How To Improve Training Sessions: 15 Tips For Better Employee Learning

The global business dynamics are continuously changing under the influence of technological advancements and evolving customer needs. Organizations are continuously looking for how to improve training sessions and provide better learning to employees. 

In 2023, companies spent almost $340 billion on employee training, averaging $1500 per person per year. However, with such significant investment, a critical question remains: Are these training programs delivering the desired results? The answer is yes, but to achieve success and desired results, companies need to follow many important points. 

For your help, we’ll share 15 actionable tips on how to improve training sessions and move your organization toward success. But first, let's discuss the importance of these training sessions for employees.  

Importance of Employee Training Sessions

Employee training sessions are pre-planned and organized learning experiences that are designed to enhance the existing skills, knowledge, and performance of employees in an organization. These sessions comprise different training and development techniques, including soft skills, technical expertise, and leadership development. 

Beyond career advancement, training and employee development programs offer numerous benefits, such as better employee engagement and job satisfaction. With AI reshaping the way people learn, grow, and evolve in their careers, employee training has taken the central space in organizational success. 

More than an added perk, L&D (learning and development) is the driving force that accelerates business growth, empowers employee development, and helps organizations to energize and retain talent. 

LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report 2024 states that 7 out of 10 employees believe that learning improves their connection with an organization, whereas 8 out of 10 believe that it adds purpose to their work. This highlights the reason why organizations are looking for how to improve training sessions and dedicate a special budget for it.  

Source: LinkedIn 

Employee L&D: What Aspects of Training Could be Improved?

Research indicates that organizations with comprehensive training programs enjoy a 24% high profit margin. However, successful employee training is not a one-time event. It starts with a clear vision with a continuous commitment to improve employee strengths, achieve business goals and adapt to changing business needs. 

Here are 15 tips to help you understand how to improve training sessions for employees, use better training strategies, and meet the evolving needs of your business and employees. These tips will also assist in figuring out what aspects of training could be improved.  

1. Conduct a Pre-Training Assessment 

The first tip that explains how to improve training sessions is conducting pre-training assessments. A thorough pre-training analysis provides you with a road map of how to make a training program that achieves positive results for both the organization and its employees. 

To get comprehensive input, gather all of your relevant teams, such as HR, sales, and marketing boards. A pre-training survey with relevant team heads and managers can help you prioritize the following: 

• Evaluation of current training: Assess the current training programs and how well they are meeting organizational goals and employee needs. Identify areas where these programs fall short and need improvement. 
• Skill and performance gaps: Pinpoint what are the specific skill deficiencies and performance gaps in your organization. You can easily evaluate this through performance reviews, employee surveys, or observations.
• Department Specific needs: Understand the unique training needs of each department. Consider different factors such as industry trends, tech advancements, or changing customer needs.   

2. Actively Involve Your Employees

The core purpose of any training program is to help your workforce grow and evolve. At least 55% of employees report that they need additional training to perform better at their jobs. Therefore, before seeking external advice on how to improve training sessions, involve your employees directly.  

Organize separate brainstorming sessions with each of your team members to discuss their current challenges, expectations, and future goals. For instance, if they are facing difficulties in closing sales, improving customer satisfaction, or social media management. Take help from employee development plan examples to create customized learning  for each individual.  

Source: Shrm

3. Choose the Right Training Method 

Businesses choose different training methods, such as online or in-person, as per their specific needs. While in-person training offers the advantage of constant instructor presence, it can be overwhelming and less effective at times. E-learning, on the other hand, allows learners to complete training at their own pace without any instructor guidance. 

A balanced approach is extremely important to maintain discipline and complete training benchmarks on time. Choosing a blended learning strategy may combine the best of both worlds for you. It helps your employees to learn directly from instructors and also use digital learning tools at the same time.

4. Create an Ongoing Training Program

Organizational success heavily relies on ongoing training and development strategies. Create a learning path that your employees can follow throughout the year, tailored to their individual requirements. 

You can get more clarity by looking at different  learning management systems examples. These e-learning platforms organize, deliver, and track learning and training programs. According to training industry reports, 89% of organizations use LMS to facilitate training programs for their employees.

These cloud-based software solutions centralize all learning materials in one place. Employees can easily log in and access training videos, assignments, quizzes, webinars, and even live lectures. LMS makes sure that each employee accesses the same quality of training content regardless of their location or learning style.  

5. Design Interactive Training Modules 

Corporate learning doesn't have to be dull and boring. Design relevant, engaging, and interactive training modules that facilitate the learning process and improve participants' engagement. Here are different ways to implement this: 

• Gamification: This involves the use of interactive elements such as quizzes, surveys, badges, points, challenges, and storytelling features in training programs. You can use AI-powered best e-learning gamification softwares such as Coursebox for this.  
• Scenario-based learning: This approach uses real-world scenarios to help employees implement their knowledge in practical scenarios.
• Interactive Videos: Use short, snappy, and interactive videos to demonstrate different concepts, case studies, and discussions.    

6. Take Help from Industry Experts

Employee training is more than just providing courses or training technology. It's about solving problems, advancing careers, and preparing a workforce for the future. Partnering with industry experts helps you enhance the learning experience and provide real-time insights and more extensive course content. 

Imagine your organization is looking to improve digital marketing skills. A seasoned digital marketing expert can share their firsthand experience with the latest trends and best practices. They can provide practical training tips for optimizing marketing campaigns and address specific challenges. This personalized approach increases employee engagement and leads to better results. 

Source: Explodingtopics

7. Professional Mentorship

Workplace mentorship is a collaborative approach in which two colleagues are paired together to share professional knowledge. Typically, a junior or new hire is paired with a more experienced colleague. Both of them work together to improve competencies and support the career growth of the junior employee.

The importance of mentorship is evident from the fact that 70% of Fortune 500 companies have a formal mentorship program in place. Quality mentorship revolves around meaningful dialogues, discussions, regular training sessions, and effective communication. It is about building a sense of community and creating a culture of dialogue within an organization.  

8. Build an Internal Knowledge Base

Research shows that an average employee spends nearly 20% of their work time searching for internal information. To reduce this inefficiency, consider building a knowledge base for your employees. 

An internal knowledge base is the hub of all the relevant information in an organization. This may include SOPs, learning materials, onboarding manuals, FAQs, case studies, and troubleshooting guides. This centralized resource provides employees easy access to the relevant information and maintains uniform SOPs across the organization. 

9. Utilize Micro-learning for knowledge Retention

Organizations invest billions in employee training and development every year. However, it can only benefit the company if employees retain the acquired knowledge. Research shows that 70% of what employees learn is forgotten within 24 hours, and 90% is lost within the first week. 

Source: Workbravely

To overcome this forgetting curve, incorporate micro-learning in your training sessions. It means bite-sized content for focused and result-specific learning outcomes. Micro-learning helps learners to access information in an immersive style with long-term retention, such as: 

• Short text: Concise text-based content that can be easily digested
• Images: Photos, illustrations and visual aids to enhance the understanding. 
• Videos: Short and informative videos to provide engaging learning experiences. 

10. Use Social Media Resources 

Social media is a powerful tool for sharing relevant training material with your employees. Platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, Quora, and Reddit have a wealth of educational resources from around the globe: 

YouTube: Use YouTube's massive library of videos and shorts for engaging and relevant training content.  

LinkedIn Learning: Offer a whole library of courses on various topics, such as technical skills, soft skills, or industry-specific knowledge.   

Quora and Reddit: Use these platforms to connect with relevant industry professionals, ask questions, and take part in relevant discussions.   

11. Constantly Motivate and Support Your Employees

One of the most common frustrations employees face during training sessions is the lack of motivation. Try developing a training strategy that makes everyone an active part of learning and development programs. 

Socialize with your team members informally and ask them about their honest opinions. Share your personal and professional experiences to motivate them to achieve their learning milestones. You can also connect the training process with their day-to-day tasks to facilitate learning. 

For example, If an employee is struggling with customer service, provide them training on conflict resolution techniques and how to practice them in real-world situations. This constant support and engagement will create a culture of continuous learning in employees. 

Source: Shrm

12. Collect Testimonials from the Start. 

A very common oversight in the training sessions is the lack of feedback and testimonials. Don't wait for the training to be completely finished, and start collecting views, suggestions, and comments from the very beginning. You can ask questions like "What do you like best about this training?", "how to improve training sessions?" or "What challenges are you facing right now?". 

This approach will provide a clear understanding of how your employees are interacting with the training material and the potential outcomes of the learning program. 

13. Emails and Newsletters

Emails and newsletters are less explored but valuable tools for creating anticipation and excitement among employees about different training opportunities: 

Newsletters: Collaborate with different departments and HR to create specialized training newsletters according to the specific interests of each team. 

Targeted Emails: Develop a series of emails that deliver relevant content and material related to training. They should include information about upcoming training announcements, schedules, training processes, and potential benefits.    

14. Improve Your Training Methods Over the Time

Learning and development is a continuous process that evolves over time. Collect data and results from past learning programs to decide how you can improve your training methods. Identify the areas that need upgrading and explore the benefits of technological interventions.

Ask your employees about suggestions for training sessions and future goals to create customized learning paths for them. Remember, an up-to-date training program not only benefits your employees but also increases organizational profitability and ROI. 

Source: Seismic

15. Evaluate the Learners

Tracking your employee's performance is the best way to evaluate whether your training program is meeting its goals. Review your team's assessment scores, course completion rates, and time spent on each lesson to gauge the results of your training. This data will help you identify which employees may need extra attention or support to improve their performance. 

Conclusion 

Investment in employee development and strategy is the foundation of organizational success. . From thorough pre-training assessments to selecting the right methods, there are numerous strategies for businesses looking at how to improve training sessions and employee growth. 

Along with all the training techniques, you have to be really careful about navigating roadblocks and maintaining the optimal training momentum. Coursebox, a leading AI-powered learning platform, can help you. 

Coursebox offers a suite of AI-powered tools that convert your ideas into engaging employee training sessions. Utilize Coursebox's AI assessment, quiz generator, AI tutor, and data analytics to empower your employees and keep them ahead of the curve. 

FAQs 

What are the five steps to effective training?

Here is a five-step process to create an effective training program: 

• Assessment: Identify specific skill gaps and learning objectives.
• Design: Create engaging and interactive learning materials as per your needs.
• Delivery: Implement training sessions using appropriate methods (e.g., in-person, online, blended).
• Evaluation: Measure training effectiveness through assessments and feedback.
• Improvement: Refine training programs based on evaluation results. 

How do you structure a good training session?

A well-structured training session should include clear objectives, engaging content, and a variety of teaching methods. It should also include opportunities for feedback, evaluation, and follow-up support. This comprehensive approach ensures that the training is engaging and meets the needs of learners. 

What are the most important training topics for employees?

Here is a list of some of the most important training topics for employees: 

• Technical skills: Specific skills required for job roles (e.g., software proficiency, data analysis)  
• Soft skills: Interpersonal skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership.
• Compliance training: Ensure that employees understand and adhere to relevant laws and regulations. 
• Leadership development: For managers and supervisors, with a focus on leadership styles, decision-making, and team management.