5 Types of Employee Training Methods

Employee training and development programs are essential for creating a friendly work environment that promotes growth and increases workplace productivity.

Unfortunately, most managers and business owners dismiss on-going training programs as a needless expense rather than recognizing the great benefits they offer, while employees simply feel like most of these programs are boring and unnecessary.

And let’s face it; training and development programs can be fairly dull. The entire office stops working for a few hours to receive a lecture on fire safety or new software from an industry professional who’s, usually, completely out-of-touch with modern trends.

The problem here is that training and development programs become boring and unnecessary when current issues or skill shortages within the team aren’t addressed.

Yes, fire safety and other basic courses are important as well, but if you aren’t dealing with the lack of communication skills or technical knowledge that’s plaguing your staff, your investments in training are going to waste.

Despite all the technological innovations in the corporate world, instructor-led training remains the most common type of employee training in most industries around the world.

The great benefit of instructor-led courses is that employees get the chance to learn the relevant skills directly from an expert. The instructor can quickly and efficiently answer any questions his class may have and teach them the best ways to handle particular work-life or technical situations.

The drawback of this method is that it can be quite costly, especially for concise topics like software usage.

On the other end of the training spectrum to the instructor-led method is eLearning, which has gained immense popularity over the past few years.

eLearning allows employees to take courses from the comfort of their own desks at their own pace. The course can be in the form of videos, tests, eBooks, games, or any other interactive media.

This type of training method has two huge advantages.

Firstly, it keeps employees engaged while also giving them valuable information, thereby addressing the common complaint that training programs are boring.

Secondly, the virtual media (videos, tests, etc.) can be tailored and customized to address specific needs. If a manager feels like one of his/her employees lacks communication skills, he/she can simply register the employee for one of the many thousands of great training courses available online.

Hands-on training is a far more personalized method where the weaknesses or shortcomings of an individual employee are addressed by their senior or an industry expert.

This type of training method is ideal in situations where an employee must be prepared for higher management posts or other kinds of promotions, and they lack a few of the required skills.

The drawback of hands-on training is that it can be quite time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially if the respective employee is being trained by one of the company’s higher-management since the manager will need to take a lot of time out of their day.

Group discussions are similar to classroom (instructor-led) training, except that there isn’t a tutor who’s teaching the staff. Instead, everyone takes part in the discussion, which is often focused on solving complex issues that are affecting the company.

This method of training is ideal for inducting new hires into the team, who might otherwise feel scared and insecure if they were put in a classroom during the first few days of their new job. 

Group discussions have a more relaxed atmosphere and everyone gets the chance to have their say, which builds up their confidence as well as their speaking skills.

Role-playing activities make employees act out real-life situations where they would be required to use certain skills effectively. These can include dealing with clients face-to-face or over the phone, closing out a sale, talking to work colleagues, and much more.

The great thing about role-playing is that employees learn to use job-specific skills in the kinds of situations they’ll normally face in their day-to-day work lives. This ensures that they’ll be better prepared when the moment finally comes around.

Role-playing activities also help prevent a lot of HR-related incidents, since employees are taught proper communication skills and how to be accepting of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

• Characteristics of Effective Training
• Benefits of Recurrent Training for Employees
• Guide To Instructor-Led Training Technique
• Effective Corporate Training Techniques