You can learn a lot by just looking at your training. These are some warning signs that your training might be ineffective.
Trainees can’t explain the “why”
There is story of a new navy sailor who was complaining about a particularly burdensome rule. Thinking he was clever, he asked his captain what the point of the rule was. The captain answered coldly: “Every naval regulation is a monument to a dead sailor”.
Your rules and procedures may not be as dramatic as that captain’s, but the point remains: employees need to understand the “why” behind their training. Maybe the procedure improves quality, maybe it prevents a recall, or maybe it just makes the production line a little more efficient. In any case, if trainees can’t articulate the “why”, the training simply will not stick.
You aren’t asking trainees to prove it
The best training ends with employees proving that they know the skills they’ve been taught. And proof doesn’t mean multiple choice questions. Proof means teaching back the skills they’ve been taught. The best way to learn is to teach, so asking trainees to teach back what they have learned is a surefire way to improve their retention.
The trainee never speaks
We all remember grade school, when our teachers talked at us. Today, we know that method isn’t effective. Learning is a two-way process. It involves feedback, questions, and even failure. Which means that the trainee has to be active. If your trainees aren’t doing much talking, your training isn’t active enough.
