Common Corporate Training Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Creating and executing corporate training programs is a lot easier said than done. Even if your company has experience implementing training programs, unforeseen hitches can throw a wrench into your plans. Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do.

Here are some common corporate training mistakes you’ll want to avoid, as well as some tips for preventing them.

Unclear Objectives

Before you start your training, you must establish a crystal-clear objective. Having a learning goal in mind will be tremendously helpful as you design, implement, conduct, and evaluate your training. When trainers forget to establish a clear goal, the training ends up being unfocused, inconsistent, and difficult to measure upon completion.

When you’re setting your objective, try to make it as specific as possible. For example, setting an objective of “increasing the team’s proficiency with new software” is not specific enough. Instead, set an objective of “80% of staff will pass the new software certification exam.”

Not Having an Expert Leading the Training

Whether it’s you, a member of your team, or an outsourced training professional, it’s imperative that whoever is leading your training is a subject-matter expert.  So many corporate training programs fail because the instructor is also learning the subject as the course progresses.

When the budget is thin, and deadlines are tight, companies are tempted to entrust the process to anyone with training experience. Avoid that temptation and find a way to do the training properly with a subject-matter expert teaching your team.

In addition to having an expert leading the charge, you also want that person to be passionate about the topic they’re teaching.

Teaching Boring Content

It’s quite challenging to teach people if they’re not paying attention. It’s nearly impossible to expect retention if the group falls asleep. A common mistake that haunts corporate training programs is teaching boring content. Even if your material is a bit dry, you can create a more engaging experience and boost retention by getting creative with delivery.

Here are some tips to making your corporate training fun:

  • Include an interactive element
  • Inject some humor into the content
  • Recognize high performers
  • Switch up the delivery

 

Information Overload

Be wary of throwing too much information at your participants. Overloading people with too much learning is a sure-fire way to sink the effectiveness of your training.

Information overload can hurt engagement, completion, and your teams’ attitude towards future training. Split up the content into manageable chunks that people can absorb without becoming overwhelmed. It’s important to keep in mind that often, training takes place in addition to an employee’s regular workload.

How ISC can Find the Perfect Corporate Trainer for Your Company

Do you need a passionate and experienced subject-matter expert to lead your corporate training program? We can help with that.

At ISC we specialize in pairing the best training and development talent with companies who are committed to growing the skills and knowledge of their teams. Contact us today to learn more about our process.