It’s the rare company that doesn’t host training sessions or send their people out for professional training from time to time.
And there’s a tendency for some outfits to stick with the same kind of training format, no matter who’s involved and what’s on the table, whether it’s new technology, company policies, hands-on work skills, etc.
Get stuck in a training rut and three things happen:
- people “hate” training and don’t give their full attention
- there’s no real learning or growing going on, and
- it’s money flushed right down the toilet.
Solution: Tailor every training experience to the method that gets the best results.
Here are three of the most common examples:
1. Lectures work best when the speaker’s discussing theory or personal experience.
But overall, lectures are the least effective type of training because it’s the least interactive.
For example: You wouldn’t lecture staffers on using a new piece of equipment.
2. Hands-on training is generally the best choice for all kinds of training because it comes closest to replicating real-life situations.
There’s nothing wrong with people “going for a drive” during training. Let them make mistakes and ask “dumb” questions now. That’s what training should be for.
When they’re back on the job, they can flex their “muscle memory” and get cracking on the new process at hand, because they’ve tried it already.
The downside? Hands-on training is usually more expensive and can be tricky to pull off.
3. Audio/visual aids are perfect for conveying good results as well as the consequences of making mistakes.
They’re also a welcome break from talking.
People remember more when they’re utilizing multiple senses – sight, touch, hearing.
Your best bet: Use all three training methods for training whenever possible.
