How much do people really get out of employee training sessions? A speaker named Buddy Hobart that I recently heard said that his least favorite phrase was “If you only get one thing out of this, then it is a success.” He disagreed, and so do I. If you sit through a presentation or especially a training session and walk away with only one thing, something went horribly wrong.
Think about it, if you are only wanting me to get one thing out of a training session, just tell me that one thing. Why have people sitting in an employee training class for an hour (or two or four) if your goal for success is that they leave with a single nugget of wisdom? That makes no sense. When I really think about it, it’s worse because not everyone will leave with the same nugget.
This takes me back to by military days. There is a term for blindly shooting automatic weapons fire with a low chance of hitting anything. It is called “spray and pray”. This approach was ineffective and consumed an inordinate amount of resources. It was so useless that after Vietnam, the military changed the M16 rifle to remove the fully automatic setting and replace it with a three round burst. Ask yourself, are you using “spray and pray” employee training in your company? How is it working out?
Employee Training via the YouTube Culture
I think there is an easier, faster, and more effective way to get employee training achieved. The “single nugget” theory is really not a bad idea when you think about it. If training were hyper-focused for a short period of time on a single concept, there is a good chance that people would absorb and internalize it.
There are two challenges with the single nugget delivery:
- It doesn’t really make sense to get a bunch of people together for a five minute training session. They will spend more time than that getting to and from the training area. This is a productivity disaster.
- One of the keys to effective learning is repetition. A one and done employee training session is not likely to be retained over the long haul.
This is where the YouTube culture comes in. Why not make short videos? These would be no more than 6 or 7 minutes long. Employees can watch these when they need the training most, while sitting at their workstation struggling with a task. The employee never has to leave his desk to get the information.
There are other benefits to this as well. I have often found that people hesitate to speak up when they do not understand. Usually, it is related to either not wanting to prolong the class or not wanting to be embarrassed. People seem to have a tough time saying they do not understand, especially in front of their peers.
Key Takeaway for Success
Use short, focused video content to deliver highly effective training to your organization. This saves time, allow employees to review the training whenever they need it, and spares anyone the embarrassment of saying they are lost. Using this method can go a long way to get your employee training streamlined. This approach can lead to higher productivity and engagement. Use it and success will follow.
Atlas Precision can help you develop a training program that will help you with this. Contact Us for more information!
