Every training is different. Some students learn fast. Some are slow. Some get you side tracked while others are afraid to ask questions. The key is finding their learning style early in the process and modifying your training to meet their needs. I think every trainer can pinpoint exceptional trainings and those that were just nuclear disasters. It was in one such nightmare of a training that I realized it was imperative that I put guidelines in place to set the expectations for both my sanity and those of the employee. Here is what I have established for my training expectations:
1. Be engaged with the material. We cover a wide variety of topics and need to know a lot of information the more contact you have the easier it will be to transition from training to your job. As an introvert myself, I find it hard to speak up in a group or I just don't want to sound like I'm not retaining the information. Putting this out there as an expectation lets the trainees know that I am wanting questions and encouraging them to be more focused on the actual purpose of our training.
2. Take notes, lots of notes. I am continually surprised by how many people attend a meeting or a training without a piece of paper or a pen. For new hire trainings, I provide them with a pad of paper and a fancy pen and set the expectation that I want to see them writing. I am a firm believer the more contact you have with a subject the more effective. If they are writing, listening, and reading, we have more contact with the material.
3. Be present. I'd much rather be lying on a beach with a good book and a cocktail, but hey - we are at work so let's be here. Sarcasm aside, setting this as an expectation seems rather pointless but its a reinforcement that we are at work and this is important. It also sets the standard for their work performance in the future.
4. It’s okay to ask for breaks, clarification, hands on experience, or examples. I want an open classroom with lots of discussion because it shows engagement with the subject and usually leads to more learning. Giving them permission to be adults and not students, is one way to make the training more effective.
5. Cell phones are for breaks and emergencies. - Have you ever been in the middle of a training and someone picks up their cell phone and starts to text while you are talking? I hear groans already. Cell phones are a distraction and I am enforcing a very strict cell policy in my trainings. I ask that employees only use their cell phones when we are on a break, otherwise I don't plan to see or hear it during our training. I also set up breaks first thing in the morning so they know precisely when they can have it back.
6. We will learn how to do processes for many things, as you get started on your own, you will learn shortcuts and other people’s bad habits. Always return to the basics and you can’t go wrong. I added this for the expectation after training and I try to show multiple examples through out the training so that they can find their way of doing it instead of having problems down the road.
These are my top expectations. What expectations as a trainer do you have for your trainees?
Let me know in the comments below:
1. Be engaged with the material. We cover a wide variety of topics and need to know a lot of information the more contact you have the easier it will be to transition from training to your job. As an introvert myself, I find it hard to speak up in a group or I just don't want to sound like I'm not retaining the information. Putting this out there as an expectation lets the trainees know that I am wanting questions and encouraging them to be more focused on the actual purpose of our training.
2. Take notes, lots of notes. I am continually surprised by how many people attend a meeting or a training without a piece of paper or a pen. For new hire trainings, I provide them with a pad of paper and a fancy pen and set the expectation that I want to see them writing. I am a firm believer the more contact you have with a subject the more effective. If they are writing, listening, and reading, we have more contact with the material.
3. Be present. I'd much rather be lying on a beach with a good book and a cocktail, but hey - we are at work so let's be here. Sarcasm aside, setting this as an expectation seems rather pointless but its a reinforcement that we are at work and this is important. It also sets the standard for their work performance in the future.
4. It’s okay to ask for breaks, clarification, hands on experience, or examples. I want an open classroom with lots of discussion because it shows engagement with the subject and usually leads to more learning. Giving them permission to be adults and not students, is one way to make the training more effective.
5. Cell phones are for breaks and emergencies. - Have you ever been in the middle of a training and someone picks up their cell phone and starts to text while you are talking? I hear groans already. Cell phones are a distraction and I am enforcing a very strict cell policy in my trainings. I ask that employees only use their cell phones when we are on a break, otherwise I don't plan to see or hear it during our training. I also set up breaks first thing in the morning so they know precisely when they can have it back.
6. We will learn how to do processes for many things, as you get started on your own, you will learn shortcuts and other people’s bad habits. Always return to the basics and you can’t go wrong. I added this for the expectation after training and I try to show multiple examples through out the training so that they can find their way of doing it instead of having problems down the road.
These are my top expectations. What expectations as a trainer do you have for your trainees?
Let me know in the comments below: