A lot of time, effort and expense can go into creating training manuals for a business, so it’s important to make sure they’re effective. A good training manual is going to engage its audience and a great training manual will ensure that people can recall information long after their training session is over. Here is a checklist to help you create effective training manuals for your business.
4 Tips for Creating Effective Training Manuals
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Make Good Use of Visuals
Research shows that 83% of human learning occurs visually. In fact, the right brain can process images hundreds of times faster than words so when producing training manuals, it’s a good idea to include as many visuals as you possibly can. By making good use of colour and graphic design in your training manuals you will increase the visual appeal of documents and increase your chances of engaging your target audience.
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Break-up Information
If you want people to engage in training and retain information then it is important not to overwhelm them with huge chunks of text. Break-up written information with section breaks and try using diagrams and flow-charts to breakdown complex details. Test people’s recall by including short quizzes at the end of each section – inject some fun and keep things light-hearted to remove pressure and keep people engaged.
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Be Interactive
There is no bigger turn-off than a training manual and session being explained by a trainer through the delivery of endless PowerPoint slides. Try to increase engagement by appealing to as many senses as you possibly can. Include sections in your manual that encourage people to see, touch and hear information (if you’re in the food business you could try including smell and taste as well).
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Use Multimedia
As well as creating a training manual that provides opportunities for ‘show and tell’ you can achieve a whole new level of effectiveness by using a combination of print, online and video. Studies have shown that trainees understand and recall new material far more easily if it is presented to them in video format. Allow people to see and hear new information increases the chances of it being stored in their long-term memory.
For help creating training manuals that engage your target audience, speak to the team at your local Kwik Kopy today.
