How to Train Employees – 10 Important Steps

Some of the benefits of a well-trained staff include:

• Increased productivity / output
• Improved deliverables / client retention
• Increased innovation
• Reduced turnover

It’s one of the best investments you can make, and this list will help you get the most out of your team and build the next generation of all-stars.

10 Tips for Effectively Training Employees

1. Start with the outcome: Define what you want the employee to understand and/or be able to do at the end of the training session.
2. Keep it relevant: Ensure that everything you cover in the training is relevant to the desired outcomes.
3. Use empathy: Consider the training from the perspective of the attendees and how they will receive the information.
4. Make it impossible to fail: Structure your training in such a way that it’s impossible for your student to fail.
5. Use visuals: Incorporate visuals into your training to make it more engaging and memorable.
6. Let them drive: Make your training interactive and give attendees the opportunity to participate actively.
7. Say less: Be concise in your explanations and avoid over-explaining or covering too much material in one sitting.
8. Assign a follow-up exercise: Give attendees a task to complete after the lesson to help cement the concepts and allow them to apply what they’ve learned.
9. Plan a review: Schedule a review of the material to reinforce learning and aid long-term retention.
10. Measure effectiveness: Assess the effectiveness of your training to provide targeted feedback and ensure that it’s enhancing the attendees’ skills and understanding.

At the end of this training session, what do you want the employee to understand and/or be able to do? Here, it’s important to be realistic – give yourself a reasonable target and then write out the path to hitting the bullseye.

I’ve failed at this by trying to cover too much in one training session.

I solved it by going for 1-3 desired outcomes for each session. For example, one concept and one tactic within a tool makes for a great, easily digestible 30-minute lesson.

Once you’ve chosen your outcomes, make sure everything you cover is relevant to those outcomes.

I’ve failed at this by going too far off topic and meandering into territory that wasn’t as useful to the lesson.

I solved it by first determining what information is foundational to the lesson. Then, I map concepts that reach further out. Anything that isn’t critical – that would require too much explanation – is removed. This is typically more suitable for a separate session.

We often plan a training “in one direction,” which means we only think about what we want to teach the attendees. That’s great – it shows you care – but it’s very important to take a moment to perceive things from their seat and consider how the training will be received.

I’ve failed at this by forgetting to cross-check each part of my lesson with the question “how will the person receive this?”

I solved it by ensuring, to the best of my ability, that each part is:

• engaging or
• enjoyable or
• interactive or
• appropriately challenging or
• all of the above

This may be the single most important tip in this post.

I love jiu jitsu, and long ago I found this video that contains, among others, one of the most useful lessons on teaching I have ever encountered – make it impossible for your student to fail.

The first half of the video is critical, the second half contains an interesting story. If you want to improve as a teacher, I implore you to watch at least the first part!

I’ve failed at this by prioritizing detail over clarity, and forgetting to ask “is there any opportunity for the employee to fail?”

I solved it by eliminating, as much as possible, the failure points within my lessons, through things like clearer explanations and in-lesson assessments / checkpoints to ensure we’re getting the desired outcome.

Visuals can be fun, impactful, and supportive. Any time I can make a lesson or presentation more visual, I do it. For certain learners, it can be crucial.

I’ve failed at this by missing opportunities to use effective visuals that could have enhanced a lesson. I’ve even committed the dreaded “slide filled with text that I read to the audience” sin.

I solved it by making lessons more visual, and asking “what are 1-3 images the audience will remember when the lesson is over?” Using memorable images can help participants better recall what they’ve learned.

Any chance you have to make a lesson more interactive, take it! You could take 100 cooking classes but if you only ever watch, you’ll never learn to cook.

I’ve failed at this by getting too focused on presenting all the right information and forgetting to give my subjects a chance to “do.”

I solved it by asking, at various points in lesson planning, “is there a chance to pause here and allow the subject to do an exercise?” Sometimes, I teach first and let them try. Other times, I let them drive while I explain and then recap when we’re done.

In teaching, saying less often allows for more: it creates space for subjects to engage, question, and explore ideas themselves, fostering a deeper, more personal understanding of the material. I’ve also found that there is far more recall if I trim down the word count.

I’ve failed at this by being too detailed, over-explaining, and covering too much material in one sitting.

I solved it by being very deliberate about explaining things in the fewest words possible, and by saying things only once (avoiding circling back to say something again).

Assigning a task after a lesson helps cement the concepts, gives students a chance to apply what they’ve learned, and lets us gauge how well the material has been understood.

I’ve failed at this by missing the opportunity to assign an immediate follow-up exercise after a lesson.

I solved it by doing so more regularly and making this a part of my lesson plan template.

I’ve failed at this by creating long-term lesson plans that go on without end, continuously covering new material.

I solved it by baking in reviews of previously-learned material using spaced repetition.

I’ve failed at this by not identifying relevant ways to measure how effective trainings have been.

I solved it by spotting opportunities within the training program where an assessment can be made (i.e., reviews) as well as thinking about the desired outcomes of the training program as a whole (beyond just the grasp of each lesson subject).

The Final Word on Training Employees

These ten tips provide a roadmap to create engaging and impactful employee training sessions that boost individual performance and fuel overall business growth.

The art of successful training hinges on pinpointing desired outcomes, fostering empathy, orchestrating interactive lessons, and continuously measuring progress. Embrace these strategies to unlock the full potential of your team, and invest in their skills as the ultimate asset for your organization.