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Three ways to make your training more effective

July 26, 2011 by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

Whether you're a trainer for a company, or an executive, owner, or manager who is responsible for getting their employees trained, here are three ways to make your training more effective.

1. Make it simple.I used to think that the thump factor (how loud a noise the training materials made when dropped on a table) was a key way to measure the value of training programs. I'm now convinced that lack of thump is the key to success.

Most training programs and meetings contain way too much information. Three to five key points that people can easily remember and successfully apply are much more effective than a complicated twenty-five point program, each point of which will be quickly forgotten and rarely applied.

The toughest training to simplify is product training. There's so much information that you want to the staff to have, it's easy to be overwhelming. I recommend you train on products in small pieces over a period of time. If that's not possible, make sure you review and reinforce after the training.

For example, let's say you introduce ten new products at this month's training. Over the next ten days, review and retrain on one product each day. Build this into your training approach, and you'll be amazed at the difference it makes when training on the products a second time.

2. Make it memorable. One of the first "trainings" I can recall as a child is what to do if you ever were on fire. Do you remember it? Of course you do...Stop, Drop, and Roll. How many other things have you learned but can't recall as fast as that one? That was memorable.

Simplifying training is the first step in making it memorable, but it's also important that employees be able to recall and apply what they've learned when needed. That's why it important we use acronyms and internal branding on our key processes and approaches. "Three steps of service" is much more memorable than just telling employees they need to greet, help, and thank the customer. Of course we need to do more than that!

3. Invest more of your time and energy ensuring application. I recently asked a group of store directors I've been working with how many of them are now much better coaches. I wasn't surprised when everyone raised her hand.

It wasn't the number of hours I trained with them, but the months of making sure they were applying the new skills and knowledge. As a result, these store directors have stretched and grown as leaders and coaches, and I couldn't be more proud of them.

It's not only important that your staff applies their new knowledge, but to do so regularly enough that it becomes a new habit. Again, I'd rather reduce the amount of information in favor of establishing productive new habits.

By the way, thank you to the wonderful trainers I've worked with and learned from in the past. It's a lot harder job than it looks.

So let me ask, is your training simple, memorable, and focused on application?

About Doug Fleener

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