Have you ever attended a training seminar or in fact had someone come to your store to train you or your team on a new product or system only to find at the end of the training you and/or your team were unable to utilize much of what you learned? Plus when you review the course materials, you end up glazing over into an information coma.
Is this information overload? Or is it an inability to retain information?
Once you make the decision and commit resources to training, it’s essential that you take the necessary steps to get the most out of your investment. The above scenario does not help anyone and is preventable.
First, it’s important to understand how you learn.
According to Wikipedia “Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. They involve educating methods, particular to an individual, that are presumed to allow that individual to learn best. It is commonly believed that most people favor some particular method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information.”
There are three basic types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. To learn, we depend on our senses to process the information around us. Most of us learn by using a combination of learning styles with one style that might dominate how information is processed.
Understanding how you learn at any age can provide you with incredible benefits. Information will come to you easier and you will truly understand and learn. Once you’ve identified how you learn, you can implement a few strategies suggested to students for retaining information. Including:
- If something is unclear – ASK QUESTIONS! It’s important to first make sure that you understand the content.
- When you’re stressed out, the anxiety and stress hormones affect your brain functioning and communication skills.
- When training, you must dedicate a set time for the training and eliminate all interruptions
- Always turn off your cell phone and put it away
- If the training is in your store, divide the team so you have some team taking care of the store while other team members train, then reverse roles.
- Do not allow any interruptions from customers, other team members or any other person requiring your attention during your allocated training time.
- Take as many notes as your need to, to support your training – with questions to address or key phrases to help jog your memory.
The next time you finish a training session and want to complain about the training you received– ask yourself what you learned. Training is a two-way street. Information is provided, but it’s your job to make sure you’re asking questions and comprehending the content. If before you leave you feel unclear – ask – ask – ask questions. Trainers need your feedback to ensure the information is understood. If all participants are seemingly paying attention – and not asking questions…then the trainer can only assume the information is clear and understood. Some information is hard to digest, in order to come away feeling trained you must make sure you’ve tried to learn.
Read more at:
- Suite101: How Stress Affects Your Memory: The Relationship Between Short-term Anxiety & Brain Functioning
- Memory retention is important – beyond just attending seminars. Read this article on the benefits of memory retention for sales.
- To identify your style, visit this site: What’s Your Learning Style?
- http://www.chaminade.org/inspire/learnstl.htm
