One positive from the global pandemic has been to encourage training providers to ensure they have their content available in an online format. Some training will be pre-recorded or self-directed learning while other training might be live-streamed webinars with interactive capabilities. A performance review is an ideal time to discuss training and decide with your team member what the training focus will be for the next three months.
Here I’m going to focus on how a manager can support and maximise the learning when their team members are attending live streamed training to ensure the best outcome for the training participant.
Before the training:
- As soon as the training date and time are confirmed, allocate the time needed in your booking system and prioritise it – cancelling training for a last-minute, walk-in waxing service says to your team “we don’t value education here”.
- Online training will require a link or log in details for the participant to access the training. 24 hours before the training session, check the link has arrived and look for any attachments that might require downloading or printing. There could also be pre-learning requirements, for example an article to read or product knowledge to refresh.
- Check the participant has everything they need, including a suitable device on which to join the training, and a space for the training that is conducive to learning.
After the training:
Regardless of the learning platform used, the post-training follow-up by a manager should be the same. Book time in advance for a follow-up meeting and check-in to take place as soon as possible after the training. These are some of the questions a manager should ask:
- Did everything go well? Were there any unexpected issues such as poor internet connection? How was their overall experience?
- What pieces of information did they most value in the learning?
- Was there anything that confused them or that they would like to discuss further?
- What do they need from management to help them apply their learnings in their work environment?
Finally, the manager should ask each team member to share a piece of information they learnt with the rest of the team at the next staff meeting, and celebrate the knowledge they gained!