12 Feb Top 10 Employee Training Mistakes
Originally posted on https://ebn.benefitnews.com
Employee training can be a valuable benefit, yet much of the money and time companies spend on training programs is wasted, contends John Tschohl, president of Service Quality Institute, a customer service training company. Here are the main reasons group training fails:
1. Large groups
You can’t have a good group discussion if 100 people are in the room. Try to limit training sessions to 15 people so everyone has a chance to participate. If the group size is too large, most employees won’t participate.
2. Conversation domination
It’s natural in groups for three people to speak up while everyone else stays silent. Facilitators must call on everyone in the room to participate — if they don’t, they won’t buy into the training goals.
3. Silly games
People don’t like role-playing games. Games and exercises have to do with something that builds success as a team. Employees need to be actively involved in the exercise.
4. Complicated training materials
If the material is not easily understood, it will not be implemented. Test the material on several small groups. Make adjustments, then roll out the final version to the entire organization.
5. Facilitator-dominated sessions
Facilitators should be seen and seldom heard. They should steer the conversation, but they should not dominate the discussion. They should ask leading questions and make sure everyone talks at some point.
6. Lectures
Remember how you fell asleep when attending a boring lecture in college? Your employees are no different. Lectures are not an effective way to get employees to change their attitudes and beliefs or learn new skills.
7. Irrelevant information
If the material isn’t relevant to their jobs, employees won’t accept it. They want ideas they can use immediately.
8. Bad physical environment
Learning can’t take place if employees aren’t comfortable. Invest in a room that looks pleasant and professional, advises Tschohl. It sounds basic, but make sure the room is well heated or cooled and has comfortable seats. Offer refreshments. Make sure there aren’t any outside distractions such as noise.
9. Too much repetition
Employees can’t watch the same training materials twice. Organizations need to bring in new trainers with new information and different teaching styles.
10. Not accounting for different learning styles
Millennials may learn differently than their older colleagues and may get bored more easily. If the training isn’t entertaining, you may lose their interest and participation.