Do you make these 3 training errors?

Do you get frustrated with your team some days when they don't do what they are supposed to? It's a hazard of leadership for sure!

I was talking to Natasha the other day about a staff issue she brought to coaching. Her frustration was evident when she grumbled, "They know what to do! I don't understand why they are messing up so much."

As we explored Natasha's belief or opinion that the staff did, in fact, know what to do, we realized that perhaps some team members weren't clear on all the steps. Natasha had assumed that they understood what she had told them to do.

The key phrase to note is: Told them to do.

As we reviewed what had happened, Natasha realized she had basically told them what to do. She had not trained them, ensuring they were able to do it. 

Told to do is unidirectional. It is information only going one way. 
The most effective training is bidirectional. It is a back-and-forth process that takes time.

Natasha left the call understanding more about what she needed to do to support her team and on a mission to grab a book to help her learn how to facilitate her team's learning. I'll tell you about the book I pointed her to in a moment.

Do you wish you could train your team more effectively?
As you learn and grow in your leadership role, you might want to provide more effective training for your team. Bravo for you!

Don't make these 3 training mistakes!
Whether you are thinking about orienting new staff, training people on a particular function or role or more significant team training events, you might be making the following three training errors. As you read them, don't worry, because I'll also tell you how to fix those mistakes.

MISTAKE # 1 - Training people too quickly

We are a time-poor sector, and we're often squeezing training moments in between everything else going on. As a result, we often lack clarity of what we are teaching. We do a high-level overview and missing key points.

THE FIX: Slow down and be clearer. 

MISTAKE # 2 - Quickly checking in to see if they got it.

Again this connects to the first point with the keyword - quickly. 
Do you say these when you are training?

• Does that make sense?
• Do you have any questions?​

Here's why questions like those don't work so well. The unspoken assumption is that your employees want to look good. They want to appear capable and know you are busy, so they don't want to bother you too much. Therefore they're going to nod their head and say yes, that makes sense, and no, I don't have any questions. 

THE FIX: Slow down and ask better questions.

Try questions like these that will get at what they still need to learn:

• What part of this is still unclear to you? 
• Where do you need more details?
  
  

MISTAKE # 3 - Not offering time for practice.

Most often, when we learn something, we do not learn thoroughly by knowledge alone. We have to try it and fail and fumble and learn from our mistakes. Too often, we're trying to rush through training, and once again, we need to slow down and ensure that they have it.

THE FIX:  Build in time for them to practice and for you to give feedback

Here's how to become a confident trainer or facilitator
Training, orientation and facilitation are all part of a leader's role, but rarely have we've learned how to teach, orientate and facilitate. When that happens, we are doing something and often feeling self-conscious, inapt, and lack the confidence to do it effectively.

Don't do it alone!
Once again, I'm going to remind you you do not have to do leadership alone. It's OK to ask for help! That helped can come from a variety of ways… Including a book.

Get helpThis week on the podcast, I interview Beth Cougler Blom, an expert who creates effective and engaging learning experiences. In our discussion, we review the three C's of designing a great learning experience and touch on her book. 

• Check out the podcast: The 3 C's of Designing Great Learning Experiences
• Buy Beth's Book: Design to Engage: How to Create and Facilitate a Great Learning Experience for Any Group
• Grab her free downloads from Beth's book
• Check out some of the training that Beth does to help you be a better facilitator.
  
  

Ensure you are becoming competent so that you'll feel confident!One last little reminder...Confidence comes from competence. 
You need to know how to facilitate, train and do good orientation. But that competence doesn't automatically give you confidence. You must then practice using your courage to get out and fail and fumble as you continue to learn and grow. That's when you'll develop the confidence to thrive in your leadership.​