There’s no more effective way to reach your employees than through live training. Yet there’s nothing your employees dread more than a lengthy, dull presentation. To make sure you’re providing training that your employees will find not only memorable, but enjoyable, make sure to do the following:
1. Tell a story. It’s the best way to make a point. Stories grab our attention, and we are hard-wired to retain them. Your audience will listen to and remember the story of how and why the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal broke; they will not remember the legal elements of a quid pro quo harassment claim.
2. Keep it interactive. Encourage participants to ask questions and share their own stories. Use hypotheticals, games, and polling to get the audience involved. Have participants break into small groups to practice the skills you are teaching them.
3. Use humor…but only if it comes naturally to you. Using funny pictures, audio, or video can help. Keep it clean and make sure it’s not offensive, especially to any protected group (sorry, those clips from The Office are probably out). Don’t poke fun at other people, though it’s generally okay to make fun of yourself. If you’re unsure, run it by someone who will give you an honest critique.
4. Incorporate audio and video. Make sure your audio and video clips are short and interesting. (I’m talking to you, canned harassment videos!) Ask yourself: if it were on TV, would you watch it or change the channel? If it won’t hold your attention, how will it work for your audience? Finally, while I love to use pictures in presentations, I’m not a fan of GIFs. They can be distracting, so use them sparingly, if at all.
5. Avoid death by PowerPoint. Is there anything worse than having someone read a PowerPoint presentation? Think of your PowerPoint as a backdrop to or prompt for your presentation; it should never be your presentation. Use large pictures and incorporate graphic designs to get your message across, but make sure your slides are simple and not too busy. Keep the number of words on the screen to a minimum. If you have to use a font smaller than 30-point to get all your information on one page, it’s probably too much, so consider breaking up the information on separate slides or providing a handout. Finally, don’t be afraid of color or dark backgrounds. Just make sure your slides are easy to read and aren’t so bright they hurt the eyes.
Need help with workplace training? Drop me a note. I’d love to work with you!