2/2/2017 More Live Training Please!Online training programs have become a convenient and cost efficient manner to train our staff. Because of its convenience and efficiency, online training is here to stay. Sometimes, however, we pay a small price for this efficiency when the users quickly click through the online training. As we all know, when we rush through training sessions or do not have a personal touch associated with the training, we adversely affect our ability to understand or retain information. For example, what if a person has follow up questions but cannot ask them because the online training session is recorded and therefore questions cannot be asked? Because live training is still valuable, it is prudent to consider more live training to complement our online training programs when we plan our training curriculums.Online training programs have become a convenient and cost efficient manner to train our staff. Because of its convenience and efficiency, online training is here to stay. Sometimes, however, we pay a small price for this efficiency when the users quickly click through the online training. As we all know, when we rush through training sessions or do not have a personal touch associated with the training, we adversely affect our ability to understand or retain information. For example, what if a person has follow up questions but cannot ask them because the online training session is recorded and therefore questions cannot be asked? Because live training is still valuable, it is prudent to consider more live training to complement our online training programs when we plan our training curriculums.
Surveys continue to reveal that employees are bored with the usual mandatory online training courses. Employees express concerns about the relevancy to the work that they do, the ability to retain the information that they’ve learned, and the lack of face-to-face interaction. “This non-human interface gives a feeling of simply ticking the box for company compliance,” says a survey respondent regarding on-line compliance training. These concerns can be resolved by delivering classroom training presentations and utilizing the facilitator’s interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, compliance professionals are not typically welcomed with open arms. They are often viewed as a nuisance and the bad guy coming to dictate what we shouldn’t be doing during our daily work routines. Because robust compliance management programs help stave off lawsuits, government investigations and government enforcement actions, it is important to convey the message that compliance professionals are essential for the survival of a company. Imagine the ability to change your work force’s perception of your compliance team by incorporating simple interpersonal skills during live training. If that sounds like a fantasy, read along and explore these suggestions. A great interpersonal skill is the ability to get along with others while getting the job done. One way to accomplish this is to target your training to your audience’s job responsibilities by including real life examples of situations that could occur in their day-to-day routine. Targeting the training makes the facilitator relatable and provides an opportunity to easily incorporate humor or another technique to make the presentation fun. Real life examples delivered in an interesting and fun manner makes the shared information memorable. For example, when teaching about anti-bribery and anti-corruption, tell humorous or attention-grabbing stories of situations in which extremely lavish gifts are offered to a government official. Then ask the participants to select which of the gifts would be perceived as a bribe: a) a Lamborghini, but with your company’s logo on the vehicle, b) a $5,000 gift card for the 99 Cents Store, c) a luxury vacation for dogs and their humans, or d) a new jet with unlimited, free fuel…forever! These may be humorous or far-fetched examples, but these examples provide the trainer with an opportunity to explain i) how all of these options can be a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and ii) that these examples can lead a company to incur civil monetary penalties or a criminal indictment; neither of which are laughing matters. Another advantageous interpersonal skill is the ability to listen to others with empathy and show a willingness to collaborate. This can be accomplished by engaging your audience by asking open ended questions. This technique provides a great opportunity to elicit feedback from the attendees to ensure that they understand the information that you are sharing. Listening carefully to their responses, encouraging them to voice concerns, and responding in a positive manner makes the attendees feel as if you genuinely care whether or not they comprehend the training and are willing to solve problems. The ability to effectively interact with participants is essential to ensuring that they are aware of and understand policies and procedures, laws and regulations, and the code of business conduct. Lastly, interpersonal communication can be used to inspire and recognize team players. When employees are recognized for hard work and dedication, it conveys an appreciation for the work that they do and motivates them to want to do the right thing. Hearing positive feedback in person goes a lot farther and is more valuable than a company-wide email distribution. Face-to-face positive reinforcement of the importance of ethics and compliance training will effectively promote the desired ethical culture. “More live training please!” Instead of always click, click, clicking to the next page of an online training course, let’s also provide more live training while using these interpersonal skills. Targeting, engaging and inspiring during your live presentations to your work force is a proactive solution to remediating the concerns of employees. It doesn’t have to seem like a fantasy after all. It’s a simple reminder of how we can resolve the concerns of personnel by implementing a variety of training options. Effective training programs will aid in the success of your business and enable employees to have stable, flourishing careers. Comments are closed.
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Kelly SargeantKelly is also an Editorial Board member of SCCE's Compliance and Ethics Blog. Click button below to be directed to that site. |