Training Creation Guidelines

This document is to be referenced during the creation of training materials.

 

Why Creating Training is Important

Any time that a process, template, or best practice has been created, it has come from a lot of hard work by several members of our team.  The results are very valuable to our company.  Making sure that those results are implemented properly, are understood by all participants, and live on (rather than die out due to lack of understanding) is important.  If there are others in the company that can benefit from what was done, training is a great way to share the accomplishment.  The way to communicate the achievement is by creating training material and training the team.

Training is a critical step for almost every process, template, best practice, and project.  Creating a training module that is optimized for learning transfer is important.  This document will provide information that will be useful to include in the creation of the training material. 

 

How People Learn

These tips will help provide a high level of learning transfer.

·         Make the training easy to access so that people can find what they need to find easily and are therefore more likely to utilize the content.

·         Alignment needs to happen repetitively – just like in a car – one training course doesn’t work for life. It’s a process of continuous adjustment (weekly, monthly) with adjustments as needed to stay on course. 

·         Video is the most effective method of training.  The average human can retain:

o   10% of text

o   65% of images

o   95% of video

·         Images are retrieved 60,000 times faster by the brain than text is.

·         By utilizing both auditorial and visual senses, help the lessons to stick more.  Each has its own channel to short term memory; double capacity by using both.

o   DO NOT have all the words up and have the audio just read the same words- very boring and closes reception of information.  Show images with key words instead while conveying the information verbally.

o   Visual images must clearly, simply connect with words so they are not distracting.

o   Great to give a document that highlights the steps as a follow up option for reference later.

·         The way that people actually apply a lesson is by hooking it to prior knowledge.  This is best done through application of the lesson into an example.

·         Personalization makes the training more accepted by the user and leads toward better retention.   Gear the training toward the specific learner and using casual language (such as “you” instead of  generic or overly professional words like “people).

·         People want to see a presenter’s image in the training that they can relate to.  They want to see eyes.  They want it to be conversational with them.  This provides a 47% improvement on test results.

o   Studies show we want women to teach us personal things and men to teach us technical things.

·         Scenarios are a highly recommended method of training.  They include relatable characters, a plot, a realistic decision, and consequences with feedback.  They challenge the learners to make realistic decisions.   Having an expert that shows step by step how they would solve a problem is ideal.

·         People relate to stories.  They help to engage the learner and confirm appropriate application of knowledge.

·         People learn much more by having smaller “chunks” of training for shorter periods rather than a two hour training with a ton of content.

What to Include in the Training Content

·         Format –

o   Visuals that are simple and connect with what is being taught.  Audio that explains.  Not a lot of wording.

o   Small chunks – keep the training to a maximum of one hour

o   Use conversational style (you/your vs. people/the)

o   Think about who your audience is and customize for them personally.

o   Use colors/backgrounds of office

·         Content design –

o   Think about who your audience is and personalize this for them

o   Analyze performance gap –

·         Where organization is (current state of performance)

·         Where want to be (desired performance)

§  Determine what behaviors need to improve to close this gap

§  This creates the learning and development target

o   Open the lesson with why this is important for the person watching it.  Customize as much as possible.  Once they understand the value to them personally, they will be much more open to learn.  [This will help you do your job better.]

§  Add how it impacts the team as a whole

o   Utilize trainers that they will connect with via scenarios

o   Prime the lesson by getting the brain to open up and think differently  (challenge the mind)

o   Give challenges that mirror the real work they will do

§  Expert solve first one and share thinking method, step by step

§  Feedback needs to vary each time (not just “correct”)

o   Indicate who is the owner of template(s) so that people know who to give suggestions for improvement to

o   Capture analytics

o   Encourage/promote feedback

·         Follow Up Activities:

o   Code the lesson by locking in the learning through repetitiveness.

Method for Training Creation

·         The initial training is to be given by the person that developed it (for now we will do in person, but in the future this can be an eLearning).  Maximum one hour segments.

o   Type up preparation notes that will be used for eLearning content

·         An exercise given to the person to apply what they learned (a specific assignment that is written and given in AtTask)

·         A one-on-one review of the exercise by the person that created the training to provide more guidance on implementation.

·         Follow up at one month by the person that gave the training to review work product and confirm full application of what was taught. 

·         Repeat as necessary.