Trust And Online Training As A Two Way Street

Trust And Online Training As A Two Way Street
Summary: You and a partner face the same direction, one person behind the other. Your arms are crossed, and your eyes are closed. You begin to lean on your heels and eventually fall backwards, hoping the person behind you likes you enough to catch you before your head hits the ground. You’ve played this game before. It’s a trust test. But that trust has to be established before testing. When a new kid on the block enters corporate America or takes on new responsibilities in their role, building trust starts in online training. In this article I will explore the relationship between trust and online training and suggest 3 ways to make it stronger.

A Two-Way Street: Trust And Online Training

Here are 3 tips to help you build trust between you and your employees in online training.

  1. Pay Attention.
    As a manager, be conscious of your training methods. Whether you’re learning eLearning software or on-the-job training (we recommend a combination of both), it’s important to keep up with your trainees. Track their learning with the training software, and if they’re new, keep a checklist for the onboarding grounds covered.Tracking learning in online training can consist of frequent quizzing, feedback, accuracy, and plain old general response time; who did what, when, and how well. This kind of information allows managers to know who is excelling and who might need help.The important takeaway here is asking. The ability to track learning gives the opportunity for you, as the manager, to go to your employees with guidance instead of expecting them to come to you for help. If they’re doing well, pat them on the back. If not, ask them what they’re struggling with.
  2. Know What You’re Training About.
    How else are you supposed to answer all the questions that might be thrown your way? Let’s go back to the trust test. Employees might know the basics of their role, e.g. a sales reps makes sales, and a nurse helps sick people, obviously, but when it comes to specifics, employees can fall blindly. You have to be the body of knowledge to catch them.When you know what you’re talking about and are able to answer the oddball questions effortlessly, it establishes credibility. Even if you haven’t been in their role, the knowledge to know each detail about it will make it seem like you have. Sharing stories of your past experiences will help too. Like stories when you:

    • Trained groups of people.
    • Were the one being trained.
    • Learned about the dos and don'ts of training.
  3. Online Training Is A Two Way Street.
    Training is collaboration. It’s a manager’s means to have an open conversation with employees. Ask if something isn’t working. Make sure you find out. If employees are too shy or nervous, ask through eLearning with open-ended questions. Go further for new ideas. Be able to provide insight on why something will or won’t work.When I’m training a new employee, I always do my best to share stories of how myself or those I’ve managed have found both success and failure. In addition, I make sure to ask if the individual has had a similar experience and what they learned from it.Create common ground. Lifting your employees to the next level means they will be able to become safety nets to save future employees from metaphorical concussions.

What is your opinion on trust and online training? How have you built trust within your team?