*CC image courtesy of misterbisson on flickr

Sometimes I think the best training is the training that doesn’t happen in the classroom, it’s the unscheduled training. The kind that happens when you’re walking down the hallway and someone stops you with a question. Or hearing someone talking about a problem in a meeting and knowing you have solution you can offer.

I’m not saying people don’t learn while sitting in a classroom, they do. But sometimes they lose what they learned before they have a time to apply it. Sometimes they haven’t used the tool or service to encounter the situation so they don’t know what questions to ask until later.

Because these impromptu, or on demand, sessions are one on one, people often feel more comfortable asking questions they may not ask in front of a group. One on one sessions have other advantages too. You move at the pace of the individual, not the group or a schedule. You can walk them through the process step by step, more than once if needed. You can see if the person doesn’t understand right away and explain it again or in a different way.

I also find that providing on demand training can make staff more interested in attending your training classes, give you new ideas for training sessions and even get you invited to department meetings for training!

How do you make these on demand sessions happen?

Leave your office

Or cubicle or desk. Get out, walk around, talk with people, ask them questions, don’t wait for them to come to you. There is a psychological barrier to approaching a desk, it is the same barrier that stops patrons from approaching the reference desk. When approaching a desk staff may feel that they are interrupting or be embarrassed to be asking for help. It also requires them to make a conscious decision and seek you out. If you are out walking around they might remember they have a question or a problem and, since you are there anyway, ask. They don’t feel like they are interrupting you or standing in a spotlight.

Speak the language

Or at least don’t make them speak yours. Don’t make staff know the correct terms for everything before they can ask you a question. Don’t make them feel dumb for not know the proper names of tools or processes. It is your job as the trainer to listen to what they are asking and translate it to your terms. It is ok to provide the correct terminology but don’t do it in a way that makes the other person feel dumb. When answering do it terms they can understand.

Show them.

Don’t just tell them, show them and by show them I mean have them do the hands on part, not watch you do it. Go through the instructions slowly enough the person can do them and take notes. People learn by doing, they can watch you and take all the notes they want, but doing it themselves will stick with them much later. Plus it helps improve their confidence using the computer, which can be a problem for many staff.

Show them again.

If they didn’t get it the first time, show them again. For some staff it will take several times through the same instructions before something sticks, that’s ok. For others you may need to show them in a different way. You may need to structure it in a way they understand or that they can apply. People learn differently, be prepared to modify your instructions to help the individual you are helping better understand them.

Be approachable.

This may seem obvious, but it is worth repeating. Even if you are out walking around and possess the most amazing training style if no one feels they can ask you a question it does no good. Smile, make eye contact, say hi, ask how things are going. These may seem simple but we all know it can be easy to let your attention stray to that big project you are working on or that you need to pick up milk on the way home.

Bobbi Newman