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Effective Employee Training Extends Beyond the Classroom

May 30, 2013

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Training may begin in a classroom, but often the learning ends there and new skills are quickly forgotten if they are not reinforced by managers, follow-up activities, on-the-job training and ongoing feedback.

Here are seven ways to increase training effectiveness in your organization:

1. Require an action plan and timeline.

To maximize the results of training, each employee should write a personal plan before they leave the meeting or classroom. Commitment to learning increases when employees outline specific actions they will take to implement the concepts they have learned.

2. Communicate skill development expectations.

Every employee has the right to know what they are expected to learn and how they are expected to apply their new skills. When communicated clearly, this information helps to give focus to the training and makes it easier for trainees to establish priorities after they leave the classroom.

3. Clearly define measurement guidelines.

Tell trainees how their new skills will be observed and measured. Employees are more motivated to embrace training when they know that they are going to receive timely feedback on their performance.

4. Provide strong training support.

Employees gain more from training when their bosses support it. The boss can serve as a mentor or coach to help employees by providing opportunities to practice what they’ve learned. When management support is not strong, employees can create a support group with others who have attended the training. This peer group becomes a forum for discussing challenges and offering encouragement.

5. Reinforce skills through online training such as webinars.

Webinars are a very cost-effective method of offering training to employees. They can be customized to sharpen specific skill sets. They also offer many other benefits:

  • Fast: Webinars are generally 60-minutes in length and are easy to book into an employee’s busy schedule.
  • Convenient: No time out of the office. Employees can simply print the Webinar materials and participate from their desk or a conference room.
  • Benefit the whole team: Webinars can be used to train the whole team. A team registration and a computer or speakerphone allows a group of employees to view and listen in.
  • Easy: A computer and telephone is all the equipment employees will need. They simply follow the participation instructions that are sent after registration and enter their access code.
  • Targeted: Webinars focus on one topic of key interest and deliver actionable tools employees can usually apply right away.
  • Interactive: Employee questions are answered during the webinar directly by the expert on the call.

6. Make it easy to access other training resources.

Develop a training library where employees have easy access to additional information and training materials. This can be a separate room containing books, articles, audio CDs and other materials. If an outside trainer or consultant directed the initial training, give employees direct access to that individual for questions.

7. Create follow-up activities.

Training is not static. It is a dynamic function that will be most effective when it is reinforced by follow-up activities. Create fun exercises and activities that keep the training alive and the interest level high throughout the year.

By reinforcing your employees’ news skills, you’ll enhance the effectiveness of employee training in your organization. This can produce long-term benefits to your staff and your customers.

Training may begin in a classroom, but often the learning ends there and new skills are quickly forgotten if they are not reinforced by managers, follow-up activities, on-the-job training and ongoing feedback.

 

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