How should we train or instruct?

Abstract:

This chapter discusses the different factors that need to be taken into consideration when deciding what type of venue would best suite your training program. The venue can vary from small to large and from in-person to virtual training. Where the training session takes place is second in importance only to the content and delivery. Attention must be given to choosing the proper location.

Key words

training locations

virtual training

distance training

webinars

Generation X

Generation Y

Once you have determined that there is an existing need for training, who will need to participate in this training, and your training topics, it is time to determine how to do the training. Certain questions need to be asked and answered before making final decisions about how and where your training sessions take place.

The initial decision to be made is determining how you will present your training content. There are three basic methods: a presentation, a demonstration and a hands-on training session. Of course, each of these methods may be used in a single training session and there are no tried-and-true rules regarding the type of training session and the content, but certain topics and audiences lend themselves well to certain methods.

Next to be decided is whether the training will be held in person or if it is possible to hold it virtually. Again, not all topics or audiences are adaptable to virtual settings, but as the popularity and ease of virtual training grows, it is definitely worth examining the possibility.

Lastly, decisions will need to be made on the type of venue for the training program. In some cases the content will determine the type of venue - presentation with a large audience will require a large auditorium, while a hands-on session in the latest payroll software would require a computer lab facility.

Presentation-style training

When you need to reach a large audience or you have general information to impart to a group, presentationstyle training is usually a wise choice. Presentations are similar to lectures in a large classroom, with little or no opportunity for a question-and-answer period. There is little to no trainer-participant interaction; it is a one-way passage of ideas and information. For this reason it is best to keep the amount of presentation-style training to a minimum in your training sessions to allow for the free flow of ideas and information.

Demonstration-style training

Very similar to presentation-style training, demonstrations will allow for audience interaction with the trainer. Typically used with the introduction of a new software interface or new company procedures, demonstrations will introduce the topic and then look for participant reactions and questions regarding the content. Because of this, the number of participants may be limited per session to allow for greater audience participation.

Hands-on training

As the name implies, hands-on training allows the participant to practice the knowledge gained in the training during the training. In our highly technical age, hands-on training typically involves some sort of new software program or interface, but it could also be used in learning how to operate a new piece of machinery in a factory setting.

Virtual training

Whether due to the expenditure of time or of money, the overall amount of training received by staff has been shrinking each year. However, the amount of virtual training 'attended' by learners currently totals over 30 per cent of training attended (Garrity, 2010). Virtual training can take various forms, from a formal scheduled webinar to informal, short, view-on-demand videos. How best to present the instruction depends on the topic and the number and type of participants.

Certain topics do not lend themselves well to virtual training. Topics requiring hands-on access to computers can be difficult if the learners need to use that same computer to attend the virtual training session. Learners attending webinars with large numbers of attendees may find it hard to participate actively in an interactive webinar and the leader(s) may find it difficult to facilitate the session effectively if questions and comments are coming in at a fast rate. However, if you need to reach a group scattered in various locations, virtual training may be in everyone's best interest. These learners at a distance are often overlooked when planning instructional sessions due to the expense of bringing them to sessions or bringing the sessions to their locations.

Virtual training is also quickly becoming the training of choice for the Generations X and Y, the so-called born-digital generations. These people are tech-savvy and have become accustomed to receiving information instantly on command. They prefer information provided to them at their pace, not at the pace of another. Virtual training in the form of short instructional videos that are web-accessible can solve this need for immediacy and also allow the information to be readily available in the future. Compiling a library of training videos that can be available at any time and viewed repeatedly will create a valuable resource. There are several easy to learn and use screen-capture software programs available as free open source downloads, free trials, or relatively inexpensive purchases. The main idea in producing this type of video is that they are meant to serve as informal alternatives to formal in-person training programs. They do not need to be perfectly polished productions. No one has ever won an Oscar for 'Best Short Training Video', and for good reason.

Virtual training in the form of interactive webinars can take the place of in-person sessions for certain types of instruction. Presentations, demonstrations and Q&A sessions are all examples of instructional methods that will lend themselves well to webinars. Webinars, a combination of the terms web and seminar, have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years. Most of the leading software vendors - Microsoft, Adobe and Apple - offer some type of webinar software. There are many free trials available for testing the software capabilities and your personal comfort factor with the software before making a purchase. Advantages of webinars include the capability to see who is attending the training (as opposed to having a training video available online), and the ability for interactive dialog between attendees.

Frequently, questions asked and topics raised by one participant in a training program will be of interest to others. Viewing online videos does not allow for this type of interaction to occur, but in a webinar every attendee has the ability to see and respond to questions asked by others attending the program. Webinars would be a poor choice for a less than tech-savvy facilitator and also would not be a good choice for a program trying to reach a group that is extremely widespread geographically. If the possible attendees are from widely varying time zones, this may reduce the number of attendees due to the need to log in at an early or late hour to participate. This can be offset by recording the webinar for viewing by others at a later date, but this does not allow for the interaction of this later audience.

In-person training

Although virtual training is gaining in popularity for both facilitators and participants, in-person training still accounts for a large portion of the training programs presented and attended each year. If you have considered and discarded virtual training as a possibility, there are still certain things that need to be considered in deciding on how to design your program.

First to be considered is the size of your potential audience - does it number in the hundreds or is it well below 50? Programs with a large audience do not lend themselves well to anything but presentations, so if you have to reach a large number of people at the same time or over a short period of time, you will need to use a presentation-style program. However, if you can deliver this training over a period of several weeks, perhaps limiting the number of attendees per session so as to allow for a more interactive program may be a good choice. Lastly, if your potential audience is quite small, a single session might suffice. If this is the case, care must be taken in choosing the date and venue to allow all necessary participants to attend.

In-person training also allows participants to gain hands-on experience while in the presence of the trainers. This experience can prove invaluable when introducing new software programs or similar materials that the participants will be using on a regular basis, but may have little to no experience in using. The ability to get feedback from the trainers and other participants is something that is not possible, or at least not easily possible, in a virtual training session. If your content necessitates hands-on experience for the participants, this does not rule out the possibility of having a portion of the training as a presentation. This is especially true when your potential audience and your content are quite diverse.

Sometimes training is necessary for a large number of employees in an organization, but only a portion...