13 Mar How to Build Effective Technology Training
With so much new technology entering the business world, keeping employees trained and educated on updated systems and technology is essential. But providing effective technology training is much easier said than done.
Here are some tips on building a great technology training program for your company.
Understand your Audience
Each learner on your team will have a different skill set and familiarity with the technology you’re training them on. To ensure that each person can develop and improve their abilities, you first need to understand your learners by establishing a baseline for their understanding of the material.
By learning each person’s aptitude, you’re able to match the training to their experience. Some learners will be close to expert level, while others will need to start with the basics. If you spoon-feed the basics to an advanced learner, you’ll quickly lose their engagement, and if you throw advanced modules at early-stage learners, they’ll become frustrated and overwhelmed.
The best technology training programs will allow for a learner to advance as their skills allow them. If a module is too rudimentary for them, they should be able to move along to more advanced training – or you will lose your audience.
Clearly Define the Business Need
One of the quickest ways to derail the engagement of a training initiative is by failing to define the purpose. You don’t want your learners to think that they are training for the sake of training. At the start of the training, show your learners how learning the material will directly apply to their jobs and drive business value.
When your learners understand the benefit that the training will provide both to them and to your business, you’ll have their buy-in and see a higher level of engagement.
Design Content that is Available and Easy to Absorb
As you design and build the content for your training, keep your learners in mind. You want to provide them with content that is easy to both absorb and retain. When you evaluate your training down the road, retention will be a key indicator of success.
You can make your content easier to absorb by selecting the best mode and availability of delivery. Busy people will not be eager to devote hours to training. Map out your training in bite-sized modules so your learners can quickly absorb the material without creating a distraction from the rest of their day.
Make the Technology Available
One of the best ways to learn a new tool is by using it, so be sure that the technology you are teaching is immediately available for your learners. When learners gain hands-on experience as they’re progressing through training, retention will increase, the experience will be more engaging, and will allow learners to ask more relevant questions.
Outsource the Training to an Expert
Creating and running effective technology training can be time intensive. If your company doesn’t have the time to develop a program or doesn’t have an expert on the subject, the best course of action is to outsource the training to a professional trainer. At ISC, we have a vast network of talented training professionals. Contact us today to find the perfect trainer for your company.