How to Help Team Members Who Are Struggling With Training

Providing training that works for every single person on your team equally is challenging. However, there are some steps you can take to adapt your training to provide an enriching and educational program for your team.

Check out some strategies you can use for your organization’s training:

Ways to Support Your Team Training

Foster A Supportive Environment

Open-door policies can help your team members become more comfortable seeking help without fear of being judged or reprimanded. You can also encourage peer-to-peer support and collaboration so team members can create a more unified environment for learning.

A study by Scholar Chatter found that learning outcomes are almost always influenced and improved by supportive environments. Not only did positive reinforcement result in better training outcomes, but they also found that negative feedback can result in more absenteeism, decreased job satisfaction, and lower productivity.

Tailor Training Programs

Each team member will have different learning styles and preferences. Make sure that you can customize your training materials and methods to accommodate the diverse needs of your team. Some learning management systems (LMSs) prioritize the ability for flexible learning, allowing users to pick and choose what, where, and when they learn.

Companies like Simple Learning create custom LMSs that can incorporate learning into organizations to meet compliance requirements while also giving learners opportunities to train how they want to.

Provide Clear Expectations

It is important to clearly communicate your training objectives, expectations, and milestones from the beginning. Define specific goals and outcomes to guide your team members through the training process. This not only will keep your learners motivated but can also reduce confusion and anxiety making them more confident in their roles.

According to research from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, vocational training programs that combine classroom-based technical training with practical experiences, such as apprenticeships or internships, have shown positive outcomes in terms of labor supply and earnings for participants in many cases.

Offer Regular Feedback

Regularly provide constructive feedback to help your team members gauge their progress accurately and assist them in finding areas of improvement. Acknowledging their efforts and achievements can help boost morale while giving them examples of where they can improve themselves.

A research study by Gallup found that employees who receive meaningful feedback regularly are more engaged, with 80% of those who received feedback in the past week being fully engaged.

Utilize Technology

Technology-driven solutions such as e-learning platforms like LMSs are used in many organizations to enhance training accessibility and engagement. This not only allows trainees to learn at their own pace but also allows you access to data to better understand and plan for improvements in your own system.

Massachusetts and their Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) recently updated their mandatory reporter training platform using an LMS and other online solutions.

Lead by Example

As a leader of an organization, participating in training yourself can help you learn your process more intimately and build morale within your team. When you take the same training courses as your employees, you can better understand the course material, the time required to complete it, and the desired outcomes. It also provides an opportunity for you to spot opportunities to improve the training process within your organization.

When you join your employees in training, you demonstrate that everyone within the organization is impacted by the materials and that no single employee is excluded from the necessity of training.

Encourage Self-Directed Learning

Empower team members to take control of their own learning by providing them with resources and opportunities for self-directed learning (SDL). Depending on their role, you can encourage them to explore certain relevant topics and additional training materials independently. This also helps trainees build autonomy over their work, making them more comfortable taking initiative on their own.

The Brown University Family Medicine Residency program successfully implemented an SDL initiative by promoting physicians to serve as learning coaches and guide their residents' learning goals while keeping track through online portfolios.

Offer One-on-One Support

Provide individualized support and guidance to team members who may be struggling with their training materials or concepts. This can take the form of extra time for online or coaching sessions, or you may offer mentoring opportunities to address certain learning gaps.

A meta-analysis by J-PAL North America studied the impact of tutoring programs to combat education losses during the pandemic. The study found that one-on-one or small-group coaching is highly effective in improving student learning outcomes across various aspects.

Celebrate Progress and Achievements

Recognize and celebrate the milestones and achievements of your team during training. Creating a supportive atmosphere where people are recognized fosters motivation and a sense of accomplishment within the team. You can celebrate with certain company outings or other rewards to keep the team motivated and engaged in training.

Continuously Evaluate and Adapt

Regularly assess the effectiveness of your training program either through feedback from your team or performance metrics. Identify the areas of improvement and adapt your training as necessary to better meet the needs of your team. If there are recurring issues in your training program, it could be signs that you may need to adjust the content, delivery methods, or support procedures for your team.