When a supervisor needs to teach an employee how to perform a set of tasks, whether it be training on a computer software program or how to assemble an electronic component, these steps are essentially the same.
Training Assessment for Adult Learners
Start with an assessment. If the person is someone unknown to the trainer, spend a few minutes talking to him. Ask simple questions to ensure he understands what is being trained. If there is a language barrier, it is important to obtain a bilingual assistant to help communicate the job task to the trainee before going forward.
If the trainee is overly agreeable, saying yes, he understands and nods profusely, it may be a clue that he is having difficulty following the training. The trainer should slow down and give him a chance to feed information back on cue. Proceed to the next step with the understanding that repetition will be needed to reinforce learning at each step of the process.
Describe the Task to be Performed and Get Feedback
Give a detailed description. Explain in simple terms how one will complete the task that she is being trained on. Ask that she repeat back in her own words what was explained by the trainer. If her feedback is not inclusive enough to show that she understands, take the time to repeat the verbal description again in more detail. Repeat this step as many times as necessary.
Show and Tell How to Perform a Skill to the Trainee
Demonstrate before allowing him to complete the task. Show the employee how to perform the tasks as described. Do the task slowly and completely. If it is very detailed, ask him to write down notes or steps as they are demonstrated. If one is explaining how to create a presentation on the computer, allow him to see exactly what keys are used on the keyboard and which prompts are appearing on the screen.
Participate in a supervised performance of the task. Allow the employee to demonstrate how to perform the skill in detail and allow him to take as much time as he needs to perform this. He should explain what he is doing as he demonstrates his new skill. If he makes a mistake or gets stuck, help him by showing him the correct sequence and task. Repeat this step as needed.
Allow Independence with Feedback to the Trainee
Let the individual perform independently. After the trainer has “worked out the bugs” in his task performance, allow him to do it by himself and come back and check on him later. Retrain here on anything that is confusing or difficult. Remember that it will take time and practice for him to do the skill at a normal pace and patience will be needed by the trainer. Some will perform perfectly after only a brief session while others may take days to get it exactly right.
Follow up and give feedback to the employee. Recheck to see that the employee is doing the job properly on a less and less frequent interval and be absolutely sure to give him lots of positive feedback and praise for a job well done.
Remember to start by noting the positive aspects of the task or the things he is doing well and move on to the elements of the skill that he can continue to work on and develop. Express appreciation to the person for his efforts and offer personal support to assist him if he should have additional questions or issues.
Express confidence in him for learning the job. The trainer should tell the employee that he is proud of him and know that he will continue to excel at this task, just as he has excelled in other areas of his job performance.
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