6 Workplace Training Methods: Select the Best for Your Employees

Training managers must provide opportunities for additional training and growth in order to create a happy, productive workforce. Unfortunately, far too many employees and managers regard training as tedious or unnecessary. And, let’s face it, employee training can be tedious if the wrong types of training method are used for the topic or issues at hand.

Matching the types of employee training to the needs of your employees can ensure that they receive the information they require in the format that is best suited for it.

Training managers must provide opportunities for additional training and growth

The following employee training methods may be suitable for your workforce:

• Instructor-Led Training (ILT)
• eLearning
• Blended education
• Immersive education
• Social education
• Experiential education

Training Method 1: Instructor-Led Training (ILT)

Instructor-led training is one of the most conventional and popular types of employee training strategies, simulating physical classroom settings with a trainer leading the training session. This is typically accomplished through a lecture-style presentation with visual aids.

Formats in use

Face-to-face instruction

Face-to-face instruction is the classic classroom training style that has existed for many years, such as lectures, conferences, and seminars.

Virtual classroom

Participants in a virtual classroom environment can communicate and interact online, primarily through video conferencing. They can collaborate with both the instructor and other students.

Pros and Cons of ILT

Pros

• Social isolation is prevented through engagement with trainers and other staff directly.
• Questions that emerge during the course are raised and answered efficiently and expeditiously.
• An efficient method for complex topics requiring individual instruction.

Cons

• Trainees are unable to go at their own pace;
• Costs associated with rented spaces, travel, and food make it uneconomical;
• Employees may find it tedious and disengage easily;
• There are insufficient data to compute ROI;
• Remote workers are not supported.

Training Method 2: eLearning.

eLearning is the delivery of knowledge via a computer or other digital device. It is applicable to a wide range of industries, including retail, healthcare, and automotive. According to a Roland Berger report, nearly 77 percent of organizations in the United States use some form of eLearning to train their employees. This high figure is not surprising given the numerous benefits it provides.

Typical eLearning Formats

Online classes

Rather than sending personnel to a training facility, you can have them finish their training entirely online, at their own leisure. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or riding the train; you can take a course at any time. As long as they have a mobile device with internet connectivity, students can take classes whenever they want. Even for technical experts, creating an eLearning course used to be a challenging undertaking, but now anyone, regardless of skill level, can design an eLearning course without any prior programming experience.

In order to distribute a course with learners, you can upload it to a cloud service and send it via email or post it on your company’s website. However, a learning management system (LMS) is required if you want to conveniently track how students interact with the information and the results that they obtain during the training process (LMS).

Online quizzes and games

Game-based learning is rapidly expanding in the corporate sector. It’s all about turning a tedious task or process into an online game to increase user motivation. Online quizzes are another example of gamified learning. Such quizzes are typically created using authoring tools.

Tutorial videos

Video tutorials are the most effective approach to teach or walk through the various parts of a procedure. They are often brief in duration. They employ a number of educational techniques, including direct instruction, quizzes, and follow-along advice. If you want to create professional-looking video courses, how-to films, and software tutorials, this is the tool for you. It features a sophisticated video studio for recording screencasts and webcam videos.

Pros and Cons of eLearning

Pros

• Learners can access learning at any time and from any location.
• Travel, lodging, venue, stationery, and other expenses are not required.
• If you allow it, learners can choose their own pace and learning path.
• It aids in the presentation of learning content in an engaging manner.

Cons

• If the target audience is not technologically savvy, this computer-based training method may not be appropriate.
• There is a significant lack of the human element.
• If the learners have questions, they do not have immediate face-to-face access to an instructor.
• You must invest in authoring tools as well as content and learning management systems.

Training Method 3: Blended Learning.

Blended learning is an instructional approach that mixes technology with real, in-person classroom activities, allowing students to reap the benefits of both online and conventional learning. There may be a variety of “blending” approaches, therefore each organization must discover a strategy that works for their people.

Common Blended Learning Formats

Reversed model

This is the polar opposite of standard classroom instruction, in which pupils are taught in class and then given homework. Learners are given content prior to the class in this model. They read it on their own internet. During the classroom session, they debate the subject and participate in various exercises to ensure that they comprehend the principles.

Driver-to-driver communication model

This is one of the most widely used models in the workplace. In this situation, online activities replace a portion of the classroom session. Online classroom training, as well as before and post activities, is provided by the instructors. This concept works well for participants with a variety of professional experiences.

Adaptability model

Learners complete the majority of their courses online in this setup, with a small fraction of in-person activities such as lectures and laboratories planned as needed. This is a flexible model that can support both official and informal workplace training methods.

Model with self-blend

This learning model enables courses that go above and beyond what is typically accessible. Participants attended regular classes as well as courses to enhance their normal curricula.

Pros and Cons of Blended Learning

Pros

• Blended learning provides learners with greater presentation freedom. The more complicated sections can be delivered in person, while the remaining sections can be viewed online.
• Modern learners are surrounded by technology, adding technology into the learning process increases their engagement.
• Digital content makes it possible to reach a greater number of students.
• Blended learning typically reduces classroom instruction time.
• Consequently, instructors have more time to create more effective training materials.

Cons

• Technology is heavily used in blended learning methods. The purpose of the approach is defeated if your technology infrastructure is inadequate.
• Incorporating a strong IT infrastructure necessitates more investment.
• Learners do not always have reliable internet access. When the connection is slow, the content may take a long time to download, and they may lose patience.

Training Method 4: Immersive Learning.

Immersive learning provides learners with an interactive learning environment in which they can replicate real-life scenarios or learn specific skills.

Typical immersive learning formats

Simulations

Business simulations are a subset of immersive learning that focuses on improving in-demand skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Learners can make risk-free decisions and experience the consequences of their actions.

Virtual Reality (VR)

VR is a type of interactive software that simulates a real-world environment in a 3D virtual space. Participants can practice new skills or brush up on old ones without fear of failure.

Interactive video with scenarios

This is a learning method that encourages trainees to freely share their knowledge and ideas, transforming the learning process from passive to active. Learner-generated content could take the form of presentations, blog posts, videos, and so on.

Pros and Cons of Immersive Learning

Pros

• Immersive learning keeps students interested. As a result, they learn more effectively and recall information more quickly.
• Because it is a risk-free environment, your employees can learn without fear of punishment for making mistakes.
• The learners receive immediate feedback on their actions. That way, they’ll know where they went wrong and can avoid the behavior at work.

Cons

• Creating an immersive learning experience can be expensive and time consuming.
• If you do not completely recreate the relevant job environment, the learners may not be able to fully immerse themselves in the situation.
• Extensive use of virtual reality and simulations may have a negative impact on learner health.
• Some platforms necessitate frequent updates and maintenance.

Training Method 5: Social Learning.

Social learning is not a novel idea. People have been learning from one another since the beginning of time and are very good at it. When people communicate with their peers about how to perform a task, receive mentoring from a supervisor, or observe other people’s opinions in a forum, social learning occurs naturally. This type of learning is becoming increasingly popular in businesses today.

Formats for social learning

Coaching and mentoring

Mentorship is a semi-structured method of guidance in which the mentor shares their knowledge and experience to assist others in their career advancement. However, mentoring and coaching are not the same thing. Coaching is functional, whereas mentoring is relational.

Social media for learning

Social media platforms can be excellent resources for employee training.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest can be excellent resources for employee training. They enable everyone to share useful information and facilitate communication on specific topics with peers and supervisors.

Content created by students

This is a learning method that encourages trainees to freely share their knowledge and ideas, transforming the learning process from passive to active. Learner-generated content could take the form of presentations, blog posts, videos, and so on.

Various social media platforms offer various opportunities for staff training. For example, you can create a closed group on Facebook that will serve as an ever-expanding online library for employees. You can post course materials and assignments there, encourage your colleagues to post links to great online resources related to the topic, hold discussions, and conduct training process surveys.

Pros and Cons of Social Learning

Pros

• Employees can gain valuable knowledge and skills by tutoring others.
• Social learning can help your company create a learning community and improve employee communication and collaboration.
• Learners can ask questions and receive answers when they need them.

Cons

• Controlling social learning is difficult because it implies that everyone in a company is responsible for both teaching and learning.
• There is insufficient data to demonstrate how social learning works and calculate ROI.
• Without a supervisor, discussions can quickly devolve into chaos, and non-experts may misinform you.

Training Method 6: Experiential Learning.

Experiential learning is learning through doing, but there is more to it. It follows a four-part cycle.

The learner has first-hand knowledge of the subject matter.

They consider the experience and compare it to previous ones.

The learner develops new ideas about the subject matter based on reflection and experience.

The learner then puts new ideas into practice through experimentation.

When they put the new ideas into action, they create a new cycle of experiential learning.

Experiential learning styles

On-the-job education

This method is used to teach an employee new skills and competencies needed to perform a specific job successfully. They learn and apply what they’ve learned at the same time.

Playing a role

Learners take on roles and must develop and apply actual skills to solve a problem or navigate a crisis.

Pros and Cons of Experiential Learning

Pros

• It allows learners to relate to the content, which keeps them engaged.
• It encourages students to use their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
• It fosters strong connections between the thinking and feeling processes, which aids memory retention.

Cons

• It is not appropriate for those with little or no experience.
• Negative experiences can make learning more difficult.
• Excessive trial and error can lead to a decreased focus on learning.

Summary

Today, training is seldom a one-time occurrence. For businesses to survive and prosper, they must continuously improve the skills of their people and promote workplace learning. Therefore, in the majority of instances, a range of training approaches will be effective at some point throughout the learning path.

In reality, repeated polls have demonstrated that employees prefer a blended delivery method. Using both offline and online training methods is facilitated by a Learning Management System.

As long as you select the appropriate methods for the intended purpose, audience, and budget, your training program has a good chance of producing the desired staff development.

At Groove Technology, we are proud to be recognized as a Great Place to Work! We value our employees’ objectives and work with them to continuously expand their career pathways while establishing a highly qualified workforce. As a fantastic place to work, we aim to make sure that every Groover has the opportunity to discover and develop their full potential. Companies that collaborate with Groove may be confident that we will deliver the proper people to sustainably develop their team capacity in the long run. Contact us for further information!