Get More Out of Your Employee Training

You've got great content for training. Well and good. But don't let it go to waste by messing up the presentation, delivery and other factors that affect the effectiveness of your training.

Help maximize the impact of your employee training with these tips:

1. Set your training objectives.
   Clear goals help determine what content you present and how, and how you can measure its effectiveness. Also, goals tell participants what's expected of them, and why exactly they must undergo a particular training session.
2. Strive for 10-20 per group.
   This is the ideal range. The bigger the group, the more likely individual attention may be lost. A smaller group can help induce participants to pay attention, not least because it's easier to see if they are not listening! But more importantly, a smaller group can encourage engagement, if not interest. Perhaps your employees are uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group. At any rate, fewer people can help training sessions seem less impersonal.
3. Arrange the group in a circle.
   This helps create an impression that your training is not a lecture, but more of a discussion. The circle helps reduce, if not remove, the impression of a hierarchy between the trainer and the trainees. By fostering such an atmosphere, you can help open up dialogue and participation.
4. Go for a conversational tone.
   Internal content may be written in dry, corporate speak, so try to present it in as conversational a tone as possible. Speak as if you are just talking to someone, not delivering a lecture. But don't be too casual, either, since participants might think you're not serious. As in most things, strive for moderation.
5. Get rid of your "umms."
   They're annoying to hear every time there's a break between thoughts. So just remain silent while you think about what you’re going to say next. Keep in mind that you'll feel less pressure to fill in silences when you remind yourself that the silence will seem longer to you than it will to the audience. You can also jot down notes to reduce the "umms," but don’t overdo them, since you want to speak to your audience, not read them index cards.