In the old days… like 18 months ago, training was fairly regimented. A roomful of people at the ready – notes, PowerPoint and nerves.
Fast forward to today – we are in full COVID lockdown mode and presenting training better than ever.
What we have learnt, and sometimes failed to remember back in the day, is the content is what really matters – not the location or the coffee breaks, but to be truthful I did enjoy the free snacks and amazing coffee at old school training days.
Here at HC, training comes in a few forms – first is on the job – the client training we do, onboarding their new employees in brand awareness or crisis management as well as the do’s and don’ts of social media. This is a great way to get to the heart of what they do and don’t know – training can be in-depth or high level – but the direct training model seems to bring out the best in the quiet ones and lets them ask the questions they would otherwise hold on to in larger groups. Training online means we can screen share, do live examples and really get into the heart of what needs attention.
Secondly is the Comms training modules we offer. Right now we are excited about our Parramatta start up training program now in its second year. It’s a series of four communications specific topics targeted at businesses who are starting out. You can sign up for our next training session: Communications Planning for Start-ups – here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/communications-planning-for-start-ups-tickets-167265594897
Our team all contribute to building these programs – we find many minds and points of view help to build the best training. Each one of us brings a special expertise that goes into the making of a great program. And its good for all of us to flex our training muscle.
The sessions are interactive and bring people together in a friendly and supportive environment. Feedback from our latest training session was great, knowing that we gave people an “ah ha” moment is what we’re here for. Plus, we had people join in from far beyond the City of Parramatta, another bonus with online training – it’s so accessible.
A couple of things to remember when training online, because to be honest it’s how we’ll be delivering training for quite a while: –
- Don’t forget to send invites well before the day of the training
- Ask attendees to make sure they are set up for success – in a quiet room away from the dog and cat fighting or the kids rampaging through the house
- Encourage everyone to have cameras on
- Have break out rooms (in Zoom and Teams) for discussions
- Use polls and share results
- Send a short survey afterwards to capture feedback, good and ugly
If training for staff has been on your mind lately, drop us a line at [email protected]
Al Jackson