Rachel’s round up: Team training getting started

I was recently asked “I want to start offering regular team training sessions but don’t know where to start, what do you advise?”

For team training sessions to be successful they need to be consistent, so the first thing you need to do is decide on the frequency of training sessions. Ideally weekly but you may decide fortnightly or monthly work better with your business.

Next how long will the session be? If there is longer between sessions it’s advisable to allocate more time.
I for example allocate one hour weekly. The frequency means we can have a rolling programme that is easy to pick up the following week, but also if there is urgent need to discuss with the team it can be addressed quickly. If sessions are further apart I would advise a minimum of two hours

Planning is the third step. Deciding on the training needs of the team. This could be subjects set out by the GDC or practice needs. Devise a training schedule or programme, always aim to have training goals for the next three months laid out.
Ensure training sessions have a clear agenda – with measurable and achievable Aims and Outcomes

Fourth, who is going to deliver the training? The training manager is responsible for the planning but may not always deliver each and every session. It’s good practice to utilise the skills and knowledge of other team members.

Documenting the sessions is the fifth step. Put together a training file which will contain your training schedule, logs for each member of staff so you can keep a record of the training sessions and whether they were verifiable or non-verifiable, attendance registers for those present to sign, any minutes that were taken and a copy of the session content.

And finally, make them fun! Not every training session should be one person standing there talking, make them interactive, add practical elements, remember not everyone learns the same way and it’s proven that the best form of learning takes place through play!

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