Eight Common Training Mistakes

In the past, we at TechSoup have told you how to make training work in your organization. Now, we'll focus on eight surefire ways to make your training a complete disaster. Follow these steps and you're guaranteed to have a mess on your hands:

1. Set up a training program without a clear understanding of what you'd like to get out of it.
2. Give short notice for the training, leaving trainees with no advance time to prepare.
3. Don't ask for any input from the people who will be receiving the training — design and plan it all by yourself. If people have questions or input during the training session, ignore them.
4. Choose training techniques that don't match your organization's culture. For instance, do a lot of role-playing with a group of people who are extremely shy and introverted, or provide computer-based training for individuals who don't know the basics of how to operate a computer.
5. Pull people out of training for other business. Make sure that all staff have their cell phones and pagers set to ring on high volume in case there is a "crisis" they have to deal with.
6. Teach skills that don't have any direct relationship to the work you are asking people to do. Make sure you stick to a pre-designed curriculum which you don't modify at all.
7. Don't pay attention to your room setup. Bake or freeze your participants by setting the room temperature really high or low. Either squeeze 20 people into a room designed for 10, or put 10 people in an auditorium.
8. Don't worry about checking out your equipment (projectors, laptops, Internet connection, and so on) beforehand. Assume that everything will work perfectly and that you can arrive at the training session five minutes before you are scheduled to start. Don't bother finding out how to reach the person who can help you if you have any technical problems.

So, now you know what not to do. Here are a few reminders of how to make your training a success:

1. Make sure staff are separated from their day-to-day work activities. Their job that day is to learn new skills.
2. Target your training to teach necessary skills. Do some homework and find out from your staff what they need to know to do their job well. Present the material in a way that will match your staff's learning style.
3. Teach new skills that can be applied on the job right away.
4. Select a room that has the elements you need. Make sure it is big enough, set at a comfortable temperature, and that all AV and computer equipment is on hand and working. Speak with the technical staff regarding your needs, and find out how to reach them if there is a problem.
5. Make it fun! Training is serious business, but that doesn't mean you have to be!