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Training Tips Part One
Part 1
By Shawn T. Kiley
Proper training. For some it seems that training others comes as easy and as natural as walking or talking. For others, training can be a difficult and arduous chore. The same goes for those who are learning. Whether they are being trained in a new department, being taught a new skill or starting in your business as a new employee, effective training is a critical component to the success of your operation. Train them correctly the first time and you can avoid costly mistakes, customer service gaffes, and injury or death on the job.
There are many ways to train adults how to perform tasks. The topic has been studied long enough now by sociologist, business consultants and others that there have been some very clear trends in training that have proven the most effective in the last two or three decades.
There is an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this: Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.
In the next few editions of TIPS, we will be expanding on this theme. You would be surprised how little people learn from simply listening. Recent studies show that up to 75% of companies in the service industry primarily train through talking about what the position or task involves. This is not good when we consider that most adult humans only retain about 10% of what they hear.
There is a difference between listening and hearing. Listening is a proactive task that requires concentration and skill. Hearing is a passive act that requires little if any effort. Here is an example. When you are at the local shopping mall, you are hearing dozens of sounds. People speaking, movement, music, etc. That is hearing. Your ears are picking up noise. Now, if you are listening to an extremely important news report, you are concentrating on what is being said. Your brain is trying to gather as much information as possible. That is listening. Listening requires effort. Unfortunately, most people, even during the critical first few days of training, are just hearing most of what is being said.
That is why it is so important to use speaking during the training process as part of of a four step process that involves the trainee on a more active level. If you simply talk to them, they may pick up that precious 10%, but after awhile, all they are hearing is BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
Of course we will need to be speaking with our trainees entirely during the training process. But we will be using speaking as only 1/4 of the overall training picture. And notice that we are speaking with our trainees, not at them.
In the next edition of TIPS, we will focus on the first part of our effective training skills.
Until next time... Shawn
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