The best way to ensure happy employees and record-setting ROI is to offer regular training. Try these five strategies for better results in the workplace.
If you’ve ever been an employer, then you’ve had to make sure your employees knew how to run your company in line with your expectations.
But do you know the trickiest thing to accomplish as a leader?
Getting your team to work with the same level of passion that you have. Often, you’re met with either a lack of interest or employees who don’t understand how the process works.
Today, we’ll walk you through some of the most effective ways to train your employees for better results.
Define Training Goals & Objectives
If you’ve ever experienced death by PowerPoint, then you know what happens at the very beginning. The instructor or presenter will define exactly what the learning outcomes should be.
If you’re like me, one of two things happens:
You start paying attention after this part.
Or, you feel overwhelmed before the instructor gets into the meat of the lecture.
We’re not endorsing death by PowerPoint here. And, I’m not saying you shouldn’t clearly define the course outcomes. The principle remains the same whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation, a lecture, or a hands-on training session, though.
It’s essential to capture your trainees’ attention here.
Explain what they’ll learn to do, and then wow them by telling them they’ll be doing this by the end of the course.
If you begin any training by clearly communicating what you expect your trainees to learn, then they’ll have:
- A sense of purpose for the training
- A goal to keep in mind
- A sense of urgency in ensuring they remember what they need to
Hands-on Training
When learning a physical skill, like flipping burgers or filing legal documents, hands-on training is helpful.
Imagine a neurosurgeon learning how to do a craniotomy online, showing up for surgery without hands-on experience. Or, picture a soldier going to war never having fired a rifle before.
It sounds completely ludicrous!
If you want your employees to be the best at what they do, then make sure they’re getting the most hands-on training that you can give them.
If you want to take your hands-on training a step even further, treat it as a team-building exercise.
Divide employees into teams. Then, turn it into a competition to see who can do the most high-quality work in a given amount of time and give them an incentive to do it.
This strategy forces your experienced employees to help the newcomers. And, it also helps to develop your company culture and sense of camaraderie.
Expose Employees to Networking Events
Sometimes, employees get too caught up in the day-to-day grind and lose sight of the bigger picture. Networking events give you a chance to show your employees that other companies are doing the same thing you’re doing but in another way.
These events might give your employees a new sense of appreciation for how you run things or even show them that your company is the best in your field.
Networking events can also expose your employees to the opportunity of moving up within the company.
If you’re coming from a regional branch of a larger company, a networking event might motivate your employees to work harder than ever. There’s no bigger motivator than the possibility of moving up the corporate ladder.
Online Training & Videos
Online training through virtual interactive modules or training videos is one of the best ways to keep your employees sharp. It allows everyone to learn at a pace that works for them, as everyone processes new information in their own way.
Imagine holding an in-person training day, requiring attendance from all employees. You can’t expect them to remember every topic covered, exactly as you taught it.
If you have ten employees, you’ll end up with ten people remembering ten different concepts and ten different perspectives.
Now take that same group of ten people, and give them a week to go through that same information, but online and at their own pace. Then give them a quiz by the end of the week, and you’ll likely see much better results.
Giving everyone the freedom to work at their own pace has a few benefits.
For one, it takes the pressure off of them.
But it also shows them that you trust them enough to learn on their own and take on small responsibilities like this.
Online learning can also give you the virtual tools to track everyone’s progress. That way, you can make sure your team is always on the same page by the assigned deadline.
Train Continuously
Training continuously is one of the most effective ways to train your employees for better results. If you instill a culture of lifelong learning, you’ll create a positive and open environment for your employees to thrive in.
Let’s face it.
Most skills are perishable.
Lawyers and doctors have to recertify to continue practicing. That’s a mentality worth adopting within any team that wants to be the best in its field.
There’s always something new to learn, and there are always things you can work to improve.
Having your team or your employees take on this mindset will guarantee that they’ll be better than they were when they arrived. And that’s the most important part of any training.
Conclusion
Whether you’re an employer, a supervisor, or a leader of any kind, having the responsibility of training others can be a heavy burden.
When it comes to helping others learn, the most important thing is understanding that everyone learns in their own way. So your training style needs to be flexible enough to reflect that.
Long gone are the days of chalkboards and standalone lectures, where the instructor speaks and expects everyone to remember.
The best leaders are teachers.
And, to get the best results when training your employees, make sure to follow these guidelines.
Author bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at REVO with 5 years of property management experience and many more in Customer Service. She shares her passion for her community and looks forward to making REVO a place to call home.