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Training Materials: Beyond Paper
Posted on 16. Feb, 2009 by Jeremy in Documentation & Training, Prima Communications Blog
When people think of training materials, they often think of books and worksheets and other paper-based items. These may be useful for some tasks and for some types of learners, but trainers would do well to look for other ways to communicate with employees or students.
Often hands-on methods, such as on-the-job training, videos, games or puzzles, PowerPoint presentations, or team assignments are much more effective training tools than, say, workbooks. While I grudgingly admit you will probably need to use some paper as part of any training program, and occasionally paper-based training may even be the best choice, just make sure you keep an open mind while developing your training materials. Don’t head straight for a piece of paper or a keyboard. Take a few minutes to think about what type of training you are doing, who is going to receive the training, how often is it going to be delivered and by whom, and what the goal of the training is before starting to develop the materials.