The word “RAVE” in the title isn’t capitalized for emphasis. It’s an acronym. There are four elements you can build into your courses to make them more successful. Your training should be:
- Relevant
- Active
- Varied
- Enjoyable
Relevant
The content of your courses should focus on need-to-know material. Simply put, explain how to do the job. Leave out the background information that led to a procedure in its current form. Forget about the history of a product or process. Even information on how something works is off the mark. Rather than teach people how something works, teach them how to use that thing. A classic example: Don’t teach all the menus and functions of a piece of software. Teach them how to find the information they need in a database, how to update a customer record, or how to backup data, etc.
Active
The activities in your courses should be just that: active. Avoid lectures when you can. Use discussions, search-n-learns, brainstorming sessions, group assignments, etc. Any time people are producing something on a flipchart or a whiteboard, ask everyone to get up and huddle near the media being used. Change seating arrangements often. Include actual practice of the procedures being taught. A sure sign of an active course is when you call for a break and learners respond with: “Already? Wow!” Just ensure the activity isn’t there just for activity’s sake. It should still be relevant to what they do in their jobs.
Varied
Without getting too caught up in adult learning theory, we can safely say that different people prefer to learn in different ways. The easiest approach to handling this is to hit learners with many forms of communication or activity. Make sure learners get to do each of the following at least once per hour:
- Hear a process explained.
- Read the steps of the process.
- Watch someone doing it. (The instructor, a volunteer learner, or a video demonstration.)
- Talk about the process, its challenges, or its adaptation to their workplace.
- Perform the procedure.
- Compare their work to each other or to an answer key.
- Write down key learning points they got out of the lesson.
- Ask questions about the process.
- Share conclusions about its applicability to their jobs.
Enjoyable
Research indicates the rate at which people absorb or retain information goes up dramatically when they are in a state of enjoyment. Use activities like icebreakers, puzzles, cartoons, G-rated jokes, table toys (building blocks and pipe cleaners are very popular), group work, and games, to name a few. Not only does this make people more pleased about the training, but it improves the rate of learning and retention of training material.
There are many approaches to accomplishing RAVE reviews of your training. This one is simple and complete. Whether you’re designing or delivering a course, remembering this little acronym can influence your approach and ultimately bring you closer to your overall goal: improved employee performance back on the job.
Alan
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