setting up a training program

Maybe a corporate edict has come down decreeing that effective immediately, all employees must start following new procedures. Maybe your division is switching to a new computer system and has just days to make the changeover. Or maybe your department has a dozen new hires who need orientation right away.

Whatever the case, it's clear that your staff is going to require some training. It's also clear that because there's no time to hire an outside training specialist, you'll have to make the arrangements yourself.

Before you can get started, you have some decisions to make: when to hold the training, how you're going to present the material, how to get employees to take it seriously, and where to hold the training. In this multipart series, we'll look at each of these topics.

This month, we'll focus on factors related to the timing of the training sessions. What follows are some of the questions you'll need to consider:

• Should the training take place during regular working hours or off hours? Scheduling training during the normal workday may be the path of least resistance as far as your staff is concerned. But it also raises the question of how to keep work from piling up—or your customers from going unserved—while your staff is out. That's a concern not just from the standpoint of customer relations, but also because worries about what awaits them back at the office or DC can keep workers from devoting their full attention to the training. If your staff is large enough, you might want to divide your people into two groups. While one group attends training, the other keeps things running back in the office or on the floor.
  
  Though scheduling training during off-hour times avoids the problem of work backlogs, it can raise difficulties of its own. For one thing, you'll have to find a way to compensate your employees. Mandating attendance at an off-hours training session without any type of reimbursement invites resentment and may even violate union rules or local employment laws. Compensation doesn't have to mean extra pay, however. You can also offer incentives like comp time.
• How long a session will you need? If you just have a short list of well-defined topics to cover, a lunchtime training session may be all you need. Arrange to have the company provide the food. It doesn't have to be a fancy catered affair; many groups are happy to be treated to pizza and wings. If you choose this approach, be sure to give your staff enough notice to avoid conflicts with personal errands.
  
  Lunchtime sessions are not right for every type of training, however. If one of the goals is to generate discussion and excitement, you may need a more open-ended session. You don't want to have to shut down the dialogue just when the ideas are starting to flow because calls have to be answered or deliveries made.
• Should you schedule one long session or break up the training into shorter sessions? If you have a lot of material to cover, you may be tempted to simply block out a full day and get it over with. But that's not always the best approach. Generally speaking, adult learners do best when given bite-sized pieces of information that are reinforced by using the new skills. If you're training your staff to use new software, for example, you'll likely get better results by teaching them one or two things, and letting them go back and try out those new skills before you move on to the next topic.

Editor's note: This is the first in a multi-part series on training. The next column in this series will look at how to choose the best presentation methodology for your group.