Employees are more likely to stay at a job where they experience everyday interaction with their manager and feel engaged in the workplace. Although managers are not always training experts, they are the ones who understand the job, the requirements, and what it takes to fulfill those requirements. Therefore, it only makes sense that the manager has a more active role in the training process. It can be highly effective for managers to use their own learning experiences as a foundation for training their employees. When they train employees in the same manner that they were trained, they can bring loads of prior experience to the table that will prove to be a valuable teaching tool. In addition, there are certain training methods that never go out of style so it’s important to utilize these timeless training techniques. Here are a few of the best training techniques that were successful for you and can be successful for your employees as well.
Hands-On Training
If you think back to your own professional training, the techniques that probably stuck with you most were those that involved hands-on learning. While videos and e-learning are both popular training tools these days, the truth is they just aren’t as effective as traditional hands-on training. The majority of employees would agree that they preferred to learn the job by actually doing it. Whenever possible, give employees the opportunity to try out and experiment with skills in a controlled environment. This helps them to build their confidence without risking major mistakes.
Coaching and Mentoring
At some point in your career, you probably had a coach or mentor as part of your training process. This is an excellent way to give employees real-life on the job experience while there is a coach or mentor present to help them along the way. Unlike videos and web-based training methods, coaching allows employees to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their skills in a real-world setting. This is one of the best ways for employees to improve their performance.
Instructor-Led Training
While a hands-on learning approach is a great method for training employees, it can also be highly effective to utilize instructor-led training sessions. It can be helpful for employees to hear from someone who has experience in their field. The facilitator can present meaningful material and answer employee questions with this traditional training approach. Instructor-led training can also include demonstrations, role-play activities, and small group discussions which can all help create a well-rounded training program.
You probably experienced each of these training methods yourself at some point and these are all highly effective methods for training new employees. When you train your employees the way you were trained, you can use your own experience to decide what works and what doesn’t. You can also use your own experiences to enhance the training techniques for your own employees.