8 Tips Online Training Can Improve Employee Performance Under Pressure

8 Tips Online Training Can Improve Employee Performance Under Pressure
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Summary: Tight deadlines, unhappy customers, and co-workers are all prime ingredients in the recipe for stress. So, how can you give your employees the tools and resources they need to handle the strain? In this article, I’ll discuss 8 ways online training can help your employees perform well under pressure.

How Online Training Can Improve Employee Performance Under Pressure

Everyone faces pressure from time to time, especially when the professional stakes are high. However, the last thing you want your employees to do is panic when the going gets tough. This cannot only lead to customer dissatisfaction, but hinder your company’s bottom line and lower employee retention rates. Luckily, there are ways to give your corporate learners the skills, experience, and practical knowledge they need to perform well in stressful situations.

1. Give Them The Building Blocks For Success

If you want your employees to be successful, you need to set a solid foundation that they can build upon. Giving them the basic skills and knowledge they need to perform their job effectively eliminates the pressure altogether. This can be attributed to the fact that they know what they are doing and that they can handle it with ease. They can remain focused on the task without having to worry about self-doubt getting in the way. Include online training demos, simulations, and online training tutorials that show them every aspect of a task in order to take pressure out of the picture.

2. Practice Is The Key To Being Prepared

Repetitive online training activities give corporate learners the chance to practice skills and master the information they’ll need on-the-job. It also improves knowledge retention and recall, allowing them to apply what they’ve learned in the workplace. Practicing on a regular basis moves the information to long-term memory, instead of letting it waste away in short-term shortage. Develop microlearning online training activities that employees can access quickly, whenever they need to refresh their memory. Bite-sized online training videos, serious games, and online presentations are all effective microlearning online training activities. No matter where your employees are, they should be able to access your online training course on their mobile devices. Choose a responsive design eLearning authoring tool to create multi-platform friendly, online training content.

3. Push Corporate Learners Beyond Their Comfort Zone

Fear, worry, and stress are just some of the emotions associated with pressure. Some of your employees may experience all of these emotions because they are simply afraid of the unknown. They don’t know how to handle the situation because they are stuck in a professional "rut", performing the same tasks and using the same skills every day. Pushing them beyond their comfort zone offers them the ability to explore the unknown and put themselves to the test. Most eLearning authoring tools now feature countless assets for the development of branching scenarios that engage corporate learners with online training in an unprecedented way. For example, develop a branching scenario that centers on a workplace conflict. Ask your corporate learners to resolve it using the online tools and knowledge at their disposal. If they are successful, they’ll realize that they have what it takes and that there is nothing to fear. If they fail to solve the problem, then they know what areas they need to work on.

4. Include Online Training Simulations That Explore Every Outcome

This is another situation where corporate learners can delve into the unknown. Online training simulations give them the chance to explore the consequences of every decision and action. They must be able to troubleshoot any issues that arise during a task, and online training simulations can give them the experience they need to do so. For example, a software-based branching scenario can show them everything that may go wrong with the system, as well as how to remedy the problem with the information they have.

5. Develop Mistake-Driven Online Training Activities

Mistakes are a valuable tool in online training. When corporate learners make an error during their online training, they are less likely to make that error again on-the-job. Engaging corporate learners in online training using serious games specifically designed to teach them how to deal with stressful situations, enhances their online training experience and reduces stress. For example, if corporate learners choose the wrong path in a serious game and don’t progress to the next level, this serves as a form of immediate feedback. They know that their actions or choices were incorrect and that they must figure out a different approach in order to move on. It also gives them the power to analyze their performance and identify gaps that may be hindering their productivity. Once they realize that they can overcome mistakes, they won’t be afraid of trying out new and innovative strategies when they are in stressful situations.

6. Give Corporate Learners Some Time To Reflect And Regroup

Certain employees may not even realize that they don’t work well under pressure. They may believe that they have all the skills and experience they need to overcome anything. However, some personal reflection time offers them the opportunity to challenge their assumptions and analyze their performance. Include a brief break in between your online training activities to allow corporate learners to look back on their choices, actions, and behaviors. Encourage them to identify their areas for improvement as well as their strengths. How do they deal with pressure, and are there more effective coping skills they can utilize?

7. Focus On Specific Tasks And Skills

You need your employees to expect the unexpected. In order to accomplish this, you have to fully explore every aspect of the skill or task to be mastered. As such, you must focus on one skill or task at a time and cover all of the "unexpected" elements that your corporate learners may face. This may seem counterproductive when you're trying to prepare your employees for any challenge. However, by focusing on targeted skills or tasks, you equip them with a broad range of tools. They can use these tools in a variety of different situations, not just the intended task.

8. Foster An Inspiring Online Training Community

Even if an employee has all the required skills, know-how, and experience, they may still need that extra ounce of motivation to cope with the pressure. Cultivate an inspiring and compassionate online training culture that nurtures talent and offers personalized praise. Use a Learning Management System that will help you create online training plans through its wide variety of features, both for individuals and groups. If a corporate learner is struggling with workplace stress, provide them with a list of resources that can help. Pair them with an experienced mentor, and create a customized online training plan that caters to their needs.

Your employees can use these coping skills in all aspects of their lives, from overcoming personal obstacles to preparing for a big client meeting. Use these 8 tips to help them stay cool, calm, and collected in the workplace and beyond.

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