This is tricky, because if you do it wrong, training is a just waste of time. So what’s the trick to putting together an engaging and effective training session? Good preparation.
The Best Ways to Prepare for Training
Don’t be scared. Good preparation doesn’t have to mean you’ll be spending hours and hours slaving over PowerPoint slides. Here’s a quick mental checklist you should use to help you prepare for training.
- Who’s my audience? Your training group could be new employees, experienced veterans, or a mix of both. Knowing your audience helps determine the approach you take, the type of presentation to make, and the points to emphasize.
- What’s my goal? Decide if this is in-depth training about a specific work practice or equipment, follow-up training, or just a brief introduction of something that will have more specific training later. Don’t stop at generalities if your real goal is to achieve in-depth understanding of the topic.
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- What about content? How much information you present depends on regulatory requirements as well as time limitations. Be sure not to overload trainees with too much new information at once. So as you prepare your training outline, think about what is a reasonable amount of information for your employees to absorb but also make time for demonstrations, questions, practice, etc.
- What’s the "takeaway"? Focus on one thing you want your audience to remember the most from the presentation, even if it means they forget everything else. Decide on a succinct message, slogan, or "punch line," and repeat it throughout your training session.
- Do I understand the material? How can you teach something that you don’t quite understand yourself? Refresh yourself on the content of your training session and do a little research to find if there is new information you should know about.
- What questions am I likely to get? Anticipate the areas that your audience may find unclear or difficult to grasp, and know how to handle their questions.
- Do I have what I need to train? Does my equipment work? Do you plan to use audiovisual equipment, computers, or physical props? How do you want the room or training area to be set up? Make sure everything is in place and works correctly and that you know how to use key equipment. Fumbling around with equipment is a surefire way to undermine a training session and waste precious time.
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Where to Train
Location is another thing to think about when preparing for training. Should you train in a classroom setting or in the workers’ work area? Oftentimes it is the trainer’s choice. Here are the pros and cons of each to help you decide.
Work area. This is obviously the best place for demonstrations and hands-on training.
Pros: Training materials and equipment are handy.
Cons: The area could be noisy and full of distractions. Easy solutions are to find a spot that is blocked off from activity or create your own barriers around the work area.
Classroom: The best choice for lecturing, particularly on new rules or regs. Also, probably the best place to perform computer-based training or show a DVD.
Pros: None or very little distractions make it easier for trainees to absorb information
Cons: Employees may find it difficult to take the training back to their work area and apply it to their job. Easy solution is to provide lots of handouts to remind them of their lesson.
See tomorrow’s Advisor for 10 tips on communicating a better training message.