Employee training is very important for creating the right kind of talent in your organization, and if done right, can be very effective.
But good training must recognize that people learn in different ways, and different media and techniques must be used.
Here’s how today's ProAdvisors can use infographics as part of their wider employee training strategy in an effective way:
1. Create task guides
When you're training employees, you often need to teach them how to do new tasks or how to use new software. When the process is very long or complicated, it becomes difficult to understand how to do it even when it is demonstrated for them.
In this case, an infographic may be the perfect choice for a visual step-by-step guide. Use pictures or icons to help explain each step more thoroughly. This will become something that they can refer back to often until they have got the hang of the process. The visual plus text dynamic makes it easier for all types of learners to take in.
2. Increase understanding
Employees are not as likely to remember their training if it's delivered in only one form – for example, a speech from an expert. Instead, provide more forms and media in order to increase their understanding. This could be as simple as taking that same talk and pairing it with infographics, which use visual aids to get the information across. When a picture is used to demonstrate the knowledge that's being imparted, the lesson is that much more likely to stick.
Training often can be a very dry experience, especially if you need to teach a lot of technical details. Infographics can help to spice up the training a little and keep it interesting.
3. Create quick reminders
In many cases, employee training will be required for on-the-job experiences. For example, you might send a salesperson on a management course before they take on a manager’s role. But how do you ensure they're still keeping that training uppermost in their minds? Infographics in staff areas really can help with this.
Use the same infographics that were in place during the training to reinforce the ideas later. It’s a quick and simple way of delivering the information, with graphics used to convey complex ideas in a format that reminds them instantly of the right way to do things.
4. Make the learning interesting
Training often can be a very dry experience, especially if you need to teach a lot of technical details. Infographics can help to spice up the training a little and keep it interesting. For example, get a graphic designer to create a stick figure or simple character for your company’s training schemes.
The infographics can make use of this character to tell the story, turning statistics into more charming and relatable information. It also adds a little humor or personality to the training, which is essential if you have employees who may be easily distracted.
5. Make it more accessible
Finally, the use of a lot of text may be problematic if you're training up employees who do not use English as their first language. It also can be difficult for those who suffer from dyslexia or do not have a high level of schooling – which could be why you need to train them.
The use of images and graphics alongside the text makes it more accessible for these employees. It clarifies the message and helps them to understand it more clearly, as well as more quickly. This could make a huge difference for those who struggle with the written word.
Don’t be afraid to use infographics in your training wherever it feels like you may need them. They are easy to update on a regular basis if you have the original files to work with, so there’s no reason not to.
Joan Herbert is an assistant manager at Bank-Opening-Times.co.uk, a one-stop online address resource for banks in the UK.