​Ep 3: Creating effective training programs
I offer tips on creating effective employee training that is suited to your company. This includes training in a variety of modes, from formal training programs to simple and in-the-moment guidance. This is the second of three episodes on the theme of employee development. In the last episode I focused on the hiring process, and the next episode will look at retention.

In this episode:
  • A training experience I had as an employee that used a simple tool to create first-hand product knowledge
  • Determining the details of your training program
  • Why it’s not necessary to train someone on everything about a topic all at once
  • What information you need to gather from the employee, and what you need to pass on to them, before you start training them
  • How to set up your trainer to be successful and create a comfortable training environment
  • Modelling the behavior you want your employee to exhibit as the most affordable way to train
  • Understanding the learning needs of the employee being trained
  • Chunking out or creating modules for your training
  • The need for repetition when familiarizing new employees with the space and resources of your store
  • Orienting new employees to the culture of the company
  • Why I always recommend familiarizing employees with opening, midday, and closing shifts
  • Scaling the training depending on an employee’s role
  • Incorporating feedback loops into the training process to ensure that the training is meeting the employee’s learning needs, that they’re getting the training they require, and to gauge their success against the training
  • Tips for handling probationary periods with new hires, if you decide to use them
  • Training as an ongoing process
  • Giving effective feedback