Lets Make Training More Interesting!


Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in external training programs, they have fulfilled their responsibilities. This is not the best situation. In this article, I will be emphasizing on how to increase the interest-level of your employees who attend the training program taking into consideration that there is increasing cultural diversity and computer literacy in the workplace.

Meeting the Trainers:

Before you send your workers to a training program, you should arrange a prior meeting with the trainers to ensure that their program is suitable for your workers. The trainers should also offer a quick run-through of the training program and also ensure that a thorough report of the training findings should be given to you.

Give them advance notice:

It makes good sense to inform your employees in advance about the duration and location of the training. This will give them more time to arrange for colleagues to take over their duties and not create too much disruption in their departments.

How the Program was selected:

You must inform them about why the training program will be suitable for his job. This will leave an indelible impression that your organization takes the aspirations and needs of every employee very seriously.

Check the Venue:

Many HR managers do not make the extra effort in checking out the venue for the training. This is essential if the participants have to travel long distances in the morning to reach the venue, assuming that it is not held in the office premises.

Check the Refreshments:

Most full-day training programs include refreshments and it is the duty of the organizers to find out about the eating preferences of the participants. On many occasions, vegetarians have their meals at another location because organizers did not take into consideration of their eating preferences. This will create a void in the participants' cohesiveness during training.

You will not be contactable!:

We have seen an emerging trend during our corporate training where participants are constantly contacted on their mobile phones. The ringing of the mobile phone serves as a distraction for the rest of the participants and the receiver will not concentrate about the training.

Try Web-based Training:

As the new workplace emerges and workers are expected to embrace new economy tools, HR managers should be flexible in incorporating web-based training in their programs. This will definitely encourage workers to improve their proficiency in using internet tools and create more variety in their training contents.

Employees' Report:

To ensure that your employees that the training seriously, you should insist that they summarise how they have benefited from the training and also provide feedback on how the training can be improved in the future. This is can in the form of a presentation or a short document to the departmental head. Photographs of training activities can also be pasted on the company's notice-board.

Casual Clothes:

Many training programs encourage group activity and games. Participants are advised to be dressed casually so that they can be totally involved with the training program.

About The Author

Colin Ong TS is the Managing Director of MR=MC Consulting (http://www.mrmc.com.sg) and Founder of the 12n Professional Online Networking Community; [email protected]