If you had any white-collar job before starting your business, then I’m sure you remember mandatory training. I bet you also remember how you and everyone else grumbled and moaned their way through it. Sooner or later, you’re going to need to run some mandatory training at your business. If you want this to be better received, then here are a few tips you might want to consider.
First of all, try changing up the framework of the training. This should help the content of your training evolve naturally with the makeup of the company. the main point here is to avoid repeating the same dry things every year. When training is limited to this kind of repetitive content, it can be easy for employees to miss the things that are really important. Sure, CPA seminars and other traditional formats can be beneficial. However, you can only spend so long listening to someone at the front of a hall before your mind starts to wander. Try looking for software which helps you plan out training courses. Dynamic frameworks are all the rage now, and many of these tools will provide helpful templates for you.
To get better results out of your workforce, you should also be splitting or condensing the content. That isn’t to say you should skip out on some of the details. However, your staff will respond much better to training if they’re given some rest in between their sessions. Having to complete a mandatory training course over one long period can be exhausting. Try to squeeze the curriculum down to about two hours or less. Failing this, try to split it into similar windows. This will help to keep your staff engaged, and make for more effective results when the skills are actually applied. A condensed curriculum will also make your job a lot easier!
Consider the workforce itself before you decide on how you’re going to train them. If you take the time to accommodate for everyone, your training will be a lot more beneficial for your business as a whole. Think of the people who are going to be involved with this training drive, their roles and responsibilities within your business. When you tailor the content and questions to the employees, they’ll find it easier to relate to the material. This, in turn, will mean that the course itself is a lot more effective. If you want to foster a more effective learning environment, then think of the people who are going to be part of it. Make sure you give more experienced employees options, too. Many of them will already know the material like the back of their hand. If you don’t think someone needs to go back over a whole topic, but could do with a little more work on another, then see to it that this happens.
I hope these tips make your mandatory training effective and smooth-running. No one likes this time of the year. However, if you take steps to keep your workforce engaged, the whole operation will be more worthwhile.
