“Another training session,” you think as you read the email from HR. As you scroll down, you notice the venue this time is not the conference room or the head office; it is an outdoor location. “A day out for a training session!” You jump in your chair with excitement, and we are sure your team members are mirroring your reaction.
And this reaction might have cleared what we are discussing – off-the-job training methods and why they are important.
Let’s fast-forward to the future and think about the training day. You and your team members have reached a beautiful resort amidst the green. You all got ready and decided to meet at the meeting room of the resort.
Now what, how are you going to conduct the training – is it going to be a presentation, a classroom lecture, simulation, or role play?
Well, that depends on who you intend to train? Is it your technical staff or managers of various departments? It also depends on the training objective whether you want your trainees to gain knowledge about a certain subject or make them work-ready by training them to use the equipment or a machine.
Now, let’s see the different types of training methods designed for the different types of occupations.
1.Classroom lectures
One of the oldest and most popular training methods is used to train white-collar employees or managers. You must have guessed what happens in this type of training method. Employees are called in a classroom-like setting where they receive training in the form of lectures.
You can use this method when teaching administrative aspects to the trainees.
2.Audio-visual
Would you like to watch videos snd films during training sessions? Who wouldn’t? And that’s why this training method is so popular, especially in the education field. The institutions use audio-visuals to teach students and help them grasp and remember the concepts forever.
But how does this work in the corporate environment? Here’s how in the corporate world, mainly in the customer care field, employers provide the employees with audio-visual materials say presentations, interviews, and other such materials that teach employees how to talk, manage, and behave with customers.
3.Simulation
The simulation takes you out of the classroom to the practical lab. It is a type of training method that trains employees on the designed equipment or machines to be used on the field.
This method is especially useful where expensive or heavy equipment or machine is used to perform the job.
4.Roleplaying
This is another exciting method that squeezes the boredom and un-excitement out of the training session. Here the trainees take up the roles and act out situations similar to the real-life situations to get a practical feel of concepts.
Need an example? Let’s dive into the customer care field again. In this type of training, two or more trainees from the group act out a situation, say handling a fussy client.
Through this act, others can get a feel of the situation and understand how they should respond and handle the situation well.
5.Computer games
No, these are not your popular games such as PUB-G that almost everyone is playing these days. You might know the gaming world has some stimulating and logical mind games that help the gamers develop their logical, analytical, and critical thinking.
So what kind of games are included in this training method? Well, this training method is mostly used for the management level employees. So in this method, the group of trainees is divided into groups of 5-6 trainees. Through a computerized game, each group competes in a simulated marketplace.
Here the managers will have to use their creative thinking to decide:
- How many products to manufacture
- How many products to produce from different categories
- How much inventory to maintain
- How much to spend on marketing and advertising
Got an idea about the off-the-job training methods? Now, arranging a training session will be easier for you. Before you decide on your training method, learn the advantages and disadvantages of each method also the objectives these methods fulfill.
Not only the training but the right type of training method will make your employees job-ready with the maximum participation and zeal from your team.
