Let’s be clear right up front. Handing someone a written process is NOT training. If you’re not convinced, read on.

And if you’re already convinced (but need a few extra tips on how to go from processes to training), keep reading because this is for you, too!

Your employees are learners first!

We humans are in a constant state of learning. Everything we do is a learning experience. Every day, we either learn new things or add to the knowledge and skills we’ve already gained. And learning doesn’t end with a diploma, degree, or certification.

This is super easy to forget in the day-to-day of work and business. We hire people and treat them (unintentionally) like their learning days are in the past. They are an employee now, not a student, right? Wrong! They’re still learners and will be until the day they go learn from (and for) someone else.

So, it’s time to switch your mindset: Employees are learners first! When you have and keep that mindset, you naturally approach the design and creation of training much more differently. You start looking at the content through the learner’s eyes, and you think up discussions and activities that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical application. A learner-first approach leads to better engagement and overall value.

So…doesn’t it make sense to design your company’s training content around the way we learn best? Duh!

Turns out we actually know a whole lot about how to make learning effective. It’s called instructional design. The good news is you don’t need to be a trained and credentialed instructional designer to create great training. You just need to know and apply a simple framework that will make all the difference for your learners!

Before we continue, let’s make this practical!

Think about a specific process you need to train someone on. It could be small and simple or big and complicated. It doesn’t matter because this framework is universal. Just make sure to have something in mind before continuing.

👉 Jot down what you will be training people to do.

Got it? Great, let’s do this!

Step 1: Define the purpose.

Before you can design effective training you need to identify what the end result is. The instructional design world calls this “backwards design”. The idea is to determine what the intended or desired objectives are first, and then build training activities that help the learner to achieve those targets. Makes sense, right?

Begin by defining the overarching purpose of the training. What is it and why will it be helpful? In other words, why do your learners care about doing the training? What will they gain from it? How will it make them better at their jobs? If they don’t understand this from the beginning, you’ll lose them before you even start training them.

Here’s an example:

You’re going to learn all about how to use a landscape drone to capture images and video for a property listing. This will help you get the kind of HD imagery that entices potential buyers to visit the property.

There was nothing too far out in there, right? We simply told the learners why they were doing the training (to learn how to use the landscape drone) and why it was a valuable skill for them to learn (to entice potential buyers).

👉 Take a moment and jot down a clear purpose statement for your training.

Step 2: Identify the targets.

Next, identify clear and measurable targets (or objectives, goals, outcomes, or whatever you want to call them) for the training. List out what the learner should be able to do after completing the training. The simplest way to do this is with a bulleted list or checkboxes to emphasize what needs to be acquired.

Example:

• Demonstrate how to scan and email a document.
• Explain each of the five steps in the problem-solving process.
• Describe the differences between a spatula and a turner.

Notice that each target began with a strong action verb (demonstrate, explain, describe) and continued with something that was perfectly clear and measurable. That’s key! If it’s not clear, the learner will have to interpret it on their own, which may or may not get them to where they need to be. And if it’s not measurable, you won’t be able to determine if they can do what they’ve been taught. See any problems there?

You may ask yourself: Are there any words to avoid when writing out your targets? Yep, don’t use “understand” or “know.” These are both extremely difficult to measure.

Trainer: Hey, do you understand the 5-step problem-solving process?

Learner: Yep!

Trainer: Great!

Trainer: Can you explain each of the 5 steps of the problem-solving process?

Learner: Well, let’s see. Step 1 is to identify the problem, and that means to…

👉 Jot down a definitive list of clear and measurable targets for your training.

By the way, this purpose-and-targets thing doesn’t just help the learner. It also makes building actionable, engaging, and relevant activities and assessments much easier.

Step 3: Create relevant learning activities.

Just so we’re all on the same page when I say “activities,” I don’t mean a stroll to the local playground… unless you’re teaching someone how to properly inspect the fittings on a jungle gym so it’s safe for the kiddos. Hey, if that’s their job, that would actually be an excellent activity!

Activities are the different parts of the training that learners participate in. These could include:

• Presentation.
• Discussion.
• Hands-on activities.
• Games.
• Collaborative group projects.
• Role plays.
• And more!

Ultimately, the activities you include will depend on what’s being taught, but there is one universal rule when it comes to activities:

Activities must contribute to the learner achieving the targets of the training. 

If an activity doesn’t do that, it’s not valuable. Period.

To create engaging activities, we need to put on our “learner lens”.

Let’s say you have never sliced a pineapple before, and I am going to teach you the proper way to do it. Which of the following activities would you prefer?

1. A person walking through the steps on a slide deck?
2. A written guide with step-by-step instructions and pictures to follow?
3. A video animation of each step in the process?
4. An actual pineapple and a knife to use as you walk through the steps on your own?

Did you have a preference for one method over the other? Maybe you’d love to have the actual pineapple in front of you so you can work your way through the steps yourself. Or maybe you’d rather just have the steps written out in a nice, neat guide you can follow. Or maybe watching someone else do it first would be enough.

Chances are you actually found more than one of those options appealing. That makes sense — no one learns in just one way. In other words, we all learn in lots of different ways.

The best activities support multiple learning preferences by allowing the learner to choose how they want to learn and show what they have learned.

For practical application activities, start by asking yourself, “How can I have employees apply what they’ve learned?” and jot down your ideas. But don’t stop with just one idea. Let them choose how they accomplish the task.

Example:

Explain the steps for slicing a pineapple for a fruit display. Choose one of the following options to show what you’ve learned:

• Record yourself demonstrating each of the steps and send it to your supervisor for feedback.
• Write down the specific steps with clear detail, and email it to your supervisor for feedback.
• Set up a time to verbally walk through the steps and get feedback from your supervisor.

Now that they’ve been taught and have had the opportunity to apply the process they’ve learned, the likelihood that your employees have retained what they’ve learned has just increased dramatically!

👉 Jot down a list of possible activities you could include in this training.

Step 4: Assess learning.

This step is most often overlooked or forgotten—and it’s arguably one of the most important!

You need to ensure that employees can do what you’ve taught them to do. The typical way to do this is with a tried-and-true test. These are pretty straightforward. You give them a test (paper or digital), and have employees answer a series of questions that let them show they “remember” things they’ve learned. It’s a good way to assess.

But it’s not the only way. And it’s not always the best way.

Work processes are all about doing things, right? So assess your people on actually doing those things.

Guess what? I already got you going on this type of assessment with the activities in step 3! If you look back at the example, while each option was slightly different, they each had one common thread: feedback from a supervisor. That’s the assessment! So your people learn, apply, and get assessed on how well they can apply the knowledge and/or skills they’ve learned. That’s a win!

👉 Jot down the types of assessments you want to include in the training.

Let’s recap!

Step 1: Define the purpose.

Step 2: Identify the targets.

Step 3: Create relevant learning activities.

Step 4: Assess learning.

And that’s how you design training to teach anyone anything.

Need a guide?

Click here for a Training Planner & Agenda template that outlines the full framework we’ve discussed.

Connect with me

I’d love to hear about your challenges and successes in building your training content! Connect with me on LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnjensentrainer/ 

Resources

Telling ain’t Training

If you want to explore the ideas and frameworks we’ve discussed a little more deeply, I highly recommend "Telling Ain't Training" by Harold Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps. It's a fantastic resource that breaks down the keys to creating super effective training in an accessible way. I love this book because anyone can pick it up and quickly learn how to craft engaging and impactful training. Check it out!