Which Modality Best Hits Your Training Goals?

By Evan Hackel 

You have a group of trainees. You have things you want to teach them – skills, behaviors, or information you want them to absorb and use. 

That’s the usual situation before most companies start to design training. But what kind of training will most effectively deliver the knowledge you want to teach, and in the most cost-efficient way? There is no one answer to that question. In most instances, the answer is a blended option rather than just one. 

Let’s review four modalities to be sure you are making the best choices. 

Sales Aids 

Sales aids are signs that you put in the right spot. They are called “sales aids” because they were originally placed on the retail selling floor to drive certain behaviors, but you can use them in many settings. You can put a sign in your washroom that says, “All Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work.” If you have a fast food restaurant, you can put one by the register that says, “Remember to ask all customers if they want fries.” Let’s look at some pros and cons.  

Pros – They’re inexpensive and deliver information exactly where you need things to happen and behaviors to be changed. And they can be placed so they cannot be seen by the general public.  

Cons – They don’t explain why employees should do what you’re asking for. They don’t teach complex techniques or skills. They are simply reminders. But don’t write them off. They can produce the results you want, at extremely low cost.  

Leader-Led Training 

This is the classic “get `em in a room and have somebody teach `em” training modality. It is often the first option people reach for, and for some good reasons. 

Pros – It can be highly interactive. It allows hands-on action training for processes and skills (like software and tech systems) more effectively than eLearning or mobile training. It supports discussions, simulations and other experiences that make it engaging, and a good choice for new employee orientation. Some people learn better in this environment. 

Cons –It is more expensive than eLearning or mobile training because it requires you to pay a trainer, obtain meeting facilities, fly in staff to attend the training, etc. If you cut corners on materials, curriculums design, etc., the training usually ends up wasting time and money.  Because learners have limited  attention spans, it is a mistake to try to cram too much information into a day. And it’s hard to validate that the trainee has learned the material. 

eLearning  

This is training that you deliver to company learning centers or to employee laptops.  

Pros – It is very effective if you have to train employees who are in a lot of different locations. If designed well, it can be engaging and fun. Unlike leader-led training, it offers consistency of messaging, by always delivering information in the same way.  It is particularly effective if there is something you need everyone to precisely learn, and then need to validate that they have learned it. There is a very low cost per trainee. 

Cons –  If it is poorly designed, people will dislike it and resist taking it. Although it can include gamification, quizzes, etc., it is generally not as interactive as live training.  

Mobile-Based Learning 

Training on smartphones is the cool and trendy thing to do – and it is often a great option. But there are pluses and minuses. Training needs to be designed specifically for mobile devices, and generally divided into shorter time periods, to make it effective. 

Pros – Most everybody has a mobile device. Lessons can be very short and to the point, so training takes less time and doesn’t disrupt work. It is excellent for reinforcing concepts, sending out reminders, and things of that nature.   

Cons – It is not areplacement for other kinds of learning, it is best used as an add-on feature. It is a mistake to “shrink” current training programs to run on small mobile devices. Plus, it is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes impossible for employees to learn real skills on little screens. If there are hours of information and lessons to take, they will resist.  

Which Choice Is Best for You? 

This is a trick question because in most instances the answer is a blended mix of the different modalities. Each has its own strengths. Based on your needs, you will use some or all of these different methods. People do tend to look at this as a “one or other” choice, that’s not normally the best solution