A well-trained staff isn’t just useful, it is essential in today’s competitive environment. Adults learn new skills and knowledge in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons, so keep your approach to training flexible.
David Peters, Jewelers of America’s resident education and management expert, says an effective orientation and training program should take into account:
- The Connection Between Training and Performance: Tying the learning process to successful performance (especially by making examples of high-performance associates) teaches the benefits and rewards that come with completion of a good training program and a commitment to ongoing training.
- An Individuals’ Desire to Control Their Own Training: Adults like to be self-directing, even in the learning process. Explain to associates that the success of any training program is up to the learner. As the trainer, you provide the resources, information and support, but the acquisition of knowledge and skills needed for top performance is essentially the learner’s responsibility.
- Previous Life Experiences: All of us bring a broad range of experience and talent to any new endeavor. A good trainer capitalizes on that individual perspective and allows it to enrich the learning experience.
- The Need for Staff Involvement: You can create a comfortable and effective learning environment that benefits everyone by including your entire staff in the training experience. One very effective technique that accomplishes this is role-play. Role-play is a safe way to demonstrate good and bad techniques. It’s safe because you control it and customers are not impacted by what you do; we should never experiment on customers!
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