I recently wrote about what AI (ChatGPT) thinks are the ten most important practices in program evaluation, and when doing that, I was surprised at how accurate I found the results. This got me thinking. What would AI say are the top ten tips for training your employees?
ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses GPT-3, a large language model developed by OpenAI, to generate natural-sounding responses to user input. It can engage in open-ended conversations on various topics and provide information on specific subjects if trained on relevant data. Here is what it said when I asked it the following question: “What are ten tips for training your employees?”
AI’s Top Ten Tips for Training Your Employees
- Clearly communicate the goals and objectives of the training.
- Make sure the training is relevant to the employees’ roles and responsibilities.
- Create a positive learning environment.
- Use a variety of training methods to accommodate different learning styles.
- Provide ample opportunities for employees to practice and apply what they have learned.
- Encourage employees to ask questions and provide feedback.
- Offer ongoing support and resources for employees to continue learning and growing.
- Regularly assess the effectiveness of the training and make any necessary adjustments.
- Recognize and reward employees for their progress and achievements.
- Invest in the professional development of your employees and provide opportunities for growth.
Tips 1 and 9
I appreciate that AI put goals and objectives as the number one tip. Tip number one aligns with my values and beliefs about best practices in employee training. So often, I go to a training session, and no one states the goals and objectives. Participants are asked to surmise through deduction what the goals are, but I have learned that most people are pretty bad at this. Even if they can come up with something, the result is that everyone has slightly different ideas of what the goals are. If you don’t state your goals, it is like saying: Marcy got the bath ready for her daughter wearing a pink tutu. Was Marcy wearing the tutu? Or was her daughter? Your audience is left to make the decision based on context and deduction.
Tip nine also stood out to me. “Recognize and reward employees for their progress and achievements.” As adults who grow up in a behaviorist education system where the desired behavior is reinforced externally through positive reinforcement, I think we could initially read this and feel a bit icky about the insinuation that we need to give employees “at-a-boys” for them to have a positive experience in trainings. Instead, we can choose to read it as a necessity to provide transparency about the employee’s progress toward the goals and objectives. This will build resilience and internal motivation to make progress.
If you are ready to invest in the professional development of your employees and provide opportunities for growth, reach out to me! I would love to have a conversation with you about how I can help.
Want to know more about Empowered Development Consulting? Reach out to me, Meghan Schiedel, and find out how Empowered Development Consulting can help you.