I overheard a supervisor train a new employee on merchandising a display of lotions and ointments. I could tell she was busy and had other places to be. Yet this training needed to be done so she was doing it. You know the situation.
The employee listened intently at first, but became overwhelmed by the number of steps involved, the instructions on how to tell which product went where and the consequences if it wasn’t done correctly. The supervisor didn’t mean to train in this manner. She had the best of intentions. I’ll bet, however, that she will end up retraining this individual sometime in the next two weeks or so.
As I stood there watching, I was reminded of the age-old three-step principle of “show them how – do it with them – watch them do it.” This seemingly simply technique is deceptively difficult, not because it’s complicated but because it requires discipline.
It is easy to underestimate the amount of time required for on-the-job training. Since we are already skilled at the job, it’s natural to think, “How hard can this be?” Then there’s the assumption that the trainee will catch on right away. Wrong! When was the last time you got a new skill completely right on the first try? Finally, it is tempting to multi-task while training. Surely, you can clear e-mail, answer others’ questions and train a newbie at the same time. Right?
Sho’em – Do’em – Watch’em requires focus and follow through. You show the person how to perform the task. Then you do it with them. Then you watch them do it. When all three steps are completed, the training has been successfully introduced, grounded in practical application and reinforced by being observed. Additionally it instills a modicum of confidence in the trainee.
This three-step principle will never cease to be an effective strategy for on-the job training, but only if the trainer takes the time and has the discipline to follow-through. Sometimes, you just have to go back to the basics.