Relevance

When people come to training, their main concern is learning skills they can use in their jobs. No matter how interesting a fact may be when you design a course or prepare to deliver a course, if it doesn’t focus on how to perform work, it probably shouldn’t be in there. This is at the heart of the lean training approach. It has been said that in every fat course, there’s a thin course trying to get out. What this means is that your course content should focus on job tasks, and avoid topics or non-relevant information as much as possible.

Rationale

People love when instructions are clear-cut, but they also tend to question things a lot. Employees seem to constantly be asking themselves, “Why should I do it this way?” Don’t allow your learners to begin doubting the reasons for the work processes taught in the course; begin every lesson with a rationale for the process. Describe the personal and professional benefits people will gain from using the new process.

Realism

Look at any training that teaches skills where lives are at stake. How realistic is the practice in that training? Consider the training an airline pilot gets, or a firefighter gets, or a soldier gets. Guess how much of their graded activities are paper-based tests versus practical simulations of their work. We should be emulating that philosophy whenever possible. Rather than prepare written tests or oral quizzes, we should be creating practical exercises that resemble the learners’ real jobs as much as possible.

GRRREAT!

Yes, three “R”s in “great” because that’s what your training will be if you apply Relevance, Rationale, and Realism to your training. There are hundreds of ways to implement these concepts in your courses; you’re limited only by your creativity. But it’s nice to have something catchy that keeps that training design and delivery philosophy anchored in our minds. That way we don’t lose our way when we’re eyebrows-deep in the details of a specific course.

Alan

I was shopping the other day at a major department store and walked by their kitchen appliance section where I saw the words, “Kitchen Electrics.” The word electrics seem to have replaced the word electronics! Or did it replace the word appliances? I’m confused. Was this new word created for marketing purposes? These made-up words just bug me. Or maybe I just need to take an English grammar class to update my knowledge!

So you may be wondering what my word pet peeves have to do with training. I am not an expert in English grammar but I do know that how well you write makes a difference in teaching others. Think of all of the training materials we write. They include, but are not limited to, participant guides, lesson plans, job aids, power point slides, e-learning lesson text, etc. These made-up words may be acceptable in marketing or when texting (oh, another one!) a friend, but unclear words and confusing text in training materials can confuse our students and hinder the learning process.

Here are some examples to illustrate my point: Have you ever tried to read a legal document of any kind and really understood what it meant? Have you received medical test results in the mail and said, “What does all of this really mean?” When you purchased or re-financed your home and signed the seemingly endless amount of forms, did you ever fear that you were making a big mistake somewhere because you really did not understand all of the mortgage industry jargon in the paperwork?

Different writing styles exist because we write for different purposes and to different audiences. As trainers and designers we need to teach people about new things or how to do new things.

Here are some simple tips to keep our training materials easy and user friendly:

• Keep the words as simple as possible – the fewer syllables, the better. Be conversational!
• Avoid technical jargon or at least define the words when you first use them.
• Use short sentences approximately 15-20 words in length.
• Spell your words correctly and use correct punctuation. If necessary, consult the appropriate reference manual such as a dictionary or a style book.
• Use the FOG index to determine how “readable” your material is. (You will find more information about the FOG index in my colleague Melissa’s blog!)

Remember, our writing ability not only affects our credibility as professional designers and trainers but it affects how well our employees learn from us. Some write to impress but we write to make an impression!

Lynne

As training/learning professionals we are expected to put into writing what learners need to know in order to be successful on the job. Our job is to “simplify the complex, not complicate the simple.” This can be easier said than done. To ensure the success of our writing we should utilize the four Cs of writing: it should be Clear, Concise, Complete and Compliant. Let me explain.

Clear

Our writing needs to be easily understood by the target audience. A clear beginning is a good way to start. Begin by preparing the learners for what is to come by including an objective (purpose), a benefit statement (“What’s in it for me?”), and an overview (summary of key concepts). The material should be structured so the content is easy-to-follow (i.e. there is a clear continuity of thought) and targeted to their needs (i.e. job-specific and written at the appropriate reading level).

Concise

When it comes to writing, less really is more. To keep your writing short and simple, remember the following:

• Don’t use more words than needed to get the point across (e.g. use “soon” rather than “in the near future”).
• Use the active voice. The active voice makes your sentence clear, direct, and forceful (e.g. “The ball was hit by John” [passive] versus “John hit the ball” [active]).
• Avoid the use of jargon. If you must use jargon, explain the meaning the first time it is used (e.g. “Always use NLP [Neuro Linguistic Programming] and PAL [Principles of Adult Learning] when designing training”).
• Avoid redundancy. (e.g. Don’t say “I will use true facts to present my case.” Facts are true, so you only need to say, “I will use facts….”)
• Try to use 15 to 20 words per sentence and four to five sentences per paragraph.

Complete

Whether we’re writing a memo or a task analysis, our learners should have all the information needed to perform the next steps, or the job task, after they’ve finished reading our content. Where appropriate, provide examples, create case studies, role plays, etc. to make the content realistic or to illustrate a point.

Compliant

This means following the rules of good grammar and includes rules for punctuation, spelling, grammar, and word choices. The wrong choices in any of these areas can confuse the learner and/or have an impact on your credibility. Find a good style book and use it. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus close by. Do not rely on spell check when proofing material.

Punctuation

• Remember that using punctuation such as commas, semi colons, colons, and question marks is like providing road signs. They are meant to help guide the journey. If you have a question about which punctuation mark should go where, check the style book.

Spelling

• Witch rite is write? Proofread your own work thoroughly; spell check would accept the previous sentence.

Grammar

• The eight common parts of speech are the following: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Make sure they are used correctly (e.g. make sure the verb and noun agree, and the pronoun and noun to which it refers agree as well).

Word choices

• Deciding which word to use can be tricky. If you’re not sure which word to use when, consult a style guide to avoid misusing words like “used to” versus “use to” or “then” versus “than.”

Following these four Cs will make your job of “simplifying the complex, not complicating the simple” that much easier.

Martha

Some of my pet peeves about how some presenters and trainers use PowerPoint:

• Information Overload – let’s cram as much as we can on the slides so people leave and don’t have a clue about what just happened.
• Reading Slides – I’ll stand and read slides because the audience can’t read. How insulting to them and how insulting to me. Is that why I took this job? To stand and read to people??
• Boredom – How boring to watch a lengthy slide show – we’re killing people with this stuff!

Now, having said that, using multimedia slides in training can be beneficial. Typically, the course content requires a visual representation to enhance its meaning. Heck, visual learners love to see graphics and pictures. And lastly, seeing the content can increase retention for the learners.

So, the idea is to incorporate the slides properly. I’m sure you’re familiar with some of the basic ideas around using slides. Here are some Langevin tips:

• Keep it simple.
• Less is more – stick to key messages.
• Use caps only for a key word or phrase.
• Use 28-point font for headings.
• Use no more than 5-7 lines per slide.

But imagine my surprise to learn that there was a field of study around slides and even a book called Slide:ology – The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte. These are just some of her suggestions:

• The 3 Second Rule – your message must be processed effectively within 3 seconds – about the time it takes to read a billboard.
• It’s okay to have clear space; clutter is a failure of design.
• Go for a very low word count and use bullets sparingly.
• A slide’s value is determined NOT by the amount of information it contains, but by how clearly it communicates its message.

Remember, slides are meant to enhance the session to aid learning, not BE the session! And isn’t that what training is all about?

Marsha

• Cut back on some of the discussions and practice sessions?
• Depend on more lecture?
• Talk faster?
• Click the slides faster?
• Don’t take any questions?

Although I may have done some things like that in the past, it certainly wouldn’t be my recommendation.

Instead, here is what I do recommend:

Prioritize Course Content. Ask the SMEs or stakeholders the following questions:

• What is most difficult to learn?
• What is done most frequently?
• What is most important to the job?
• What do the learners have the least amount of background in?

Once you have this information you can focus on the high priority content. Deemphasize the lower priority content using the following methods:

• Appendix – push some of the content in the appendix of the participants’ guide.
• Multiple classes – offer some of the content in a later class(es).
• Blended solution – some of the content may fit well as an e-learning solution.
• Pre-course work – present content through pre-course assignments or required reading.
• Post-course work – present content through post-course assignments, required reading, or work-place activities.
• Job aids – Use handouts etc. to present content to the learners.

By cutting down on some of the content you can keep the interactive activities and practice exercises in your course.

If you try to squeeze all the content into the compressed time frame, all of it will not stick. The learners will probably retain some of the content, but will happen to e the skills and knowledge most critical for job success?

Always keep the following statement in mind: If your training does not result in improved performance, what’s the point?

Paul

We trainers have been using the word “objective” for about as long as managers have, but in a different sense.  In the world of training, an objective describes the result achieved by the end of a lesson. For every lesson in the course, there is an objective. This objective should be performance-based. That is, objectives in training should describe the actions employees will take on the job after training. And, as it turns out, training objectives can be just as SMART as business objectives when it comes to their formulation.  Let’s see how.

Specific: A training objective should include a task statement, which describes a work activity. This is a specific wording of a work activity using an action verb and a noun – e.g. give feedback, send an e-mail, etc.

Measurable: Performance-based training objectives relate to something the organization cares about, and, therefore, can track. Any objective that describes how someone should do something can be measured using checklists, observation, and other tracking tools.

Achievable: If the training team did a training needs analysis before designing the course, training objectives will describe the skill and knowledge employees must achieve and use on the job. Other factors that may affect employee performance, such as working conditions or management feedback, will have been handled with non-training solutions.

Relevant: Remember “measurable” from two paragraphs ago? If your organization is bothering to measure something, odds are it’s relevant to a grand plan. As a matter of fact, the more tracking that is done on the part of the job to which the objective relates, the more relevant that lesson is to the organization.

Time-bound: Training objectives may or may not describe a timeline in their wording. Not all job tasks have a time standard. Some job tasks have quantity or quality standards. Perhaps some of your lessons teach tasks that have cost or safety standards too. This is the one letter from SMART that doesn’t connect as well to training objectives as for business objectives. Perhaps we could change this “T” and make it “Tied to standards” Since all job tasks have some kind of performance standard associated with them, training objectives can include these as well.

If you’re talking shop and people overhear you mention objectives, they might say, “Ah yes, good old SMART objectives.” You can tell them that acronym applies to business objectives, and that training objectives follow a similar approach. Hopefully, with this article, you’ll be even better prepared to implement that approach in training.

Alan

We trainers and designers can use the same thought process when choosing presentation and application methods. We have to ask ourselves, “Does the method fit our audience, time frame, and content? Does the method make sense?”

For example, if I trained sales reps, then I might choose game playing for that audience. This method makes sense because sales reps are competitive people and competition is an integral part of their job. If I trained managers who have little time to give me, then I would choose a lecture method that permits transferring large amounts of information in less time but I would lecture in an interactive way to keep them engaged. If I taught skill-based content, then I would choose demonstration method to appeal to all three learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). I would also need to consider my audience, time frame, and content for choosing the most appropriate learner practice methods.

In several of our workshops we share up to 50 presentation and application methods that can be used during training sessions! This is the cool thing about training that I’m always telling my learners. In our world of instruction and design there is always more than one way to do just about everything! While this fact might be overwhelming for some, for others it is very exciting!

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed about what makes sense when choosing methods, give the following suggestions a try – keeping the key considerations of audience, time frame, and content in mind:

If you teach “hands on” skill-based content

Presentation Methods:

• Demonstrations
• Short Lectures
• Discussions,
• Peer Tutoring
• Field Trips

Application Methods:

• Practice Sessions
• Simulations
• Drills
• Games
• Laboratory Settings

If you teach business skills like leadership, communication and customer service

Presentation Methods:

• Behavior modeling
• Brainstorming
• Discussions
• Mock Interviews
• Graphic Association

Application Methods:

• Action Maze
• Case Studies
• Games
• Role Plays
• Quizzes

In summary, there are many methods to choose from when your design your training programs. The method you choose depends on many variables but the main ones are time, audience, and content. The choice you make will either help or hinder the learning process so make this decision with great consideration.

Remember my analogy of comparing clothing with methods. Just make your choices fit your training conditions and you will be fine!

Lynne

For many years, Langevin has been teaching Instructional Designers to consider the reading level of their audience in regard to any written training materials (participant manuals, hand-outs, etc.). In theory, this means avoiding many multi-syllable words, unusual words, or long and awkward sentences. So, as training professionals, what grade level do we write at and how do we use The FOG Index to ensure our learners can read & understand our content?

Use the following calculation to determine the Index on any written work:

1. Take a 100 word extract (ending at a full stop).
2. Count the number of sentences in the selected section.
3. Divide 100 by the number of sentences in the selection. This will show the average sentence length (ASL).
4. Count the number of words (NW) that have 3 syllables or more.
5. Add the ASL and NW and then multiply by 0.4. This will give you the FOG Index.

The FI gives comic books, Mark Twain, and Shakespeare a rating of around 6.

Now – if all this sounds like too much effort, technology makes determining the readability of your written materials effortless. There is another tool, The “Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula,” that assigns a U.S. grade-level to your writing as well – and best of all, your computer does all the work! To turn on the readability stats feature in Word:

1. Choose “Tools” from MS Word menu.
2. Select “Spelling & Grammar” from the drop-down tools menu.
3. Click on the “Options” button.
4. At the bottom of the grammar menu, click on “Show Readability Stats” to turn it on (look for the check mark to indicate it is on).
5. NOTE: In some versions of MS Word (including MAC versions), you must select “Options” first, then “Spelling & Grammar.”

And just in case you are wondering, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level rating on this article is, 7.6.

So remember, less really is more, when it comes to helping learners read and understand our content – and The FOG Index or The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula are two tools that can help us do just that.

I’d love to hear about your experience in using either of these techniques. Feel free to share your thoughts!

Melissa

• 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

Job aids can take many forms such as checklists, worksheets, tables, and flow charts. Your content drives the form the job aid will take. For example, if you are teaching a process, a flow chart makes sense. If you are creating a job aid to help a supervisor oversee someone’s work on the job, a checklist makes sense.

Job aids are an instructional designer’s best friend. Why you ask? I love them because they save you both design and development time if you use them to replace or supplement formal training. If you base some or all of your training on job aids then all you have to do is teach people how to use them!

Here is an example of how you can use a job aid to save training time: Let’s say the Human Resources Department asks you to design some training for new hires on how to log in to the company’s computer system. Rather than designing time consuming instructor-led training, design a one page, step-by-step job aid with graphics and include it with a new hire packet of materials. You can leave your name and extension at the bottom of the job aid giving employees an opportunity to call you if they need further assistance. Training is done!

So when should you use job aids anyway? Use them if:

1. The tasks you teach are performed infrequently on the job

People forget what they do not use often so create them a job aid to help them remember!

2. It is critical that the tasks be performed correctly

If someone is working with heavy machinery, power tools, or electricity then job aids can help prevent injuries.

3. Training cannot be done in a timely manner

If you are teaching software, for example, and the version is not going to be released immediately after training, learners will need a job aid to refresh their memory on how to perform key tasks once the software is ready for use.

Job aids are really fun to develop if you are a creative person. Keep these tips in mind when designing and developing your tools:

1. Keep them short, 1-2 pages is fine – Learners won’t use a job aid if it’s too long.
2. Use graphics and text – Pictures with text will aid retention and help the visual learners, too.
3. Use plenty of white space – Learners can add additional notes if they wish.
4. Number your steps clearly – This format will promote the correct application of the task if sequencing is important to the task at hand.

I hope that you will consider using job aids to replace or supplement every training program you design. They are huge time savers and learners will love them! If you are not convinced that job aids can leap tall buildings in a single bound, try assembling that new barbecue grill or home gym equipment by yourself without any instructions!

Do you have any job aid tips you’d like to share?

Lynne