How To Modernize Old Training Tools Your Employees Hate
Would employees rather sit next to a screaming toddler on a long flight rather than attend another ILT session? Does half of your workforce suddenly come down with the flu the morning of your compliance training workshop? If this sounds familiar, it may be time to rethink your traditional training strategy. You might be able to get them in the seats, but they won’t fully invest in the experience. Employees absolutely loathe these old-fashioned training tools...but there's still a chance to win them over.
7 Training Tools Your Employees Loathe
1. PowerPoint Presentations
You see them start to nod off 5 minutes into the presentation if they even last that long. Employees rarely enjoy PowerPoint training tools because they are passive and generic. So, turn those PP presentations into an engaging training video or slideshow, complete with background music and voiceovers. There are also rapid authoring tools that support PowerPoint conversion, making it easy to modernize and enrich those old-fashion resources. For example, add transitions, cut-out characters, and video clips.
2. Safety Training Videos
It’s hard to forget overdramatized safety videos, but employees don’t remember them in the end. They only recall the cheesy acting and unrealistic scenarios. Turn these loathe-worthy training tools into animated videos. You can even add humor to lighten the mood and make it more relatable. Just make sure that employees understand workplace safety is no laughing matter. Videos can even star staffers who perform the tasks every day to enhance the realism and make it personal. They already know the challenges their co-workers will face thanks to their firsthand experience. Encourage them to draw inspiration from past mistakes: like that time they forgot to wear gloves or lifted a heavy item without a belt.
3. Task Checklists
It’s just a long list of steps that employees must follow to complete a task. No pictures to serve as an example or interactive elements to help them chart progress. Giving task checklists a makeover is simple and straightforward. Turn them into clickable infographics that feature relevant pictures and explainer text. Or you can take it a step further and develop simulations that let employees test out their skills. The key is to give them information on a "need to know" basis. Cover the essentials and omit unnecessary details that may cause cognitive overload.
4. Company Policy Manuals
Company manuals have rightfully earned their spot on this list of loathed training tools. Nobody wants to read page after page of policies, rules, and protocols. Even the most enthusiastic new hires take one look at the thick booklet and run in the other direction. So, turn your policy manual into an interactive resource library. Every link leads to another microlearning resource so that employees can focus on one topic at a time, instead of trying to cram as much information as possible to appease their managers. You can also convert text-heavy sections into infographics to improve knowledge retention.
5. Outdated Product Demos
You still carry the same products you did 10 years ago, but that doesn’t mean you should subject your employees to outdated demo videos. The videos may be nostalgic; however, demos need some touch-ups every now and then. In fact, you can ditch the video format altogether and opt for serious games or sales pitch simulations. Employees must find the perfect product for the customer based on background info. Or persuade the consumer to purchase the item by showcasing the USPs and benefits. You can even pair them up and ask them to pitch the product to each other and then provide feedback.
6. Condensed Workshops
Some ILT courses feel like a marathon. Employees reach the end and wonder how they were able to sit through 5 weeks of lectures. Then there are condensed workshops that only occupy a weekend, but make employees wish they had 5 weeks to train. High-stress boot camps and seminars might seem like a good idea because employees spend less time in the ILT session, which means more time on the job. However, they usually forget everything they learned a week later. Use the condensed ILT training tools to develop personalized certification paths. Employees work at their own pace and focus on skills/tasks/topics that matter to them. They don’t have to rush through activities or keep up with co-workers, empowering them to sign up for other certification courses and develop their talents.
7. Compliance Case Studies
You can’t blame employees for thinking they enrolled in a paralegal course. The average compliance case study contains technical jargon, statistics, and regulations. Even if they read until the end, only a small fraction of the information will stick. On the other hand, branching scenarios and real-world examples infuse emotion and practical context. They aren’t just learning about the compliance issues from a business perspective. Employees can see how company policies and regulations relating to their job responsibilities. And how infractions impact themselves, co-workers, and the organization.
Conclusion
There may be other dreadful, old-fashioned training tools lurking in your library just waiting to bore employees to death or making them think twice about staying with your organization. So, collect feedback from your staff to root out the hidden offenders and replace them with engaging content. Surveys, focus groups, and assessments can diagnose the problem and help you find suitable substitutes. LMS reports are also a great place to check for detested activities. Low engagement scores usually indicate that the tool has lost the popularity contest and it is time for it to retire.
eLearning authoring tools can modernize outdated resources and turn hated training tools into immersive content. Find the best software for your online training program in our online directory. Filter results by deployment type, pricing model, and features to do your homework without the headache.
