Over the course of the last four years training coworkers in the A/E/C industry, I think I've narrowed down some of the more successful training methods. Starting with this first post, I will discuss things the presenter should keep in mind while preparing and implementing training sessions.
Tips for the presenter:
- K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. We all heard that phrase in college (and probably forgot it after we handed in our last final), but this is key to keeping your audience interested. As a presenter, you have to keep your audience engaged. When you have a large number of employees attending your session(s) with varying degrees of knowledge about the software, you need to stick to the basics.
- I once had an executive sit in on a training session I held. Halfway through my explanation of one of the financial reports we were using, the executive started going into the behind-the-scenes detail of how the numbers were calculated and where those numbers come from, and so on. Needless to say, most of the project managers' eyes glazed over in about three minutes after the executive started talking and by the time I took the presentation back over, they were off in la-la land thinking about their weekend plans. If nothing else, make sure you are looking at your audience so you can stop yourself before you fully lose them.
- Be friendly. Yes, you are in a professional environment, but that doesn't mean you can't make the learning/training experience fun. Especially in the case of architects and engineers who think some of these software programs are too complex and not intuitive, it is important to make them feel comfortable. Remind them that you are the technical expert, so if you start "geeking out," as I like to refer to it during these sessions, tell them that it is ok to interrupt you and ask you to back up.
- Welcome questions from the audience. Don't wait for the end of the presentation; welcome the audience to ask questions throughout the presentation. You can always divert the questions to a later time during the presentation if it is something you are going to cover. Allowing the audience to ask questions makes it feel more like a group discussion than a student/teacher session and they will typically be more receptive. However, you are in charge of the session. A little bit of rabbit trailing is ok, but make sure you don't lose control of the group and the topics covered.
- Be prepared. This seems simple, but I can't begin to describe the number of times I have seen people give professional presentations and not prep for them until 1 hour before the meeting and then realize examples they thought would work don't. You should have all of your notes, examples, and PowerPoint, if applicable, ready to go at least one day prior so that all you need to do is a quick 15 minute review the day of the session. It is also good to have backup examples in case something changes in the system (especially if you are looking at financial data). The last thing anyone wants to do is attend a training session where it seems like the trainer isn't prepared.
- Create an agenda. This goes in line with being prepared. If your attendees see that you have given the session some thought, they are more likely to take it seriously. Email your agenda out to the attendees at least one week prior. I also create note sheets that I print out and provide so the employees have no excuse for not having paper to write on. Always keep an extra box of pens in your bag in case someone forgets a pen or a writing utensil breaks during the presentation.
- For one firm, I created a handout packet. The packet contained the following items: Agenda; Note Sheet broken out by the reports we were covering; a list of Corporate contacts with email, phone number, and brief descriptions of their responsibilities; a list of accounting terms (such as the difference between cost and billing, direct versus indirect expenses, etc.); and a form for them to fill out and return to me to set up a one-on-one training session. This may be beneficial for you to do depending on your firm.
- Limit the training to 1.5 hours maximum. I typically schedule my training sessions to last 1.5 hours, but try to keep it at 1 hour. That extra half hour I schedule leaves room in case we get into more intensive discussions than I planned on. Depending on how spread out your company's offices and/or employees are, you may want to schedule the sessions first thing in the morning or at lunch and bribe them to attend by providing a light breakfast or sandwiches. If your firm doesn't like to provide food for the employees, you can always conduct the sessions as brown-bag lunch trainings or lunch-and-learns. Find what fits your company's culture best and run with it! If one format doesn't work, try a different one until you find the right fit.
- Give advanced notice. Try to give your project managers and administrative staff at least two weeks' notice that you will be conducting a training session. Even if they aren't able to attend, those who are interested will be able to proactively schedule a date/time to do a one-on-one session with you instead.
Hopefully these tips and suggestions will help you as you begin to prepare your training sessions at your firm. If you have other tips for the presenter or disagree with some of the points I have made, I welcome the comments.
In the next post, I will discuss conducting and the content of one-on-one and group training sessions.
