13 Tips for Creating Engaging Training

Training your sales channel is key to ensuring your brand is translated properly, but we often see training programs that take an “everything but the kitchen sink” or “check the box” approach. This may satisfy everyone’s needs, but it can also be overwhelming and frustrating to learners; it peppers them with information they can’t possibly retain and don’t need to successfully perform their role. And ultimately, it causes them to disengage from your brand. Not only is our overall approach different, but we also take these thirteen things into consideration when creating engaging training.

1. Choose the right delivery method for the content and objectives; some material may be best presented in short videos or in an online training module, while other topics are best suited for in-person, instructor-led training in order to truly create behavior change.
2. Empower learners with a content library with resources or print-outs they can reference later.
3. Gather feedback from learners to understand how to improve the training you provide.
4. Accommodate different learning styles, from self-study, to instructor-led training, to video or online training modules.
5. Provide flexibility to learners by offering training that can be completed at the office, at home or on the go.
6. Mix it up, and keep things moving, harnessing the power of visuals, to support what learners are hearing or reading on screen.
7. Use a dynamic, vibrant and enthusiastic narrator, otherwise you risk learners tuning out.
8. Invite learners to explore and discover on their own, outside of the training.
9. Keep online training modules short and crisp so learners can stay focused and retain information.
10. Don’t fear adding humor or a humanistic touch; your learner will remember funny or relatable content better.
11. Keep it real and relevant by telling stories or creating realistic scenarios that reflect the realities and challenges the learner actually faces; they will disengage on topics that do not apply to them.
12. Motivate learners to complete the training by offering rewards and recognition for their dedication and efforts.
13. Understand your learner, their role and expectations, and their industry.