Training Tips

Many quality assurance and food safety professionals are in a hurry to get all their work done. So when an employee training session is scheduled, there is often limited time to prepare and an inclination to skip it all together. Although most workers have heard the food safety topic before, cancelling a training activity is not an option for this mandatory annual subject. Additionally, simply showing a video or using an old PowerPoint are poor choices. What is a practical solution for this problem?

Following are some training tips for those in a hurry and for additional learning opportunities to answer a question—a sign somebody wants to learn.

Good trainers help make people’s lives better and seldom turn down opportunities to train, whether in a classroom or in a plant. As Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Although it is necessary to educate the why, you also need to focus training on the how and the do. Let employees know up front what’s in it for them. Make it clear that the training is for them, not for you or your company. A lecture without interactivity is a poor training approach. An easy-read book on this is “Telling Ain’t Training” by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps.

Additionally, some training is not planned but is instantaneous. Recognize a learning opportunity that arises when answering a question. A strategic goal of training is teaching minds to think on the how and do, and this is best done when learners want to learn.
 

The “E” Approach. Think beyond the training by asking questions of yourself, such as:

• What are the desired results?
• What are the compliance issues?
• How much are the savings?
• What is expected of the learners?
• How do you follow up?
   

Build these answers into your lesson plan. Utilize an “E” approach: Education + Empowerment + Enforcement = Effectiveness to develop an employee take home message.

Think SCORRE: Subject, Central theme, Objective, Rationale (explain the why), Resources (identify what is needed for good training), and Evaluation (validate the learning). Now you have a well thought-out program.

Then, ask yourself, “At the end of this training, the learner will be able to __________.” Fill in the blank and you have a training objective.

There are three steps for almost any training; it is an approach that also works well for public speaking:

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them and why.
2. Tell them with an emphasis on the think, how and do.
3. Tell them what you told them and what they should do.
    

Following these steps can help you perform brilliantly almost anywhere, anytime from the formal to the informal, from the board room to the back room, and to the masses to the few.
 

Set the Environment. Eliminate distractions (sight, hearing, smell, feel) and interruptions (cell phones, PA systems, people traffic). A trainer is the person in charge of a learning environment, whether in a classroom or in a plant. Before starting the training session, know where to adjust the temperature or lighting. Ask the students if they are comfortable. It might be too noisy or too warm in the plant for on-the-job training or even answering a question. Put yourself in their shoes and move to a better area. Know your audience, provide empathy and set the environment.

When training, always involve the learners. Good training is active participation among the learners. In a classroom setting, small breakout groups with assigned tasks are an excellent exercise. Collect feedback on a flip chart and review and discuss. Using a Q&A game approach, such as Jeopardy, is an excellent small group activity. Have the learners demonstrate the how and do action for validation. Provide a reward for the participants; even a snack goes a long way toward students wanting to attend another session. Learners having a good time will enhance any training experience.

Finally, be sure to document the activity. Do your homework and document the training activity with the date, subject, objective(s), outline, attendees’ signatures and quiz results. Make note of any ideas to improve the next session. It also can provide interest for the learners if you utilize a guest trainer periodically, such as a representative from a service provider, nearby college, or extension office. An outside subject matter expert with additional credentials is a time saver and also can re-enforce your message with a different delivery style.

A formal training design, development, and implementation approach is a well-planned, well thought-out process best left in the hands of knowledgeable professionals. For those in a hurry and those encountering impromptu learning opportunities, lesson planning is quicker than one may think. So ... go tell them what you’re going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what you told them.

This column should have trained your mind to think quickly when facing a scheduled or unscheduled employee training opportunity. Is it time to take a quiz?