This post was originally published on lessonly.com.
Tick tock, tick tock.
You can feel the seconds passing by as you stare at your screen and think to yourself, “How do you design a training program? How can I possibly create something that’s engaging, helpful, and truly impactful for my organization?”
Well, I’ve got plenty of answers to that question for you because that’s what we’re in the business of here at Lessonly by Seismic.
So, let’s go through the steps in designing a training program together. By the end of this post, you’ll be a pro at designing a training program for any situation!
First, let’s start with the basics.
What is a training program?
I like to think of training programs as roadmaps. They provide employees with a clear path towards heightened productivity and fulfilling not only their individual role, but also in figuring out their role as a member of your organization. A well-designed training plan will set each teammate—both new hires and seasoned teammates— up for success. If I had to build and design a training program entirely from scratch, here are the steps I’d take.
Step one: trust in the training design process & grab a template
As with any other good process, designing a training program starts with getting the right template together. Once you’ve grabbed the right template, it’s time to fill it out. And just a quick reminder, if you like to handwrite more than filling things out electronically, you can save your training plan for employees pdf style and print it out. No shame, just make sure you print double-sided to save some trees.
Step two: share before you’re ready
Don’t forget to ask for feedback as you’re using your training program design template and building it out (even if you feel like it isn’t “perfect” yet). Your teammates will be able to provide helpful feedback for you, and it’ll give you a second to stop staring at your computer screen. Plus with all that feedback, once you’re done building out your training program, there’s no doubt it will fit into the feel and voice of your organization.
Very rarely are great things built in a vacuum, so I challenge you to share before you’re ready. If there are significant, structural changes that need to be made to your program, it won’t feel like a big deal at all to pivot and start your program from scratch. If you build it alone and finally share your finished product with the folks who’ll be training with your program, you may wind up disappointed when it’s not as impactful as you’d originally hoped it would be.
Step three: time to launch
Okay, so you’ve built out the dream training program, and now it’s time for it to go live for your employees. Take a deep breath—you’ve got this. But remember, this launch doesn’t mean that you’re done with designing the training program, meaning you’ll have to check back in consistently.
Every new employee that joins your team will be using this training program. And things in your organization are going to change. So make sure everything is up-to-date, informative, and useful.
And don’t forget to have a way for your team members to submit feedback on the training program itself. This is the perfect opportunity for continuous learning and growth. Open feedback loops will make you the designing a training program example poster child.
Now get out there and build that training program!
You know the steps, you’ve got the tools, and now it’s time to put them to good use. Become the person that doesn’t miss a beat when asked how to design a training program.
And just in case you wanted another resource, here’s a great piece on what makes up a great employee training plan.
Think your frontline team could use some leveled-up training, enablement, and coaching? Let’s connect. Get a demo here.
