In my organization it was decided we had depended on technology and already available computer training too long. The leadership and management had to admit that there were knowledge gaps in our workforce. People with valuable corporate knowledge were leaving or retiring who we couldn’t replace for budget reasons, but we still needed to get the job done.
So what do you do to maintain worker proficiency when resources are slim? The obvious answer is to use what you have in-house and constantly make people aware of the availability of those resources; however, making employees aware doesn’t necessarily motivate them to use those resources. What’s the fun in that? What’s in it for them?
There are some simple solutions to training that you may not even think of as training, but they are nonetheless. These everyday activities can be interesting and even fun. And, many you do right now or can implement with no cost at all. Well, maybe the cost of the donuts.
- Use the company newsletter to write simple articles that motivate or pass on information we may have forgotten–little reminders that can be said in a humorous way will get our attention, hold our interest and remind us of something important. Ask for feedback on the articles; it generates new topics and let’s us know where training may be needed.
- Daily tweets (we call them chirps) through email or even online can be a source of quick facts and figures, as well as best practices and simple procedures. Again, reminders of things we should be aware of takes the place of the refresher training we may need.
- Staff meetings don’t have to be dull, add some donuts or bagels for the coffee, as well as a small dose of information from which everyone can benefit and make it the closing point of the meeting. Give a contact for more information, and the meeting’s done.
- Have some gregarious person host “brown bag lunches” where someone shares information of interest (and necessity). It’s nice to use people who are also entertaining to do the presenting. Or, take this opportunity to use someone to talk about something not work-related that might be of interest. Mix it up. We need to stay interested in our team, which brings us closer together and motivated to work together.
- Finally, while it’s not exactly “mentoring,” asking someone to back the leader up on a project will generate interest in project and motivate the employee to take some self-learning opportunities to get up to speed.
There you have five simple and low cost ways to add training to everyday activities. Every little bit helps. Keeping employees motivated to keep learning and growing is as important as the training itself. Without the proper motivation, the training is lost on them anyway.
Want to add to the list? Be my guest. Add a comment here or contact me directly through my website.
Managers, Trainers, Speakers, Presenters & Educators: Have an Affair to Remember! You know I’m talking about training, teaching, speaking or presenting occasions, right?
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For more resources about training, see the Training library.
Jack Shaw is a communicator who does training and has been in the trenches as well as in management and development areas. His priority is how to communicate credibily in the workplace.
Dear sir,
I am preparing leadership and management workshop and competencies for middle level managers
I would like to get a questionnaire to audit the training needs of middle level managers. The idea is that i need to audit
the staff(who are supervised by the middle level managers)
The middle level managers(who are to be trained)
the top level managers(to whom the middle level managers are reporting)
I managed a Leadership course and a Management Development course, and the first thing I discovered was that they are meant for two different groups. Leadership, I believe can be taught at all levels, but what you teach varies level to level. We taught what we called Management Development to the new managers, who needed the nuts and bolts of the operation. The leadership course taught vision development and realization, and other skills needed for more advanced managers.
A “leadership and management” workshop.
Is this the company training needs assessment or are you assessing the needs of the middle-level managers? I know it sounds like a trick question but it is not. A needs assessment identifies performance requirements and the “gap” between what performance is required and what presently exists. It sounds to me that is what you are after. I would suggest the following formula:
You’ll have to determine what you want these managers to be able to do. What leadership qualities you want to see expressed at this stage. The need will vary among middle managers, but if you know what optimum performance you want and can determine what level of performance you are getting already. Asking managers what training they think they need (or is needed in general) may help you determine if any of the lower performance can be attributed to lack of training, lack of motivation or some other reason.
I hope this helps.