pop-up quizzes or continue buttons. “For a truly dynamic, engaging experience, the training should be built to meet the learner where they are.” At Catharsis Productions, trainings include built-in content changes based on how the user interacts with it. “The multiple-choice answers and various host responses make trainings almost seem like a one-on-one conversation.”

3.) Relatability: Murphy said one study showed that multimedia presentations with prevention messaging are more likely to positively influence beliefs, attitudes, and behavior if they are interesting, can hold the attention of the audience, are personally relevant to the audience, and are easy to understand with simple messaging. Because sexual harassment is uncomfortable to talk about, it can also be hard to think critically about–people get defensive. “By using colloquial dialogue and relatable scenarios, the training tries to generate an authentic dialogue that may challenge learners to discover and reflect on some of their own unconscious biases–but in a way that doesn't shame them.”

4.) Innovation: Catharsis uses non-conventional strategies, like an intentional and appropriate use of humor, to make content resonate with the learner, said Murphy. “There is educational research that shows humor’s ability to decrease anxiety and stress in the receiver when teaching taboo topics.” It reduces apprehension, which makes the learning environment a safer one. Research also shows that humor has a physiological effect in the brain, making it easier to recall information that was presented using it.

Humor can also serve to broaden self-awareness, he continued, and can help us view ourselves and others more objectively, unlocking rigid viewpoints. However, you can’t use humor for its own sake. “Never make light of sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, or victims of any kind.”

He ended with these recommendations:

• Engage with relatable training that doesn't shame.
• Build on and support positive relationships.
• Ensure the messenger you use powerfully delivers the message, which means administering it by a well-trained staff.
• Maintain credibility by basing your training programs on sound theories of change. That also includes constant outcome evaluations to be sure you’re on the right track.
• Ensure training is ongoing while using various teaching modalities that ultimately make the training more comprehensive and keep that dialogue going.

“The more you can stick with these lessons, while keeping up with the technology, the more you will be on your way to going beyond just checking the box.”

Editor’s Note: From Day One thanks our partner Catharsis Productions, who sponsored this Though Leadership Spotlight.

Lisa Jaffe is a freelance writer who lives in Seattle with her son and a very needy rescue dog named Ellie Bee. She enjoys reading, long walks on the beach, and trying to get better at ceramics.