Training styles and methods

Overview

Understanding how you learn to do things is an important part of your personal development.  Do you prefer to read, or listen to information, or is it better that you are able to practice doing something.  Do you prefer videos to reading a book? Is classroom training better than on the job sitting next to someone and learning from them?

Similarly how you are trained may impact on your ability to retain the information you are shown/taught.  From an organisational perspective a variety of training methods, such induction and mandatory training); on the job training, or on-line training, group participation or engagement in a project, all provide an opportunity to learn.

However on a personal level, you can also complete on-line training style questionnaires to help you understand how you learn. Providing feedback on how you prefer to learn will also help your manager understand how to deliver training.

Why is this important

From the moment you commence employment you are learning.   You will have an induction, be required to complete training which is needed for your role (mandatory and statutory training) and learn about the role you are undertaking by reading literature, listening to people, observing behaviours. Most of the methods and styles of delivery in these circumstances will be determined by your employer.

You will therefore, need to consider how this may affect your ability to retain the information you are provided with.  This will be especially important if you have for example  dyslexia, English is not your first language, you have hearing or visual problems.  It may also be as simple as it impacts on your motivation to learn.

However, there will be aspects of your learning when you can choose how to learn. Studying for a qualification, shadowing someone who you wish to learn more from, deciding to expand your area of knowledge in your own role by specialising in a particular area.

Skills Review

Having completed this sub-topic I will understand the importance of these skills.

• I am able to identify ways in which I can identify my learning style to maximise my personal and professional development.