We’re back with a look at the final section of ANSI Z490.1, the American National Standard for Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training. In this article, we’re going to look at ANSI Z490.1’s recommendations for documenting your EHS training and keeping records. Because this article is the first in a series about ANSI Z490.1, know that we’ve got separate articles covering: ANSI Z490.1 Introduction Sections 1, 2, and 3 (scope/purpose/application, definitions, and training program administration/management) Section 4 (developing EHS training) Section 5 (EHS trainers and training environments) Section 6 (evaluating EHS training) Section 7 (EHS training documentation and recordkeeping) Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more. EHS Training Records: Documentation and Recordkeeping ANSI Z490.1 notes that documentation and recordkeeping are important parts of an overall training management program (remember, the program is covered in Section 3). Those records are to cover the following phases of EHS training: Development of EHS training (development as a general topic is covered in section 4) Delivery of EHS training (delivery as a general topic is covered in section 5) Evaluation of the training program (evaluation as a general topic is covered in section 6) We’ll cover ANSI’s documentation requirements of each section or phase of EHS training below. General Requirements for EHS Training Documentation and Recordkeeping The standard notes that you should set up a recording system for all EHS training records and documents, and that the system should guarantee that (7.1.1): The records are easy to retrieve and identify and are maintained in an orderly fashion The records are current, accurate, legible, and dated, and that the dates should include revision dates when appropriate The records satisfy relevant/applicable regulatory and/or legislative requirements The records are maintained for a specified time period On the issue of maintaining records for a specified time period, the standard notes that the amount of time that records should be kept may be mandated by legislation, regulations, and/or company policy. Your company’s written training plan should include procedures for document control of these documents and records. EHS Training Records: Confidentiality and Availability The standard again reminds you that, when it comes to "access, availability, and confidentiality of records," your written training plan should include procedures for this. That written training plan is showing its worth again here. On the issue of confidentiality, the standard reminds you that your EHS training records must "meet regulatory requirements for availability, disclosure, confidentiality, and protection of trade secrets." (7.3.1) Records of EHS Training Development As a reminder, development is the phase during which you’re creating your EHS training materials, and it’s covered in section 4. You may not have thought that you’d need to keep records of this, but Z490.1 says you should. Here’s what it says those records should include: Your target audience The learning objectives Sources used to develop your training materials The person(s) designing and developing the training materials The qualifications of that person/those people All training materials developed for a course Plans for evaluating the course and for continuing improvement of the course Records of EHS Training Delivery Now this one may be less of a surprise. You probably figured you’d have to keep records of your training delivery (covered in section 5). But even here, you may be surprised by the information the standard suggests recording. Here’s what the standard says to record: Date of training Location of training Duration of training Name and description of course Names of person(s) delivering training Qualification of that person(s) Delivery method used for training Trainees attending/participating Trainees who successfully completed the training Records of EHS Training Evaluation Finally, you should create and maintain documents of your training evaluation (evaluation is covered in section 6). Evaluation records should include: Records of your actual training evaluations Records of periodic reevaluation of the course Issuing Credits and Certificates for Completion of EHS Training Finally, Section 7.4 addresses topics related to issuing credits and certificates. One thing it says that is "no credits or certificate of training shall be issued unless the criteria for completion have been met by the trainee." (7.4.1) Fair enough, no? Second, it says that if the training provider does issue credits for completed training, "they shall be issued in accordance with recognized established standards, regulations, or industry protocols." (7.4.2) And finally, when issuing a certificate or other written documentation that signifies the successful completion of a course to the trainee, the certificate must include: Trainee’s name A unique number that identifies the trainee Course title Date and hours of instruction Statement that trainee has successfully completed the course Number of credits, if issued Name and address of the training provider Date the periodic refresher course is due (if required), or the completion expiration date The level of training or type of certificate awarded (if applicable) Any other information required by any related regulation Signature of BOTH trainee and training provider Conclusion of ANSI Z490.1 Summary Articles That wraps up our overview of ANSI Z490.1, the American National Standard covering Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training. Soon we’ll have some form of downloadable guide that includes information on all the sections. Until then, feel free to go back and look at the different articles you may be interested in, or read them all in order from start to finish: ANSI Z490.1 Introduction Sections 1, 2, and 3 (scope/purpose/application, definitions, and training program administration/management) Section 4 (developing EHS training) Section 5 (EHS trainers and training environments) Section 6 (evaluating EHS training) Section 7 (EHS training documentation and recordkeeping)   Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more.   The post EHS Training Records & Documentation: Best Practices from ANSI Z490.1 Section 7 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Not that long ago, we wrote a lengthy discussion of graphics and visuals for training materials. The article introduced 25 graphic techniques for making your training materials more effective, and it was based on the book Visual Language for Designers by Connie Malamed. That post was so popular, and we found writing it to be so informative, that we thought we’d dig deep again and read another book on the issue of training graphics and visuals in training materials. This time, we checked out Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials by Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark and Chopeta Lyons. It’s a create guide full of tips for how to create graphics for elearning (and all types of learning, really). If Malamed’s book was considerable in length-and it was-then the Clark/Lyons book goes even further-a whopping 420 pages. So, we’ll cover different aspects of the book in different posts. In this post, we’re going to just look at a part of Clark & Lyon’s book that introduces six different types of graphics and when to use each in training materials. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider-we make several learning management systems (LMSs) to meet the needs of companies of different sizes and in different industries, many libraries of e-learning courses for workforce training, custom training solutions for any industry, and mobile apps to bring training and workforce efficiency tools to your mobile device. Contact us if you have questions or want a demo. Why Use Graphics in Training Materials? This may seem obvious, but let’s start at the beginning. Why should you use graphics and/or visuals in your training materials at all? The obvious reason to add graphics to your training-which is the same reason you should always have before you add anything to your training-is they CAN make your training more effective. In fact, a study by Richard Meyer shows that adding RELEVANT graphics to training materials can create an average learning gain of 89% compared to learning materials that are just text (see note 1). So that’s pretty significant and compelling. But did you notice that word RELEVANT up above? That’s key. Because if a graphic isn’t relevant to the training material, or if it’s inappropriate in some other way, you can kiss that 89% learning gain goodbye. In fact, if you’re not careful, your use of visuals can actually depress learning, meaning they cause people to learn LESS than they would from training materials that are purely text-based. So what we’ve got here is the classic double-edge sword. Use relevant graphics in an appropriate manner, and you help people learn more. Use irrelevant graphics and/or use them in an inappropriate manner, and you’re making it harder for people to learn. So graphic wisely, my friend! How to Create Graphics for eLearning: Different Types of Graphics One way to make sure you’re using a graphic (a) that’s relevant and (b) appropriately for your training goal is to determine what type of graphic it is. Clark and Lyons’ book gives us a list of seven different types of graphics: Decorative graphics Representational graphics Mnemonic graphics Organizational graphics Relational graphics Transformational graphics Interpretive graphics Let’s begin by learning what they mean by each of these different types of visuals. Decorative Graphics A decorative graphic is a pretty picture, or an image that’s added for purely aesthetic reasons, or one that’s added purely for the sake of humor, or one added because it’s "interesting" or "kinda" related to the training topic but not directly related to the learning objectives. An example that Clark and Lyons give in their book is an image of an airplane being struck by lightning in a lesson about how lightning forms. Clark and Lyons say that you shouldn’t add graphics merely for decorative purposes. It may seem like it will draw your learner’s attention, and that’s true-but it risks drawing their attention away from the material you’re trying to teach. Let’s consider another example, something I saw in real life. It was a clip-art image of a pumpkin placed in the corner of a PowerPoint presentation that was about hot work in industrial facilities. The pumpkin  was added because the training session was held right around Halloween. You can see it did nothing to support the learning objective of teaching me the hazards of hot work and the rules for doing it safely, but you can also imagine that it might have sparked any number of thoughts in my head related to Halloween. Although the Clark/Chopeta book addresses this use of decorative images well, perhaps the classic treatment of this is in Richard Mayer’s book Multimedia Learning, so feel free to check that out if you’re curious for more on this. Because these types of images are discouraged, we don’t have a sample image to share with you here. Unless you count that smiley-face emoji. Representational Graphics A representational image is a "realistic" depiction of a person, place, thing, or symbol. That doesn’t mean it has to be a photograph or entirely life-like. A simplified line drawing-for example, a line drawing that traces the outline of a bicycle-qualifies as representational in this context. Below is an example representational graphic. It’s an image of wire rope from our Wire Rope Basics course. It’s an accurate representation of wire rope and helps explain to a new worker what wire rope is. It goes one step further than perhaps a photo might be able to do, though, by using animation to show the inner core of the rope and the outer strands. An image of wire rope and its different parts: an example of a representational training graphic Mnemonic Graphic Mnemonic graphics are graphics intended to help people remember factual information that would otherwise be hard to remember. These are related to the old mnemonic devices that we all learned about in elementary school-ROY G. BIV for remembering the colors of the visible spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet), and Did King Phillip Came Over From Germany Swimmingly? as a way to remember the different levels within the biology taxonomy (Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species). Below is a an example of a mnemonic graphic from our Alert Driving course. The image of an oar helps reinforce a three-step method for driving safely-Observe, Anticipate, and React. An image of an oar used to remind learners of the Observe, Anticipate, and React method of defensive driving; an example of a mnemonic graphic Organizational Graphics Organizational graphics show "qualitative" relationships between things. For example, a graphic organizer in a book that explains the different parts of the book and how they are related together is an organizational graphic. I mention this in particular because it’s something that Clark and Lyons do very well in the book we’re drawing these ideas from. Below is an an example of an organizational graphic from a course on Hot Work Permits. It’s from an early screen in the course, and displays visually for the learner the four hot work "roles" that the course will explain. The course returns to this image, highlighting the relevant role, before explaining the responsibilities of each role. A graphic like this helps to set the scene for a learner and remind the learner throughout the training where he/she "is," what’s being discussed, and why. Image showing the four roles involved in issuing a hot work permit: an example of an organizational graphic Relational Graphics A relational graphic shows "quantative" relationships. Examples include pie charts and bar graphs showing numerical trends. Here’s a relational graphic from a source on process control charts. As you can see, the chart shows the relationship between moisture content and different paper rolls. A process control chart showing moisture in different rolls of produced tissue paper: an example of a relational graphic Transformational Graphics Transformational graphics illustrate change or movement through time and/or space. For example, an image of an infant, a child, a teenager, an adult, and a senior citizen placed along a timeline would be a transformational graphic, because it helps to illustrate the transformation in aging. Below is a transformational graphic from our Pulping and Papermaking Overview course. The graphic shows the transformation that occurs in the industrial process that converts wood to pulp and eventually to paper. The course, naturally, then explains how that process happens. Graphic showing transformation of raw product (wood) to pulp and finally to finished product (paper): example of transformational graphic Interpretive Graphics Interpretive graphics illustrate abstract concepts or things that are invisible. Here’s an interpretive graphic from our Anhydrous Ammonia course (anhydrous ammonia is a chemical used in fertilizers, power plants, and as a refrigerant). The interpretive graphic helps the learner understand the structure and components of the anhydrous ammonia molecule. Here’s an image of anhydrous ammonia at a molecular level: an example of an interpretive graphic   Next: Different Types of Training Content and Training Goals/Objectives Now that we’ve looked at some different kinds of visuals you can use in your training, let’s look at the other side of the coin. We’ll now consider the type of material you’re trying to teach your learner. The point, as you might have guessed, is that you’ll pick a specific type of training visual to match the type of training material you’re trying to teach your learner. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s introduce some different types of training materials and/or different training goals. They are: Facts Concepts Processes Procedures Principles Now let’s learn more about each of the types: I believe this scheme for breaking down training materials into these different types originated with M. David Merrill and his Component Display Theory. Click to read more more about Merrill’s Component Display Theory. Now that you’ve got the different types of training materials down, let’s see which graphics to use for which type of training material. Different Training Graphics for Different Types of Training Materials: How to Pick the Right Training Graphic Now that you know the different types of graphics and the different types of training material, below are some tips for which types of graphics to use for each of the different types of training materials. Facts Here are Clark’s tips for using graphics to help teach your learners facts. Representational graphics work well for facts. For example, a realistic picture of a hammer that’s labeled "hammer." Clark has a few other tips for you regarding facts. First, because facts can be hard to remember, try to create a job aid that includes helpful visuals and post that job aid where the worker needs the information. So, instead of a picture of a hammer, a poster in the work area with 20 different tools, each labeled, would be optimal. Also, if you are including a representational image of a fact, Clark suggests including it within its normal work context. For example, a picture of a hammer on the work bench in the work area. Organizational graphics can also help when creating graphics of facts. For example, in the section above, we suggested putting together a job aid with pictures of 20 tools on a poster. You can apply the benefits of an organizational graphic by putting the tools into some form of two-dimensional table, and by putting hammers and hammer-like tools on the top row and pliers and plier-like tools on the bottom row. Mnemonic graphics can be a help in cases when you can’t create a job aid like the poster with pictures of tools discussed above. The mnemonic graphic can help the learner commit the fact to memory in a way that makes it easier to retrain the information and retrieve it when it’s needed. Relational graphics can help explain facts during training when the facts are numerical. For example, a pie chart that shows customers in different industries, or a bar graph that shows increasing injuries over time. Processes Here are Clark’s tips for using images to help training your employees about processes. Transformational graphics work well for explaining processes. Think of flow diagrams and charts, with images of the "changing" materials/product at each stage of an industrial process. Relational graphics can also work well for processes. Here, think of schematic drawings and visual analogies to help explain something abstract, like how a computer system receives data from one system, processes that data, and passes it on to another system. Procedures Here are Clark’s tips for using images to help training your employees about procedures. A "blend" of representational and transformational graphics can work well for procedures. For example, if you’re teaching someone to use a software application, use representational screenshots put together to show multiple screens and the changes in those screens throughout the procedure. Or, to teach someone a specific procedure when working with a machine, use realistic images of the various steps within one graphic that shows the entire "flow" of the procedure. Principles: And finally, here are Clark’s tips for using images to help training your employees about principles. Representational graphics that "mirror" the work environment can be effective during training. This is especially true if you’re setting up a computerized training simulation and/or scenario-based learning experience. For example, if you’re teaching clerical staff to perform clerical tasks, a computerized image of a typical office at work with "hot spots" such as the filing cabinet and the computer terminal that they click on at appropriate moments to explain the appropriate work flow would work well. Interpretive graphics work well for explaining principles-for example, relationships between various described in scientific observations. Clark further notes that there’s "a clear relationship between the amount of time learners spend with visuals and subsequent learning," and so suggests "to encourage learners to engage with static interpretive visuals, include questions that promote the processing of such visuals, for example, "explain in your own words why…." (see note 2) Conclusion To Our Different Training Graphics for Different Training Content Blog Post That’s that-hope you enjoyed it and learned a thing or two. Many thanks and all credit to Clark and Lyons for writing the book this material is based on. Remember that we encourage you to buy and read it yourself-Clark & Lyons, Graphics for Learning. And, if you’re interested in stuff about visuals and training materials, don’t forget our earlier blog post with 25 Graphic Design Techniques for Better Training, which is itself based on a different book by Connie Malamed-Visual Language for Designers. This book is also highly recommended. As a further note, we hear that Malamed has just finished another, similar book and think it’s out right now-check that one out too. We’ll follow up this blog post with some additional posts based on the Clark and Lyons book. We’ve got one in particular in mind, covering their suggestions for using visuals for the following cognitive/learning purposes: Direct Attention Awaken Prior Knowledge Minimize Memory Load Build Mental Models Transfer Learning Motivate Learning Learner Differences Have a great day, and let us know your own thoughts about training and the visuals that make training better (or worse). NOTES: 1. See Clark/Lyons, More than Just Eye Candy: Graphics for e-Learning, The e-Learning Developer’s Journal, August 11, 2003 (accessed on web here: http://www.clarktraining.com/content/articles/MoreThanEyeCandy_part1.pdf) 2. See Clark/Lyons, Graphics for Learning, p. 319. The post How to Create Graphics for eLearning: Matching Graphics to Content appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just read Robert Mager’s book Developing Attitude Toward Learning, one of six books in the classic "Mager Six Pack" series. In this article, we’ll give you a short book review. We have another, longer article if you’d like to study in more detail his ideas about creating enthusiastic trainees who want to put their new knowledge and skills into practice at work. Before we begin, know that this is part of a series of articles looking at the books and ideas in the Mager Six Pack. So far, we’ve also got articles on the following: Book Reviews Book Review: Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems Book Review: Mager’s Goals Analysis Book Review: Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives Overviews of Mager’s Techniques Mager’s Technique: Analyzing Performance Problems Mager’s Technique: Goal Analysis Mager’s Technique: How to Write Performance-Based Learning Objectives With that out of way, let’s get to this book review. Need any help with your training program at work? Check out the e-learning courses from Convergence Training, our family of learning management systems, or just contact us. Mager’s Developing Attitude Toward Learning  Mager’s book outlines a few key points: People can influence other people That influence can change the way the influenced person/people act or behave In this way, trainers can have a great influence on learners who attend their training The influence that trainers have on learners can affect how positively or negatively the learners feel about the training topic The positive or negative feelings that the learners have about the training topic after the training is complete will influence their excitement and willingness to put the new knowledge, skill, and/or attitude "in action" at work Given the set of basic assumptions listed above, Mager argues persuasively for doing what we can to help our learners create or maintain a positive attitude about the training topic. Along those lines, he gives a series of lists of things to do and not do. These lists include things you’d do before the training session, during the training session, and after. The book was written with a classroom style/instructor-led teacher in mind, but many of the lessons apply to other types of training, including written materials (for example, we could include the importance of writing the instructional materials here) and e-learning (and we could include the importance of using compelling, well-conceived visuals here).  Great. But How Was the Book? Now that you know what the book’s about and have a general sense of Mager’s ideas, let’s turn to the fun part of the review. Does it teach worthwhile stuff? Was it a fun read? Would I recommend it? I’d answer "yes" three times here, although with a little more reservation than the hearty recommendations that I gave to some of his other books. I guess this one just seemed a little basic. It’s still worthwhile, though, and a good reminder even if you’re heard all or most of it before. We all benefit from reminders, and I admit I used lessons from the book to sharpen some of the things I have been doing in instructor-led training sessions too. Hope you found that helpful. Again, if you want the full story, check out our in-depth discussion of his ideas in the book and then go read the book yourself. And keep your eyes on our blog as we continue working through the books in this series-we’ve got two more books to cover.     The post Book Review: Robert Mager’s "Developing Attitude Toward Learning" appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

If you’re a trainer or design instructional material, your job is to train people. But what exactly are you training them? What kinds of things? If your initial answer is "stuff for work," we can dive down a little deeper on that. The benefit of doing so is that once we realize that we train people on different kinds of "stuff for work" (or to speak a little more formally, we train people to help them with different types of learning), you can get a little more efficient and use different training techniques for each of those different types of learning that you want your employees to master. That’s what we’re going to cover in this blog post. So if that sounds spot-on, continue reading. If you’re not quite sure how you feel about it, keep reading nonetheless, if you can spare the time. You just might find some tips to make the training programs at your workplace more effective and efficient. Different Types of Learning Different Types of Learning-Listed So, let’s go back to that earlier discussion of teaching workers, and wanting them to learn, "stuff for work" Obviously, you know that’s such a crude phrase it’s silly. You can break that down immediately, right? For example, you’d probably agree that there are things that your employees have to "know," and other things that they have to "know how to do." Right? So if our goal is to start teaching out the different types of learning, we’ve got a little start already. But we can go even deeper, breaking that down further. How do these types of learning strike you? Facts Concepts Processes Procedures Principles Troubleshooting We’re going to spell each of these types of learning out for you in the sections below, but take a moment to review the list right now by yourself. Do you know what each of these are? Can you come up with an example of each? Can you think of times when you’ve tried to help workers learn each of them? A note about sources: We’re not just typing out free associations here. As Newton said in his famous letter, we’re "standing on the shoulders of giants" in presenting this information. Most of these ideas originated with M. David Merrill’s Content-Performance Matrix. That original idea has been worked with and fleshed out by Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark in her books Developing Technical Training and Graphics for Learning and by Wellesley R. Foshay, Kenneth H. Silber, and Michael B. Stelnicki in their book Writing Training Materials that Work. These are the primary sources for this article (both Clark and Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki seem to begin with Merrill as a starting point; later, there are some places where they seem to call items from Merrill by different words, but I’ve "merged" those for simplicity, and still later, Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki add a "troubleshooting" level that perhaps extends beyond what Merrill and Clark talk about but could be considered an extension of "principles." Different Types of Learning-Defined Now let’s take a closer look at those different types of learning. Here’s a list of the kind of things you’ll probably want your employees to learn, with an example of each. Training to Remember and Training to Apply One way to look at training people is you can train them to "know" things and/or training them to "use" or "apply" that knowledge on the job. When it comes to facts, you’ll train people because you want them to know the facts. So you’ll want them to be able to prove they remember the facts by having them repeat, list, or state them. When it comes to the other types of learning, you want them to "know," but when it comes to on-the-job performance, you want them to be able to apply that knowledge. So that’s what you’ll be trying to teach them, what you should let them practice, and what you should assess their learning-by having them apply it in a realistic way, like they would on the job. Here’s a table to help explain that better. Matching Training Methods to Learning Types Now that we’ve identified the six different types of learning listed above, let’s look at some suggestions for how to train your workers for each type of learning. Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Facts As Clark notes, "facts are unique, one of a kind information." (1) For example: This is the Metsko paper machine Our goal is to produce tissue paper of X density Every week we need to manufacture 300 tons of cardboard It’s inefficient for the brain to process, store, and retrieve facts, simply because they’re somewhat random. All our brains can do is commit each individual fact to memory. And traditionally, job training programs (and yes, school education too) has tended to rely too much on getting people to remember facts. Use a Job Aid for Facts When Possible Instead of having people remember facts, try whenever possible to simply create job aids (or references) that they can refer to on the job and/or during training. For example, if a machine operator needs to enter up to ten different codes into a machine at different times of the day based on different circumstances, don’t try to teach the operator to remember all the codes. Instead, during training, provide a list of the codes and teach the operator to enter them at the correct times. Likewise, provide a job aid that includes a list of the codes at the spot in the work area where the operator needs to enter them. Tips for When it’s Necessary to Train Learners to "Know" Facts In some cases, a job aid won’t cut it and you will have to provide some training to your workers on the facts themselves. Below are some tips from Clark’s book: Use Diagrams for "Concrete" Facts A "concrete" is something unique and specific; Clark’s example is the 1040EZ tax form (which is distinct from the concept of "tax forms"). Another example might be "this is the off button for the bagger." One way to train your workers to identify concrete facts like this is to include a diagram with labels. For example, imagine a diagram of that bagger, with various parts, including the off button, labeled. Use Tables and Lists for "Data" Facts Present data, such as specifications about machine operating conditions, in the form of a list or table instead of embedding it in a normal written paragraph. Presenting data in this manner makes it easier to scan and process. Use Sentences and Labels in Written Training Materials When Presenting Facts that Associate Two Concepts In some cases, a fact might create an association between two concepts. A simple example might be "great white sharks are the apex predators in California’s Red Triangle region." A more work-focused example might be "ideal operating conditions for paper machines is to run between 85 and 95 percent peak efficiency." In that example, present the fact in written materials with a label and then the fact in sentence form. Like this: Ideal Operating Conditions: Paper machines should run at 85-95 percent capacity for ideal operating conditions. Ask Employees to Derives Rules and Guidelines for Facts During Training Stop and think of it. Facts presented in lecture format during training can put your employees to sleep pronto. "This is a winder. This is an accumulator. This is a log saw. This is a wrapper. This is a bundler. Etc…" Instead of presenting facts in such a dry manner that presents information passively to your learners, try turning the tables so they’re active participants in their training. Here’s Clark’s example: "…show an illustration of two or three sales tickets and ask, "What three items must be included on all sales tickets?" (2) And here’s a different example: Show six rolls of paper towel-three rolls that pass QA test and three rolls that don’t. Then ask the students to list 2-3 characteristics of acceptable paper towel rolls. Provide Plenty of Practice When Training on Facts Because facts are somewhat random and the brain therefore processes them inefficiently, you’ll want to provide lots of practice for using facts during your training. Clark recommends four different methods of doing this: "Weave" factual information into training-If you’re training employees to perform a skill task, and performing that skill or task requires some set of factual knowledge, provide the employees with some reference of those facts (like a written document with the facts written down at their desk) that they can use during training. Use a factual reference during training-If you’re training employees to perform a skill to task, and they’ll be able to refer to a job aid when performing the skill or task on the job, then have them practice using the job aid during the training too. Drill and practice (consider e-learning for this)-In some cases, you won’t be able to provide a job aid for the worker to use in the field. Maybe it would create a safety risk, either because it would distract the worker from a critical task at hand or because the information needs to be retrieved in a split-second. In that case, old-fashioned drill-and-practice can help people "automate" their retrieval of facts. As a kid, I learned the multiplication tables with flash cards. Now e-learning courses are a more efficient way to do it. But let’s not kid ourselves-this can get boring. As a result, Clark suggests trying to embed the drill and practice into some form of game (search the Internet for "gamification and learning"-it’s a big thing these days). Use mnemonic devices-It can be easier to remember a fact if it’s somehow associated with something else in your brain. As a kid, you may have learned the mnemonic devices "every good boy deserves fudge," "Dumb King Phillip Came Over from Germany Swimmingly" (I know, "dumb" isn’t very nice), and "ROY. G. BIV." Quick test-do you remember what these mnemonic devices stand for? If so, then that’s a testament to the power of this technique. When you can, try to create your own mnemonic devices to help your learners associate one fact with something else they know. Assessing Learners on Factual Information You rarely or never want to train someone a fact for its own sake. For example, you wouldn’t teach your learners what the bundler is just so they’ll know. Instead, you teach them what they bundler so is they can go to the bundler and begin operating it at the start of their shift. Or, to make the point more directly, you’ll typically teach knowledge-based stuff like facts so that people can use those facts while performing some task on the job. As a result, it’s not so important to test your employees on the actual facts. Instead, test their ability to perform the skill or task that you want them to perform on the job. If they can do it, then they know the facts well enough. For additional information about specific types of graphics or visuals to use when training employees about facts, see our How to Create Graphics for eLearning post.  Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Concepts One way to think of concepts is that they’re nouns. Or, in other words, they’re a set of things that share a number of critical characteristics. In Clark’s example, she says that all chairs are intended for sitting and have a back, a seat, some form of support from the floor (3). In a more work-related example, all palletizers have a way to put an empty pallet into place, stack product onto that pallet, remove the pallet when it’s full, and continue the cycle. Two Types of Concepts There are two types of concepts: Concrete-Things like chairs and palletizers Abstract-Things like integrity and efficiency You’re probably most likely to train people about concrete concepts. It’s OK to train people on abstract concepts, but make sure you really know what you yourself mean (example: how exactly do you recognize "integrity"?). Learning Concepts to Remember and Learning Concepts to Apply In some cases, you’ll want your employees to remember concepts, and in others, you’ll want them to to apply those concepts. Let’s see what we mean here: Remembering a concept--employee can restate the key characteristics. For example, they could restate the three characteristics of a palletizer. However, that in itself doesn’t mean they can identify a palletizer "in the field," if you will. Apply a concept-employee can use the remember characteristics to identify the concept. For example, the employee can walk onto the workfloor and identify the palletizers. You typically won’t train workers about concepts just so they can restate the key characteristics (meaning they "remember"). Instead, you’ll want them to apply the concept. In some cases, that’s the task they’ll perform-like, identify defective products and remove them. In other cases, they’ll need to identify one or more concepts in order to complete a procedure. For example, they may have to complete a procedure that involves five different tools or pieces of equipment, and as a result will need to know what each tool or equipment is and does. Because you’re most likely training workers about concepts because you want them to apply the concept, make sure your learning objective is some form of action: "identify defective paper rolls" or "use machine X, machine Y, and machine Z to perform Task A." Training Materials for Concepts Clark recommends that you provide three things when teaching people about concepts (4). They are: A definition-What are the characteristics that are critical to this concept-for example, chairs have back, seats, and a method of supporting themselves from the ground. Examples-Different items that are part of this concept-for example, different types of chairs. Non-examples-Things that aren’t part of the concept-something that’s closely related but not a match. For example, couches and beds are good non-examples of the concept "chair." Analogies for Training about Concepts Analogies are an effective and helpful way to teach concepts. An analogy is something that’s similar to but different than the concept. Clark gives an example of cutting up a pie into different-sized pieces to explain fractions of numbers. Analogies are helpful because they take something the learner is not familiar with and show how it’s like something the learner is familiar with. As a result, analogies only work when they compare the new concept with something the learner already knows. Practice for Training about Concepts Like most all training, your learners will benefit from practice when they’re learning a concept. Because you’ll probably want them to be able to recognize when things "fit" or "don’t fit" in a concept, you should set up scenarios in which they’re given examples and non-examples of the concept and ask them to correctly identify each. For additional information about specific types of graphics or visuals to use when training employees about concepts, see our How to Create Graphics for eLearning post.  Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Processes When you train employees about a process, you’re teaching them how something works. Some common types of processes that Clark describes are (5): Business processes-a description of an organizational work flow. Examples include hiring, performance reviews, submitting expense reports, etc. These include steps performed by different people and/or different departments/teams (if it’s something in which all steps are done by one person, it would be considered a procedure). Technical processes-a description of the different stages in an industrial, manufacturing, or technical process Scientific processes-a description of how natural phenomenon occur (such as lightning or a tornado) Benefits of Process Training Employees can benefit from understanding processes for multiple reasons, and understanding how the employee can benefit can help you determine if they need a more superficial, high-level overview or an in-depth, detailed explanation. Understanding a business process-understanding a business process can help your worker know why the steps he or she must perform are important and/or exactly what’s important in each step (because they’ll know how others later use that). In many cases, you can provide only a superficial overview of a business process-just enough so the person knows how their steps fit into the big picture. Understanding a technical process-you might want to teach a person about an entire technical process so they’ll know how the part they work on fits, which gives the employee a better chance of creating their part so it "fits in" well-the example that Clark gives in her book is of a computer programmer writing a piece of code that would be added to a larger code base. Another reason Clark mentions, and a key one in many industrial and manufacturing facilities, is that understanding how a process works is key for workers who have to keep that process operating within established productions goals and for others who are responsible for troubleshooting and fixing problems. Finally, having at least a superficial understanding of a work process at an industrial facility may improve overall morale. Remembering or Applying Processes You may want employees only to remember a process or know how to apply it. If your goal is just to make the employee understand a process, then you can keep the training superficial and expect them only to be able to know or explain the process. If your goal is to have them apply the concept, so their work fits into the overall product or so they can later troubleshoot a process, your training should teach them to apply (not just remember/restate) and you should assess your learners to use the knowledge of the process while applying the process (in troubleshooting, for example). Presenting Processes During Training Clark provides the following tips for presenting a process during training with employees: If there are facts that the employee must know while learning the process, explain those first. For example, if a process involves multiple machines, including an "accumulator," begin by telling the names of the machines involved, including the accumulator and explain briefly what it does. Explain the process in a combination of words, images, and tables/diagrams/charts. Present the process within an orderly chart, diagram, or flow chart, making the order of the different steps clear. Images that represent the different stages of a process can be very helpful, especially if there’s some form of visibly apparent "transformation" at each of the steps. Allowing Practice for Learners In some cases, it really won’t be necessary to let your employees practice with their understanding of a process. If identifying the different steps of the process isn’t something they’ll need to do on the job, then don’t bother setting up an opportunity for practice. For example, if you’ve explained a process just so they’ll know how the paperwork they create is used by other coworkers in different departments later, there’s no real need for practice. In other cases, though, your employees WILL need to use their understanding of a process during their jobs. For example, if a maintenance worker has to troubleshoot a system to diagnose and fix a problem, he/she will have to use that process understanding to troubleshoot effectively. In that case, you should set up practice scenarios that allow the employee to practice using the process information to perform the troubleshooting (or whatever else they’d do on the job). Don’t just have them list the steps of the process. (You’ll read more about troubleshooting later in this article.) Evaluating Employees for Their Mastery of Processes The same points we just made about practice for concepts applies to evaluating employees’ understanding of processes as well. So, if you want your employees to have a superficial, overview-level understanding of a process just so they understand how their work "fits in," you probably shouldn’t evaluate them on the process. But, if you do have to evaluate them because they’ll have to use their understanding of the process on the job, then don’t just ask them to list the steps or explain the process, but evaluate them on their ability to perform the task(s) that requires them to understand the process (like evaluate them on troubleshooting exercises). For additional information about specific types of graphics or visuals to use when training employees about processes, see our How to Create Graphics for eLearning post.  Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Procedures A procedure is a simple list of task of steps that a worker must complete. Identifying the Steps/Stages of Your Procedure It can be a little tricky to correctly identify all the steps of a procedure before you teach the procedure to employees. If you’re not an expert on the procedure, this may be because you don’t know the procedure yourself. If that’s the case, talk with people who know the procedure well, and have them help you identify the steps. It can also be helpful to watch someone performing the procedure in the field, or to video tape them, so you can observe what they’re doing. Be careful if you’re trying to learn the steps of a procedure from an expert performer. In many cases, experts like this know a procedure so well that parts of it become "automatic" to them. This means when they tell you the different steps, they may leave some out. Again, here’s where watching in the field or videotaping can help. Identifying Steps for Novices and Steps for More Experienced Workers When you’re identifying the steps of a procedure, keep in mind the type of employees you will be training and their related knowledge. In some cases, something that’s only a single "step" for an experienced worker will have to be presented as multiple steps for workers who are entirely new to the material. Clark gives a good example of logging on to a computer. For a worker who’s familiar with computers, that’s a simple step in a procedure. But for workers who aren’t familiar with computers, that’s multiple steps (turn on, press Ctrl-Alt-Del, enter username/password, etc.). Linear and Branching (or Decision-Based) Procedures While identifying the steps of a procedure, you’ll notice they may be of two types: Linear procedures-you do the same steps in the same order every time Branching (or decision-based) procedures-procedures that call for employees to make a decision at one or more step, with the future steps being based on the results of that decision. For example, if the procedure is about checking and changing oil, an if one step is to check the current oil level, then the next step will be "re-insert oil dipstick and stop procedure" if the oil level is fine but the next step will be "add engine oil" if the oil level is too low. Make sure you know what type of procedure you’ve got-linear or branching-before you teach it to employees. Job Aids for Procedures Remember that for job training, your goal isn’t normally to have your workers be able to state the steps of a procedure. Instead, you want them to be able to perform the steps on the job. As a result, whenever possible, provide a job aid that explains the steps of the procedure and let them use that job aid during training and even in the field. Training Workers to Perform Procedures Clark explains that teaching your workers to perform procedures should include the following: A clear explanation of the different steps of the procedure. This can be made more effective if the steps are listed in a table, diagram, or chart, and if the steps are accompanied with a photo, video, or other image. A demonstration of how to perform the procedure so the employees can watch it being perform An opportunity to practice performing the procedure, so the employees can practice doing it themselves Feedback to the learners as they practice performing the procedure, telling them what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. Always provide feedback in a friendly, non-threatening, supportive manner. Evaluating Your Workers for Procedures As is true with most of the other content types we’ve talked about (facts are the exception here), your employees can both know and be able to perform a procedure. Knowing means they can list the steps. Being able to perform means they can actually complete the procedure. In almost every case, what’s important on the job is if the employees can perform the procedure. As a result, you’ll typically want to create assessments that evaluate if your workers can perform a procedure, not just list the steps. For additional information about specific types of graphics or visuals to use when training employees about procedures, see our How to Create Graphics for eLearning post.  Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Principles It may help to take a moment to remind ourselves of the difference between a procedure, which we just learned about, and a principle, which we’re about to learn about. Performing Procedures and Applying Principles When you train a worker to perform a procedure, you’re teaching them to perform a series of steps in the exact same order every time. The example that Clark gives is a cook at a fast-food restaurant who must prepare a burger the same way every time. Experts in learning and development sometimes refer to procedures as near-transfer tasks. By contrast, when you’re training a worker to apply a principle, things aren’t going to be the same every time. You want your employee to follow or apply a set of guidelines to apply principles in a number of different circumstances, each of which will be different from the others. There will be no set order or exact duplication of steps. The example Clark gives is a master chef using the rules learned in culinary school to make an entirely different delicious dinner special night after night after night. Another example would be training a salesperson to apply principles to interact with a customer and close a deal-again, the situation will be different every time, and the sales person will have to think on his or her feet and do what’s necessary at each moment to apply the principles within the set of guidelines. Experts in learning and development sometimes call principles far-transfer tasks. Principles and Guidelines What you’ll be working with during this kind of training are: Principles-cause-and-effect relationships that lead to specific, definable outcomes. For example, during management training, managers-to-be might be told that new employees respond well to assignments that are challenging but not so difficult they won’t be able to meet the challenge. Guidelines-A set o f "rules" that, when applied, will help the employee apply the principle as a whole. To return to our "challenge new employees" example above, guidelines might include (1) ask employee what he/she is interested in, (2) determine employee’s current level of knowledge and skill, etc. Making Sure Your Principles Are Valid It’s harder, more time consuming, and generally takes more money to train people to follow guidelines and apply principles in shifting, dynamic situations on the job. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do it-ask any sales manager who’s seen sales increase as a result of sales training. But it does mean we should make sure the principles we’re trying to train are valid. In short, don’t waste a lot of time and money on training if the ideas you’re pushing are half-baked or inaccurate. To that point, Clark recommends checking professional literature and observing experts in the field to identify principles and guidelines. Remembering and Applying Guidelines and Principles As with the other types of training mentioned above, employees can either remember or apply guidelines and principles. But in most every case, because you want them to apply the principles on the job, you should write learning objectives that require them to apply the principles, provide training for application of the principles, and assess your employees’ learning by evaluating their application of the principles. In general, you shouldn’t be satisfied with whether or not they can restate the principles and guidelines. Training for Application of Principles When training your workers to apply principles within a set of guidelines, your training should include: Present and explain the principles and guidelines clearly Provide demonstrations/examples of the guidelines being applied in different scenarios (make sure to provide these demonstrations within a realistic, work-like environment-as close to the conditions the employee will experience on the job as possible) Ask your employees questions about what they see in your different example scenarios, including: Can they identify which principles are being applied, and when, in each example? What do the scenarios have in common? How are they different? What worked and what didn’t? How could the examples that didn’t work be improved? Give the employees several opportunities to practice applying the guidelines within different situations in a case-study/scenario-based training format (make sure you’re having employees practice within conditions that are the same as or as close as possible to the conditions they’ll experience on the job) Give employees helpful, supportive feedback as they work through their practice scenarios; ask other employees who are also learning the principle to help with assessment/feedback For additional information about specific types of graphics or visuals to use when training employees about facts, see our How to Create Graphics for eLearning post.  Training Your Employees So They Can Learn Troubleshooting To discuss training employees to troubleshoot, we’ll rely more heavily on the Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki book, because Clark doesn’t give a chapter to it like she does the other types of learning. However, before we begin, let’s review a few things Clark does say about troubleshooting in her book: In simple troubleshooting scenarios, in which the employee will follow some form of linear or decision-based procedure (the kind that can be diagrammed in a flow chart), you can apply the rules for training procedures listed above. (6) Machine/industrial operators will be more effective troubleshooters if they have a better understanding of the technical process used (7) It’s fair to assume that a lot of what Clark addresses in the "principles" section could be applied to troubleshooting. In fact, throughout that section, she often uses the phrase "far-transfer tasks," which is similar to what Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki mean when they use the phrase "ill-structured problem solving" in their troubleshooting chapter. According to Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki, here are some important notes about troubleshooting in general (8): The employee must have a sound grasp on the underlying facts, concepts, processes, and procedures involved in the system they’re troubleshooting The employee must being troubleshooting by defining the initial state of the system (the system while it’s experiencing a "problem" of some sort), the goal state (what they want the system to be like when the problem is corrected), and the constraints of the system. The process of troubleshooting will be one of identifying all the possible causes, determining which are most likely, implementing solutions and testing to see if they worked. It’s important for the employee to reflect on the troubleshooting process after the problem has been solved. This makes the employee a more effective troubleshooter in future times. Training for Troubleshooting Given what we’ve explained above, here are tips from Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki to teach workers to be more effective troubleshooters. These tips are for troubleshooting a particular system, but learning to troubleshoot well in general is a skill that can later be applied to other systems. Begin by teaching all necessary, underlying facts, concepts, principles, and processes. Presumably, most or all of this would have been taught to the employee before he/she got to the point of troubleshooting. Teach the principles of normal and abnormal operation, different possible failure modes, and the possibility of each Present troubleshooting method: identify problem space (as described above-current state, ideal state, constraints of system) Teach employee to troubleshoot by analyzing various causes of problem, determining likelihood of each, applying test/repair methods, and then analyzing to see if solution worked Teach employee value and importance of reflecting on troubleshooting process after solution is discovered Demonstrate troubleshooting process in several scenarios to allow employee to watch, observe, and learn from experienced troubleshooter Ask employee for input/comments during troubleshooting demonstration Provide employee with troubleshooting practice opportunities in realistic scenarios that match as closely as possible the conditions they’ll experience on the job. Conclusion: Different Types of Training for Different Types of Learning There you have it. By now, hopefully, you’ve seen that you train people at work on more than just "stuff at work." Instead, you train them on different types of materials, and these include facts, concepts, processes, procedures, principles, and troubleshooting. And, you’ve now seen that you can tailor your training methods to help your workers master these different types of materials more effectively.     Notes 1. Clark, Developing Technical Training, 106. 2. Clark, , 117. 3. Clark, , 82. 4. Clark, , 86. 5. Clark, , 126. 6. Clark, , 60. 7. Clark, 127. 8. Foshay/Silber/Stelnicki, Writing Training Materials that Work, pp. 153, 130-135.         The post Selecting Different Types of Training for Different Types of Learning appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just wrote an extended blog post explaining the benefits of "chunking" your training materials and giving tips of how to do it. Click here to read the extended article on chunking. Otherwise, if you’d like a high-level overview of chunking and then would like to see how chunking can make your paper manufacturing training materials more effective, read on. The Importance of More Effective Paper Manufacturing Training Paper manufacturers face a series of difficult issues these days. For one, they have to complete with overseas producers who manufacture paper at lower labor costs. For another, they’ve got an aging workforce and the need to quickly "train up" new replacements that are young, bright, but inexperienced. We have customers who have told us that it has typically taken 30 years to train a new hire to fill a high-level paper machine operator job. Faced with the challenges above, paper manufacturers realize they have to condense this training cycle. And that’s why it’s increasingly important to turn to the field of instructional design when creating training material for this industry. Instructional design is the study of how to design, create, and deliver the most effective training materials. It’s based not just on things that people did in the past or "things my teachers did in school." Instead, it’s based on a scientific knowledge of how the brain works to process, store, retain, recall, and use information (known as cognitive science). Even better, instructional design is backed up with studies, evidence, and statistical data (see the classic book Evidence-Based Training Methods by Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark for an example). One instructional design technique based on an understanding of how the brain works is called "chunking." We’ll explain it briefly, below, and show an example of chunking put to use in our Paper, Pulp, Tissue, and Corrugated e-learning libraries for paper manufacturers. Convergence Training is a training provider that makes a series of learning management systems (LMSs) for importing, creating, assigning, delivering, tracking, and reporting on training materials of any type. In addition, we make hundreds of e-learning courses, including courses on paper, pulp, tissue, corrugated, health & safety, manufacturing, and more.  We’ve even got apps for mobile devices. Contact us for more information. The Bird’s Eye View on Chunking Training Materials Chunking refers to taking training material (during the design phase), breaking them up into little "bite-sized" parts, and then organizing them in a way that makes the material easier for your employees to learn. Chunking is helpful because of how our brains work-in particular, the limits on our working memory to hold only about four bits of information at a time. Although learners who are novices or experts in a given topic can each only remember about four chunks at a time, experts can remember bigger chunks. You should arrange chunks within training materials in a way that makes it easier for your employees to understand and remember them. Some organizational methods include job sequence, dependent learning, cause and effect, and whole to parts, but there are more. Chunking training materials begins at a high level-the entire curriculum, for example-and then works its way down through modules, lessons, courses, and screens (or similar sub-divisions of your training materials). An Example of Chunking Paper Training for Effective Paper Manufacturing Training At Convergence Training, we use chunking techniques when we design and create our e-learning modules. And that pays off for our customers because their employees learn the materials more quickly, readily, and effectively. For example, consider our  Lime Mud Washers e-learning course (which is one title in our Paper Manufacturing course library) and consider how the various aspects of chunking, described below, will make it easier for your employees to understand this critical paper manufacturing technology. Chunking Within Our Paper Manufacturing Curriculum The course is just one part of our Recaust series of courses. That is just one part of our Pulp Mill library. And that is just one part of our Paper Manufacturing curriculum. Chunking Within the Course The entire course is only 16 minutes long, including the content screens, practice questions, and course-ending test. The course is composed of multiple screens, each quite short. The course includes practice questions every few screens to review new material. Chunking Within the Screen The screen in the sample (below) runs for only 23 seconds and explains only a few things: Where the lime mud comes from Where it’s discharged What happens to the lime mud inside the lime mud clarifier All of this makes it very easy for your employees to grasp and retain how the lime mud washers work. If they want, they can watch the video again to review the materials before advancing to the next screen. This gives them the ability to direct their own training-a key adult learning principle, and another example of instructional design techniques we use in our paper manufacturing training materials. Convergence Training: Tools for More Effective Paper Manufacturing Training Chunking is just one of many "aces in the hole" that Convergence Training uses to create more effective training materials for paper manufacturers. Our learning management systems (LMSs) were created in close consultation and are used by leaders in the paper manufacturing industry. Our e-learning courses feature unmatched realistic 3D graphics and were constructed using techniques from instructional design like the chunking we just discussed, or the inclusion of process training for better employee problem-solving and troubleshooting. And we have in-house paper subject matter experts to help you design custom training solutions of your own. Contact us whenever you want. In the meantime, feel free to read and download the free Learning Management System (LMS) Buyer’s Guide below. The post Effective Paper Manufacturing Training Programs: Better Training Through "Chunking" appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

After much discussion and years of planning, OSHA just announced a new Confined Spaces in Construction rule (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA). The rule goes into effect August 3, 2015 (later this year). So there’s time to learn about it and to prepare, but on the other hand, time’s moving and you should too. We’ve put together some information for you to help you get ready. Hope you find it helpful. Convergence Training is a training supplier with a large library of health and safety e-learning courses, learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and industries, and custom training solutions. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. OSHA’s New Confined Spaces in Construction Rule So let’s get right down to some of the big questions, shall we? When does the new confined space rule for construction go into effect? As noted above, August 3, 2015. Is the rule for Construction, General Industry, or both? The new rule (1926 Subpart AA) is for construction. The old rule (1910.146) is for general industry. Who Has To Comply With Which Confined Space Rule? General industry employers comply with the general industry rule (1910.146). Construction employers have to comply with the new, construction rule (1926 Subpart AA). To make that even easier, OSHA provides the following guideline: "If you are doing construction work - such as building a new structure or upgrading an old one - then you must follow the construction confined space rule." But, the new regulation itself also includes some exceptions: "Exceptions. This standard does not apply to: (1) Construction work regulated by §1926 subpart P—Excavations. (2) Construction work regulated by §1926 subpart S—Underground Construction, Caissons, Cofferdams and Compressed Air. (3) Construction work regulated by §1926 subpart Y—Diving." [source: 1926.1201(b)] What If My Workers Do Both Construction Work and General Industry Work? The employer "will meet OSHA requirements if that employer meets the requirements of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA - Confined Spaces in Construction." (source: OSHA FAQ) What Is a Confined Space? A confined space is a space that is: Large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter it Has limited or restricted means for entry and exit Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy (source: 1926 Subpart AA Definitions) What Is a Permit-Required Confined Space? "A permit space is a confined space that may have a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment hazard, or other serious hazard, such as exposed wiring, that can interfere with a worker’s ability to leave the space without assistance." (source: OSHA FAQ) Who Can Work in a Permit-Required Confined Space? "Only workers who have been assigned and trained to work in a permit space may do so. Additionally, before workers can enter a permit space, the employer has to write a permit that specifies what safety measures must to be taken and who is allowed to go in." (source: OSHA FAQ) How Is This New Confined Spaces in Construction Rule Different than Rules that Previously Applied to Construction Work in Confined Spaces? The new rule requires employers to determine: What kinds of spaces their workers are in What hazards could be there How those hazards should be made safe What training workers should receive How to rescue those workers if anything goes wrong (source: OSHA FAQ) How Is the Rule for Confined Spaces in Construction Different than the Rule for Confined Spaces in General Industry? There are five important differences from the general industry rule. They are: More detailed provisions requiring coordinated activities when there are multiple employers at the worksite. This will ensure hazards are not introduced into a confined space by workers performing tasks outside the space. An example would be a generator running near the entrance of a confined space causing a buildup of carbon monoxide within the space. (See the question below about controlling contractors, host employers, and entry employers for more on this.) Requiring a competent person to evaluate the work site and identify confined spaces, including permit spaces Requiring continuous atmospheric monitoring whenever possible Requiring continuous monitoring of engulfment hazards. For example, when workers are performing work in a storm sewer, a storm upstream from the workers could cause flash flooding. An electronic sensor or observer posted upstream from the work site could alert workers in the space at the first sign of the hazard, giving the workers time to evacuate the space safely. Allowing for the suspension of a permit, instead of cancellation, in the event of changes from the entry conditions list on the permit or an unexpected event requiring evacuation of the space. The space must be returned to the entry conditions listed on the permit before re-entry. Also, OSHA added some provisions that clarify some things in the rule for General Industry. They are: Requiring that employers who direct workers to enter a space without using a complete permit system prevent workers’ exposure to physical hazards through elimination of the hazard or isolation methods such as lockout/tagout. Requiring that employers who are relying on local emergency services for emergency services arrange for responders to give the employer advance notice if they will be unable to respond for a period of time (because they are responding to another emergency, attending department-wide training, etc.). Requiring employers to provide training in a language and vocabulary that the worker understands. (source: OSHA FAQ) Plus, they added some terms to the definitions section. Check the rule to review all the definitions. How Does This Rule Assign Responsibilities Between Host Employers, Controlling Contractors, and Entry Employers? The rule makes the controlling contractor, rather than the host employer, the primary point of contact for information about permit spaces at the work site. The host employer must provide information it has about permit spaces at the work site to the controlling contractor, who then passes it on to the employers whose employees will enter the spaces (entry employers). Likewise, entry employers must give the controlling contractor information about their entry program and hazards they encounter in the space, and the controlling contractor passes that information on to other entry employers and back to the host. As mentioned above, the controlling contractor is also responsible for making sure employers outside a space know not to create hazards in the space, and that entry employers working in a space at the same time do not create hazards for one another’s workers. (source: OSHA FAQ) Here are some relevant definitions from the new standard that may help you make sense of the section above (source: 1926 Subpart AA Definitions): Controlling Contractor: The employer that has overall responsibility for construction at the worksite Entry Employer: Any employer who decides that an employee it directs will enter a permit space Host Employer:  The employer that owns or manages the property where the construction work is taking place Will I Need a Written Confined Space Program? Yes, if your workers will be entering permit-required confined spaces. (source: OSHA FAQ) What Do I Need to Do If a Work Sites Has Confined Spaces But My Workers Won’t Enter Them? Take effective steps to prevent your employees from entering the space. (source: OSHA FAQ) Can I Contact OSHA for Compliance Assistance with this New Confined Spaces in Construction Rule? Yes.  Here’s the contact information: Directorate of Construction, Room N3468, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202)-693-2020 or fax (202)-693-1689. (source: OSHA FAQ) Where Can I Find More Information From OSHA About the New Confined Spaces in Construction Rule? They’ve got a few resources for you. We’ve listed them below: The rule in a reader-friendly .PDF version Some FAQs (we relied heavily on these FAQs to write this article) A fact sheet about confined spaces, crawl spaces, and attics A fact sheet about confined spaces and pits A fact sheet about confined spaces in sewer systems Their confined spaces Safety and Health page     The post Confined Spaces in Construction Rule Issued By OSHA; Goes Into Effect August 3, 2015 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

A lot of workforce training materials are written. This is true if it’s something your workers will actually read. And it’s true of scripts that are used for e-learning training courses as well. We’ve written earlier about style issues for your written training materials-click here to read more about that. That article includes some simple tips, such as writing at an appropriate reading level, using conversational words, and so on. But in this article, we’re going to show you how to format training materials using simple techniques like headers, bullets, and tables to make your training materials more effective. This will apply to materials such as Word documents and PDFs that your employees read but also to PowerPoint presentations and e-learning courses they view on a monitor or screen. Convergence Training is a training solution provide with many libraries of e-learning courses, different learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and industries, and custom training solutions. Contact us to learn more or set up a demo. How to Format Training Materials for Improved Learning A large block of uninterrupted text on paper or a screen can be difficult to read. The same is true of writing that uses formatting that’s chaotic, random, or cluttered. But by using simple formatting techniques, including bold section headers, bulleted and numbered lists, tables with clear titles and consistent layout, and more, you can make the information in that written material much easier for your workers to understand, remember, and apply on the job. There are entire fields of study called structured writing and information mapping that address the issue of formatting your written materials for maximum comprehension. We won’t go into that amount of detail, but will cover a few highlights. You may then choose to study them in more depth on your own (there are even professional certifications offered). But as long as you are aware that formatting your written training materials can help, and know a few simple guidelines, you can begin using them to improve your training materials. General Guidelines for Formatting Written Training Materials The general idea is to format your written training materials so it’s very easy to scan them and predict what each section is about and/or to quickly understand what each section is about. In other words, you’re using the formatting to make it easier for your workers to identify the information you want them to learn. This allows the learner’s brain to "prime" itself to take the information in. Below are some general tips for doing this. Clean, Easy-to-Read Fonts Select a font that’s clean and easy to read. Don’t select a decorative font that makes it harder to read. Black and White (or something equally clean and simple) The same basic rule applies to colors-keep it simple. Black text on a white background is easy to read. Steer clear of using different colors. You MAY occasionally use something like red to draw attention, especially in section headers, but remember to using this sparingly. Shorter Sections The human brain can actively process only a small amount of information at one time. Traditionally, it’s been assumed that "7 plus or minus 2″ describes that limit. But more recently, that estimate has been reduced to around 4. As a result, it’s a good idea to break your long pieces of written (or spoken) materials up inot smaller chunks. For more about this, check our article about chunking. Bolded Section Headers Bolded section headers, like the one immediately above, make it easy for your workers to see what’s coming up. That allows them to prepare for the information your section will include. Allowing your workers to see a bolded section header and prepare for the information helps because we learn by associating new information with existing knowledge that’s stored away in our long-term memory. Consider using section headers of different sizes and colors to show the organizational structure of your writing (such as the ones below) first section header sub-section header 1 sub-section header 2 new section header Bulleted Lists Use bulleted lists when possible to show information that is "parallel." Some tips for bulleted lists include: Beginning with an introduction that applies to all bulleted items Beginning each bulleted item with a noun or verb (not mixing and matching) Numbered Lists Numbered lists also help your employees process information. As you might have guessed, use numbered lists only when there is a true sequence or numerical order to your information, which is another tip to your readers. Tables Put information that has some form of relationship into a table. Tables make it easy to scan and identify the information you’re looking for, and it also helps to point our similarities and differences. When you create a table, clearly label the table so it’s easy to tell what information it displays, clearly identify the different rows and columns, and try to present the information within each table cell in a formulaic manner so the information matches the other cells in that row or column. Conclusion: How to Format Training Materials There you have it. The most important thing you can take away from this article is that the way you write your training materials-not just the words and style, which we’ve covered in an earlier blog post, but the formatting, which we covered above-can make your training materials more or less effective. You can study this more and get increasingly sophisticated over time. But just being aware of the issue in general and using the handful of tips offered above will really get you moving forward. Remember your goal is to make it easy for your employees to quickly scan your written materials, be able to predict what each section is about and how it’s different than the other sections, and to let them "prime" their brain for the written information they’re about to process. We plan on following up with some additional posts about writing training materials in the future, so hang on for those as well. Until then, you may find the download below about learning objectives up your alley. Go ahead click-it’s free. The post How to Format Training Materials To Make Learning Easier appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

People familiar with lean manufacturing probably know the concept of value stream mapping. Value stream mapping is the process of mapping, diagramming, or otherwise analyzing your current production state and a desired, more efficient future state. The point is to map the current state, search for and identify any inefficiencies that cause waste and don’t add value, and then map a new, more efficient process. And then, of course, to make changes to move toward that more efficient desired process. Sounds simple enough, and it is. The key things to remember are that value stream mapping (1) is focused on the lean idea of making sure production steps are always intended to provide value to the customer and (2) removing all production steps that don’t provide value to the customer or aren’t otherwise necessary. Trainers can learn a lot from their lean friends and from these concepts underlying value stream mapping. For one, trainers should always focus on providing value to their customers. It’s sometimes easy to forget this and sometimes easy to forget who the customer(s) is/are, so we’ll get back to this shortly. The second thing trainers can learn from lean value stream mapping is the importance of taking things out of training materials if they don’t provide benefit to the "customers." Again, we’ll get back to this point. Convergence Training is a training solution provide with many libraries of e-learning courses, different learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and industries, and custom training solutions. Contact us to learn more or set up a demo. Who Are the Customers of Job Training? Let’s take a closer look at this question. If you’re creating or delivering training materials, it’s important to always consider the value you’re providing to your customers in the same way that lean manufacturers always keep an eye on the value they provide to their customers. But who are the customers of a trainer? The real answer is that trainers have two customers. The first, as you might have guessed, are the trainees. These are the employees at your company who need training to do their job more effectively, or more safely, or in some other desired manner. So it’s important to always keep the needs of the employees in mind at all times. Remember that you’re trying to provide training to help workers succeed at their jobs. Here are a few ways you can do that: Keeping your training relevant to their jobs Keeping it based on real job-tasks Letting them know how the training applies to their jobs Making them active participants in the training when possible Generally studying methods of effective training and applying them in your own training One good place to start researching this is to learn more about adult learning principles. If the employees are the customers of your training, then that’s also true of the company itself-or of the management who’s paying for the training. Because ultimately, you’re providing training to employees so they can help the company reach their business goals. It’s a good idea to know what the company’s business goals are and to make sure the training you’re creating/providing is intended to help the company reach those goals. You might want to touch base with management to see what those business goals are and what key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to track them. To learn more about providing training that helps a company reach its business goals, read this article about Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation. Cutting Waste from Training Materials Now let’s talk about the second lean principle we mentioned earlier: removing steps that don’t provide or increase value to the customer. In training, less is more. Meaning, employees learn more if you condense the training materials. So you could say "lean" training materials help people learn. What you should always do as a trainer is begin with a set of learning objectives. Your learning objectives are a list of what the employees need to be able to do when training is over (click here and/or here to read more about learning objectives). Then, once you’ve got that list, create training that covers nothing but those learning objectives. Resist the temptation to add more. But this is a point that some trainers struggle with. They want to include MORE information instead of less. Their intentions are good, and they’re ultimately trying to make the training better, even if it backfires. Here are some of the reasons people add more training materials than is necessary: They think it’s interesting and that will keep the workers engaged They enjoy the information themselves and want to include it for their own reasons They’re not aware our ability to learn is limited to 4-7 "bits" of information at a time and they wrongly think the brain is like an empty pitcher ready to be filled with information They know they should limit information but for some reason they do it anyway-maybe they feel the training schedule demands it If any of these sound familiar to you, try keeping your training materials lean and to the point. If you’ve got extra stuff, give it the axe. Value Stream Map Your Training and Keep It Lean So now you’ve seen a few ways that trainers can benefit from borrowing the concept of value stream mapping from lean and applying it to their training. So now you can actually create a value stream map of your training materials. Maybe start by looking at a specific job role and representing each course as a box in a flow chart. Do you have the right number of boxes to match what the employee needs to know, or do you have too many/too few? Is the order ideal? Likewise, you could zero in closer and look at a course to map the ideas covered in that one course. It doesn’t matter how you decide to diagram your "value stream map" for your training materials. There are conventions used in doing this for lean manufacturing, but as long as you’re putting pencil to paper (or dry erase to white board) and getting a bird’s-eye view of your training materials, you’re off to a good start. The basic idea is to analyze your current training materials and remove things that don’t add value because they don’t support the learning objectives. You can also make sure your training materials DO fully cover the learning objectives and that your workers are able to perform the necessary skills/behaviors on the job, because that’s your real goal. And of course that all the training is  having a positive effect on a business goal as measured by one or more KPIs. Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any thoughts about lean training materials. The post Applying Lean Value Stream Mapping to Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

People frequently ask us if MSHA allows mine operators to use online MSHA Part 46 training to satisfy some of the MSHA Part 46 training requirements. The short answer is-yes. But let’s look at it the question in a little more detail, shall we? Does MSHA Allow Online MSHA Part 46 Training? They do. Let’s see what the regulation [30 CFR 46.4(d)] says: Training methods may consist of classroom instruction, instruction at the mine, interactive computer-based instruction or other innovative training methods, alternative training technologies, or any combination of training methods. So, we’re covered with "interactive computer-based instruction." Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with a host of learning management systems (LMSs) and e-learning courses available for you to use at your workplace. More specifically, we’ve got an LMS specially designed for MSHA compliance, mine safety e-learning courses, and other general health and safety training courses. Contact us for a demo or for more information. Would You Use Just Online Training for Part 46 Training? Well, you could. But if you look at that list from the Part 46 regulation above, you’ll see they’ve listed training of different types: classroom, instruction at the miner, computer-based….or any combination of training methods. We think MSHA is on to something there, especially with "…combination of training methods." Many training experts recommend what’s called a blended learning solution for training. This means delivering training to your employees that includes training of different types of methods. Using a blended learning solution lets you pick the best training method for each training need. It’s kind of like having a toolbox full of tools instead of walking around trying to fix everything with a hammer. For example, you can use classroom instruction for training that can really benefit from person-to-person, interactive discussion. Instruction at the mine (or at the site of various machines and equipment) can be great for some aspects of task-based training. Online training can be really helpful because it frequently includes very sophisticated visuals that are hard to duplicate on your own. Plus, online training typically includes practice tests and real tests that you can use to check if you’re employees really understand the material. And written materials can be effective for training materials that don’t require a lot of person-to-person communicate or sophisticated visuals-like your drug and alcohol policy, for example. Click to read more about blended learning solutions-best practices. Can I See An Example of Online MSHA Part 46 Training? Sure. Let’s set the scene first. Part 46 requires that miners be given training that includes "an introduction to the mine environment" (this is required for New Miners and Newly Hired Experience Miners, for example). Many miners probably get this during a mine tour/mine walk-around, and that makes good sense. But a different way to do this would  be to use an online learning course and then follow that up with the site tour. You could have your miner watch a brief e-learning course that explains the basic features of a surface mine-things like highwalls, berms, the angle of repose, and so on. This could would include the sophisticated visuals, practice tests, and a scored test at the end. Your miner can take this at his or her own preferred speed, and can review any topic that he/she isn’t clear on. Then, when you take that miner on a site tour, you’re reviewing those basic concepts and showing how they apply to your particular mine site. You can see how this might make your in-person training more effective. Below is a short video sample of an online course called Physical Characteristics of Surface Mines e-Learning Course to give you an idea of how this could work. Or click to review and see samples of an entire library of online courses for MSHA Part 46 compliance. What about the Online Delivery and Tracking System? Can That Help Too? So far, we’ve only discussed one half of online training solutions for MSHA Part 46 compliance. Those are the actual courses on various safety topics. But the second half to the online equation is an online system you can use to deliver those courses in. Actually, an online system (know as a learning management system or simply LMS) can do more than just that. Check out the list below to see what it can do for you: Create unique login access (username and password) for each worker Allow you to divide your workers by site, department, team, and/or custom groups, making assignments and reporting easier Create training materials that your workers can complete online-online quizzes, online checklists Import training materials your workers can complete online-online courses, your own PowerPoints or PFDs, video files, etc. Make records of instructor-led training, such as formal classroom training, weekly safety meetings, and off-site training, that can be assigned, tracked, and reported on Create "assignable bundles" of training activities to match the MSHA Part 46 training programs-New Miner, Newly Hired Experienced Miner, New Task(s), Annual Refresher, and Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Assign training to individual workers and/or to teams, departments, sites, custom groups, etc. Allow workers to complete some of the training online and let the LMS automatically grant credit for completion of that training, typically if worker passes an online quiz or test or reads written material Allow you to manually grant credit for completed training, including classroom training, training that happens in the field, or training that happens offsite Allow you to run reports to see who’s done with training and who’s not-plus a lot of other important data Allow you to schedule the LMS to automatically generate fresh reporting data and deliver those reports by email on a repeated basis to yourself or to others in your organization Create documentation required by MSHA Part 46, including your Training Plan (for each mine site) and certificates of training (5000-23/5000-23 equivalent) These aspects of an LMS can save you untold clerical work, time, frustration, scheduling complexities and logistics, and training record storage challenges. The Skinny On Online MSHA Part 46 Training  There you have it. By now you’ve learned: "Online training" is allowed for MSHA Part 46 training Online training can be very beneficial for your MSHA Part 46 training Online training is probably best used as part of a blended learning solution along with other training methods Online training really includes two parts-the online courses and the LMS used to assign, deliver, track, report, etc. Online training courses include many benefits: sophisticated visuals; self-paced learning; practice test questions; real pass/fail tests with recorded scores; easily reviewable; helpful "set up" for later instructor-led training, etc. An LMS can help you adminster your training program, including training assignments, training scheduling, reporting, creating documentation required by MSHA, and more We hope this helps clear up any questions you may have had about MSHA Part 46 and online training. If you’re curious and would like to know more, check out the mining safety e-learning courses and the MSHA LMS by Convergence Training. Or just contact us and we can set up a demo, let you "test drive" the system, and see how it can work for you. We’ve also included a free download about MSHA, Part 46, Part 48, and how online solutions can help. Feel free to check it out below. The post Is Online MSHA Part 46 Training Allowed? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Before you begin any training program, you should first do a training needs analysis. If you’re new to training, maybe you don’t know what a training needs analysis is. But not to fear, because we’re about to spell it out for you here. And even better, because a big chunk of our customer base is made up of paper manufacturers, we’ll put it in those terms. If you’re not a paper manufacturer, but you’re still interested in learning about the training needs analysis, you can still learn from this article. Or you can read this more general training needs analysis article. Convergence Training is the leading training provider to the paper manufacturing industries-including pulp, paper, tissue, corrugated, and converting. We have a large collection of e-learning courses for the industry and a series of learning management systems (LMSs) that were developed in cooperation with the biggest paper manufacturing companies in the world. Contact us to learn more. Perform the Training Needs Analysis BEFORE You Create Training Materials At some point, for whatever reason, you may decide that you need to create some training at your paper manufacturing site. Maybe you’re the training manager and you’ve been tasked with heading up the entire learning & development department. Or maybe you’re the safety or EHS manager and you need to create some safety training. Or maybe you’re in production/operations, and you need to train workers to use a new machine that was just installed on the tissue converting line. Whatever the reason, you’d be wise to perform the four-step training needs analysis before you charge ahead and create your training materials. So let’s learn more about analysis. Four Stages of the Training Needs Analysis A full training needs analysis includes four different stages. Those stages are: Stage 1-The Organizational Analysis During this phase, you find the organizational need or problem that seems to require a training intervention. This typically means identifying and then trying to closing a "gap" between current performance and desired future performance. For example, we mentioned safety training earlier. If workers are consistently removing machine guarding, that’s your gap-the difference between the current state (guards removed).and the ideal state (all guards in place). Or consider the earlier example of a new machine on your tissue converting line. Right now, your current state is that your workers don’t know how the machine works and how they should operate it. And your ideal state is that they would know how it works and how to operate it within their job role(s). So that difference is the gap you want to close. So once you’ve completed your organizational analysis, you’re going to have identified some gap between the current state and a desired state. We gave two examples above, but remember that there are many other examples as well-potentially, any place where your company falls short of reaching a business goal could be a gap you identify during this analysis. So in that case, you’d want to know what the business goal is and what metric (or key performance indicator, also called a KPI) is used to measure it. That way you can gather information before and after training and use the metric/KPI to see if you’ve closed your gap or not. Stage 2-The Problem Analysis Once you’ve done your organizational analysis, and you’ve identified a gap to close, the next step is to perform a problem analysis. During the problem analysis, you’re going to investigate the problem, find its root cause, and see if training would actually help fix the problem. In some cases, your analysis will show that training IS NOT the appropriate solution, and you can recommend doing something else to solve the problem. For example, let’s consider the missing machine guards. Maybe workers are fully aware what the machine guards are, what they are intended to do, and know that they’re not supposed to remove them. Training isn’t going to fix this problem, because the workers already have that information. Instead, during the problem analysis you may discover why the workers are removing the guards. For example, maybe the guards are poorly designed and they get in the way of the workers. In that case, the problem is the design of the guards, and referring the issue to engineering for a fix would be more productive than creating and leading a training session. In this case, you’d be done with your training needs analysis, and there would be no need to continue further. But in other cases, training is the right call. If training CAN solve the problem, great. Then you’d continue on to the third stage of the training needs analysis. Let’s return to our earlier example of the new machine on your tissue converting line. You won’t have to analyze long to realize the "problem" is that workers aren’t familiar with the new machine precisely because it’s new. And, you can logically assume that with some training, they can learn what they need to do. So, you’d move on to stage 3. Stage 3-The Job Role Analysis If you’ve identified your gap in step 1 and determined that training is a workable solution in step 2, then it’s time to advance to the job role analysis, which is step 3. During this analysis, you’ll need to determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities that people in one or more job roles need in order to perform their job (and therefore satisfy the organizational need/solve the problem). So let’s go back to our example of the new machine on the tissue converting line. If there’s only one job role that needs to know how to operate the machine (let’s say the job role is called "converting line workers"), then you’ll come up with a list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that people who fill the "converting line workers" job role will need in order to operate the new machine correctly. These necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities will be the basis of your learning objectives-click here to read more about learning objectives. Of course, there may be people in more than one job role who need to know about the new machine. For example, maybe in addition to your converting line operators job role, it’s reasonable to assume that your maintenance workers will need to know about the new machine too. And it’s also reasonable to assume they may need a different set of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) than your converting line operators workers do. So you’d identify a different set of KSAs for people in the maintenance job role, which you’d use to create a different set of learning objectives for a different set of training materials (even if there is some overlap). Stage 4-The Learner Analysis During the learner analysis, you’ll want to learn about your training audience so that you’ll know how to best design training that will improve their performance and close the gap. Traits to look for include the current job performance; age, race, and gender; education level, prior experience and knowledge, preferred training styles, literacy (written and reading), computer literacy (if the training will be computer-based); personal interests and motivations, and more. Knowing as much as possible about your learners gives you a better chance of creating training materials that will help them learn effectively. A good place to start is by acknowledging that your employees are adults and by knowing that adults have shared characteristics that make some forms of training more effective for them and other forms less effective. These are known as adult learning principles-click to read more about adult learning principles. Conclusion: The Training Needs Analysis and Paper Manufacturing And there you have your short introduction to the training needs analysis, couched in language that should be familiar to folks in paper manufacturing and/or similar industries. After reading this, you may say to yourself "I’ve got no time to do that stuff" and go ahead and create training without it, but we encourage you to do this in at least an ababbreviated format. You’ll find that if you do, you training will be more effective, as measured by employee interest, actual employee learning (comprehension and retention), employee performance on the job, and ultimately in terms of your company reaching or getting closer to its business goals. Additional Resources about the Training Needs Analysis Here are some other resources to check to learn more about the training needs analysis. And remember, we’ll be writing more detail blog posts about each of the stages shortly, so keep coming back. The Analysis materials on the Big Dog, Little Dog website This overview of analysis on Connie Malamed’s instructional design blog This training needs analysis flowchart on Cathy Moore’s instructional design blog This fun little training needs analysis video, also by Cathy Moore Training Needs Assessment: A Systematic Approach, a handy PowerPoint by Joan Strohauer The post Training Needs Analysis for Paper Manufacturers appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Probably the most famous "steps of training" guidance is the one created by the instructional theorist Robert Gagne. Gagne’s ideas are justly well-regarded and we’ve already written an article about Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. So feel free to click that link you just passed up if you’re curious. But in their 2003 book Writing Training Materials that Work: How to Train Anyone to Do Anything, Wellesley R. Foshay, Kenneth H. Silber, and Michael B. Stelnicki present their own, more updated steps. What makes these steps especially interesting (and I believe useful) is that they’re grounded in the field of cognitive psychology, the study of how the brain works and how people learn. In this article, we’ll give you an overview of the steps, as you’d guess. And we’ll also present some additional ideas from the book. Of course, we encourage you to buy and read the book on your own, too. Convergence Training is a training solution provide with many libraries of e-learning courses, different learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and industries, and custom training solutions. Contact us to learn more or set up a demo. What  Steps of Creating Training Do Foshay, Silber, and Stelnicki List? The three authors list five steps that learners (not trainers-that’s still to come) must perform in order to learn, and then for each of those "learner steps" they give steps of what trainers have to do to help the learner at that phase. We’re going to start by just listing the five steps that learners have to go through. We’ll add the corresponding trainer steps shortly. What Learners Must Do In Order to Learn Here are the five steps that a learner has to go through to learn something new: Focus their attention on new information Link the new information with existing knowledge that’s already in their long-term memory Organize that new information in their mind/memory in a way that matches the organization of the existing information they already have Fully integrate the new information with the old information, reorganizing the "information packet" in the brain that contains the memory to reflect the new, unified knowledge Strengthen the memory’s grasp of the new information That’s it. Those are the steps that learners have to go through. As you can see by looking at the list, these are things the learner has to do in order, from top to bottom. Next, let’s turn our attention to how trainers can help learners do this. How Trainers Help Learners Through Their Five Steps of Learning Now it’s time to look at how trainers can help learners through the five steps of learning new information. It’s important to note that while the learners have to go through their five steps in order, there isn’t an exact order for what the trainers have to do, and this can vary in different circumstances. Step 1, Help Learner Focus on New Information Direct learners’ attention to new information Give the "What’s in it for me?" to the learners Encourage the learners-tell them they can do it Step 2, Help Learner Link New Information With Existing Information Already in Memory Help the learners recall any existing prerequisite knowledge that is required to build this new knowledge on Help learners relate the new information to any existing knowledge, essentially "linking" the two Step 3, Help Learner Organize the Information in Memory Introduce the information in a diagram, flow chart, graphic organizer, or other presentation that helps learner see how the information is structured, organized, and related to other information (help the learner build a "mental map") Explain the learning objectives-what knowledge and skills should the learners acquire (read this Learning Objectives article for more detailed information on this) Organize and present information in small, logically ordered "chunks" (read this "Chunking" article for more detailed information on this) Organize and format any text in training materials in a way that helps learners understand it (read this Formatting Written Training Materials article for on this topic for more detailed information on this) Make use of well-designed visuals to help explain new information to learners (read this 25 Graphic Design Tips article  and this Matching Graphics to Training Content article for more detailed information on this) Step 4, Help Learner Unify and Reorganize the Information in Memory Present the information in the way that makes it easiest to understand (the authors believe there are different types of training content, including facts, concepts, processes, procedures, principals/mental models, problem-solving, and troubleshooting, and that each type of training content calls for a different training strategy). Read the book for more detail on this, as their explanations spans at least six chapters, but you can also read this Matching Training Strategies to Training Content article to get the basics. Present and/or demonstrate real-life examples of the new information being applied. Step 5, Help Learner Strengthen the New Knowledge in Memory Provide an opportunity for learners to practice applying the new information (let them "do it") Give the learners feedback on on their practice-how they’re doing, what they’re doing right and wrong, why what they’re doing is right and wrong, answering questions, etc. Summarize the information and its structure again to remind the learners what they learned Test the learners to ensure they can meet/satisfy the learning objectives Make sure learners get to apply the new information on the skill so they "use it, not lose it." Additional Thoughts about this "Steps of Creating Training" Book So now you have seen (a) the steps the learners have to go through and (b) the steps the trainer should go through to help the learner through the learning process. Remember that to help the learner through Learning Step 4 (help learner unify and reorganize information in memory), the trainer is supposed to present the information in the way that makes it easiest to understand. As we mentioned earlier, the authors take six or more chapters explaining how to do this, so that explanation is beyond the scope of this article. However, we’ll give you the basic idea and then we’ll give you a link to a summary of a related issue. Applying the Steps of Training to Different Types of Training Material The authors follow a well-established line of thought in saying that training materials present information of different types, including: Facts Concepts Principles and mental models Well-structured problem-solving Ill-structured problem-solving Troubleshooting They then use six chapters, one chapter per type of information listed above, showing how to apply the steps of training to each of these different information types. It may sound tedious and boring at first, and to be honest, that’s what I thought initially also. But after a while, I really began to appreciate their efforts, and I learned a lot. To truly "get it," I strongly recommend reading the book, but know that we have a similar blog post that covers a lot of this in a much shorter form-here it is. Conclusion: An Updated Steps of Creating Training The theoretical strength of this book is presenting a new model for designing and delivering training in a series of steps based on cognitive psychology. For that, we applaud. The practical (and no doubt time-consuming) strength of the book is that the authors gave very realistic examples of how to apply the steps to each of the information types described above. This really helped to make their steps more concrete in my own brain. But even if you don’t go full-bore and use their entire method, I think there’s a lot of value in going over their steps of training and seeing which things you’re doing now and which you’re not. Even at that first level, their training steps serve as a nice checklist of things you should aim to do in all your training sessions. The post Steps of Creating Training-Tips from Cognitive Psychology (and Foshay, Silber, and Stelnicki) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Many customers come to us wondering if and how they can use online courses for the MSHA Part 46 training programs. In this article, we’re going to address those questions and then take a closer look at how to do it with one of the Part 46 training programs-New Miner. The same ideas, though, apply to the other training programs, such as Newly Hired Experienced Miner, New Tasks(s), Annual Refresher, and Site-Specific Hazard. Before we begin, here are a few related articles that may help set the scene in case you’re new to MSHA or Part 46: What Is MSHA Part 46? Is Online MSHA Part 46 Training Allowed? Online MSHA Part 46 Training Compliance: The Ultimate Guide (coming soon) Now let’s take a look at a few key questions that are covered in more detail in those articles above. The first is, "Is it OK to use online courses for MSHA Part 46 compliance?" That question is easy to answer: yes. 46.4(d) makes that clear: "Training methods may consist of classroom instruction, instruction at the mine, interactive computer-based instruction or other innovative training methods, alternative training technologies, or any combination of training methods." The second question, and a reasonable one, is "Does that mean I’d use ONLY online courses for MSHA Part 46 compliance?" And the answer to that is, no. You’d use the online courses as part of your training solution along with all the other types of training you are probably already providing-instructor-led, task-based, OJT/in-the-field, safety meetings, offsite training sessions, videos, and so on. This is called a blended learning solution-read more about blended learning here. And a third question you might ask is "Would I use off-the-shelf online courses, have custom courses made for me, or make my own e-learning courses?" And the answer to this one is, you could do any or all of that. There are many nice off-the-shelf e-learning mining safety courses that you can use in a "plug-and-play" manner for Part 46. Primarily, these are going to cover introductory and/or general materials-things like explaining what highwalls and berms are or explaining the rights and legal responsibilities of miners. In addition, you could have an e-learning producer work with you to create custom e-learning courses for your site. Or, you could buy an inexpensive software program called an e-learning authoring tool and make your own (we’ve provided instructions about how to do that here). In this article, we’ll keep in mind that you have all three options for e-learning, but the examples we’ll preview and/or link to will be off-the-shelf mine safety courses. Benefits of Online Courses for MSHA Part 46 Compliance There are quite a few benefits of using online courses as part of your Part 46 training compliance effort. We’ve listed and briefly explained a few below: Highly sophisticated visuals-many e-learning courses include impressive visuals (and visuals really help people learn). The graphics in these courses are things most of us can’t create on our own-3D animations, cut-away views, highlights and arrows perfectly timed with the audio, and more. Built-in practice tests to let your employees check their understanding Pass/fail tests at the end to determine if workers have a satisfactory understanding of the material The ability to automatically create and store completion records online in a learning management system The ability to deliver the courses to remote locations and/or to any worker 24/7 Significant cost savings over scheduling instructor-led training, paying travel and overtime expenses, etc. More With all these benefits, plus others we didn’t list, it’s worth adding online courses to the other types of training you’re already delivering for MSHA Part 46 compliance. The Part 46 New Miner Training Program (46.5): We said earlier we’d give some thoughts about using online training for the Part 46 New Miner training program. Let’s set the scene for that now. MSHA Part 46 sets specific training requirements for different miners. One of those requirements is for newly hired miners who don’t have past experience as a miner. Here’s how the regulation puts it: New Miner: A person who is beginning employment as a miner with a production-operator or independent contractor and who is not an experienced miner. [46.2(i)] Typically, every newly hired miner must complete 24 hours of new miner training  before that miner can work without being observed by an experienced miner. In addition, of these 24 hours, four hours must be completed before the new miner can begin work at all. And, finally, there are some exceptions for miners who did work at a mine in the past, received new miner training there, but never reached "experienced miner" status. For more information on these exceptions, see 46.5(f) and 46.5(g). Training Topics Required by the Part 46 New Miner Training Program In addition to the training deadline requirements and exceptions we just listed, the regulation also includes a list of topics that you must train your new miners on. We’ve spelled those specific new miner training requirements out for you below in the table. When New Miner Training Must Occur Subjects Required by New Miner Training Program Before new miner begins work 1. An introduction to the work environment. Includes a visit and tour of the mine, or portions of the mine that are representative of the entire mine (walk-around training). The method of mining or operation utilized must be explained and observed. Before new miner begins work 2. Instruction on the recognition and avoidance of electrical hazards and other hazards present at the mine. Instruction can include things such as traffic patterns and control, mobile equipment (e.g., haul trucks and front-end loaders), and loose or unstable ground conditions. Before new miner begins work 3. A review of the emergency medical procedures, escape and emergency evacuation plans, in effect at the mine, and instruction on the fire-warning signals and firefighting procedures. Before new miner begins work 4. Instruction on the health and safety aspects of the tasks to be assigned. Includes the safe work procedures of such tasks, the mandatory health and safety standards pertinent to such tasks, information about the physical and health hazards of chemicals in the miner’s work area, the protective measures a miner can take against these hazards, and the contents of the mine’s HazCom program. Before new miner begins work 5. Instruction on the statutory rights of miners and their representatives under the Act. Instruction should be based on the Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977. Before new miner begins work 6. A review and description of the line of authority of supervisors and miners’ representatives and the responsibilities of such supervisors and miners’ representatives. Before new miner begins work 7. An introduction to your rules and procedures for reporting hazards. Before new miner begins work 8. Site-specific hazards. Note: Part 46 doesn’t specifically call out training on "site-specific hazards" in the same way that it does the other topics listed above (or below), but instead notes that the training topics listed above "must also address site-specific hazards." As a result, we’ve chosen to call them out specifically so it’s less likely you’ll miss this. No later than 60 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 9. Instruction and demonstration on the use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine. No later than 60 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 10. A review of first aid methods. No later than 90 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 11. The balance, if any, of the 24 hours of training on any other subjects that promote occupational health and safety for miners at the mine. Examples of Online Courses for the Part 46 New Miner Training Program Now that we’ve set the groundwork on Part 46 and the New Miner training program, let’s consider how online courses can help you provide SOME of that New Miner training. Remember, you’ll use the online courses as part of a "blended learning solution" that takes advantage of many different types of training-instructor-led, written materials, on-the-job (OJT) training, task-based training, and more. The New Miner "Introduction to the Mine Environment" Training Requirement Below is a sample of an e-learning course about the Physical Characteristics of Mine Sites. This course can be used to help satisfy the 46.5(b)(2) training requirement to provide "an introduction to the mine environment…[during which] the method of mining or operation utilized must be explained or observed." The e-learning course would do a great job of "setting the scene" for your newly hired miners. You can imagine how the visuals and self-paced learning style would be helpful to a brand new hire who’s never worked at a mine before.  By the time they’re done with the course, they’ll have a good idea of what things like highwalls and berms are and will be at least familiar with a lot of the terms you use every day but that are totally new to them. Then after the course, you can provide additional training. That would probably start with a mine-tour walk around. After that, you can use additional instructor-led training time to handle more advanced questions, focus on Q&A, address site-specific issues, and more. And your new hires will get even more information over time while working under the supervision of experienced miners in the field. The New Miner "Self-Rescue and Respiratory Devices" Training Requirement Now, let’s consider, consider a second example. How about the requirement in 46.5(c)(1) to provide "Instruction and demonstration on the use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine." You could begin by having your miners review this Respirators e-learning course. Again, that will get them a base-level knowledge of terms and ideas.  Then you can follow up with some instructor-led and hands-on training with your own respirators and the places they should be used.   MORE Online Courses for the Part 46 New Miner Training Program Now that you’ve seen how TWO online courses can you help provide mine safety training for that one topic required for the Part 46 New Miner Training Program, take a look at the table below to see how you could include up to 26 different mining-specific e-learning courses (or more) as part of your MSHA Part 46 training plan. An introduction to the work environment Surface Mine Development, Operations, and Reclamation Physical Characteristics of Surface Mines Typical Surface Mining Equipment Instruction on the recognition and avoidance of electrical hazards and other hazards present at the mine Hazards Overview Environmental Hazards Equipment Hazards Physical Hazards Chemical Hazards A review of the emergency medical procedures, escape and emergency evacuation plans, in effect at the mine, and instruction on the fire-warning signals and firefighting procedures Emergency Procedures Instruction on the health and safety aspects of the tasks to be assigned Preventing Accidents Using Personal Protective Equipment Working Around Equipment Maintaining and Repairing Equipment Working in a Confined Space Working on or Near Water Working with Chemicals Working with Electricity Working with Explosives Instruction on the statutory rights of miners and their representatives under the Act Rights and Legal Responsibilities of Miners A review and description of the line of authority of supervisors and miners’ representatives and the responsibilities of such supervisors and miners’ representatives Line of Authority An introduction to your rules and procedures for reporting hazards Site Rules and Hazard Reporting Site-specific hazards You’re on your own here, or contact us for custom e-learning materials to match your site-specific needs Instruction and demonstration on the use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine Respirators Escape Respirators and SCSRs A review of first aid methods First Steps in all First Aid Situations First Aid for Emergencies First Aid for Common Injuries The balance, if any, of the 24 hours of training on any other subjects that promote occupational health and safety for miners at the mine Again, you’re largely on your own here.Of course, you COULD provide additional safety e-learning courses from our general Health and Safety e-learning library. Conclusion: Online Courses for the Part 46 New Miner Training Program So there you have it. Hopefully we’ve addressed some of the questions you might have had about online courses and MSHA Part 46 compliance. In particular, we hope we’ve given you some useful tips about how online courses can be used in a blended learning solution not only to help you satisfy the training requirements but also to provide more effective training to your workers, partly by using the benefits of e-learning when it’s most likely to help your workers and partly by letting you save your own time for when instructor-led and/or hands-on training is most valuable in the training process. The post Online Courses for the MSHA Part 46 New Miner Training Program appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Recently, we posted a simple question into a number of LinkedIn groups that deal with safety and/or EHS: "What do you do to make your safety training more fun and engaging for your employees?" A large number of safety professionals chimed in, and we’ve collected their replies in this article. It’s interesting to read the replies and to see how many of them work along similar themes. So, let’s get to it. Here’s how to make safety training more fun and engaging, with stories and tips from real-life safety managers and trainers. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with an extensive library of health and safety e-learning courses plus many other e-learning course libraries. In addition, we offer a series of learning management systems (LMSs) that are appropriate for companies of different sizes and in different industries. Finally, we also make custom training solutions specifically designed for your employees’ training needs. Check out our website or contact us to ask some questions and set up a demo. Games, Competition, and Rewards A number of people said they tried to include some form of game, competition, and/or reward in their training. We’ve included some of those replies below. One safety trainer used Jeopardy-style games, competition, and candy bars. "Training or reviewing OSHA standards can be dry and hard to swallow. We used the Jeopardy format and divided the sessions in half to do a review after the training. The different standards could have questions from easy to hard, with corresponding values. The teams alternate choosing Standard topic and question value. If an individual answers it correctly he/she gets a candy bar, when a team wins, everyone on the team gets a candy bar. Competition is always there, and points and candy bars mark the win. When the first session goes through it, the word is out and people show up with thinking caps on." Frank Fox, Retired EH&S, The Dow Chemical Company Another also used a TV game show as a model (this time The Weakest Link): "I teach Site Manager Safety training and I find quizzes work really well we have a show in England called the weakest Link and I base the quiz on that. It’s a process of elimination everyone in the group gets 3 lives and you keep going around the table if someone gets their question wrong the person next to them gets the chance to answer it. . I do quizzes on my SMSTS courses and it really gets them going we have a lot of fun, and information tends to stick, very similar to the way they do it on the weakest link." David Shanahan, Director of Collective Safety Solutions Here’s another for games, competition, and rewards: "When I do my trainings I try to make them more interactive rather than just listening to me go on and on and on. I like to play games with the quizzes at the end of the sessions. I also find giving out little gifts or incentives to the top 3 participants also helps to keep everyone awake." Kelly Myers-Mitchell, Regulatory and Compliance Coordinator at Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency This one makes a few points but stresses the use of puzzles and problem-solving: "Examples and hands-on during live-training makes them more vivid.  In my lectures of system / software safety, I also present the involvement of certification authorities (FAA, EASA & others). At the end of this session, and in order to assimilate this activity, I present the "think like the object" tactics, as part of the Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT) approach.  After providing the strategy and examples in other areas (also from my hobby of free diving and hooks examples), I give them to build and solve a puzzle.  IMHO, you can solve this puzzle ONLY if you think like this specific object. I know - from feedback of the participants - that they remember the idea behind only because of the puzzle solving."  Kuper Haim, Software Safety Specialist at Elbit Systems Ltd Here’s another safety professional for games and rewards (and some public credit!): "Provision of assessment & reward after safety training. Winners names shall be published on notice board." Rishi Chaturvedi, Safety Inspector, Al Taver Group Humor Quite a few people brought up the importance of humor. Here’s one who uses humor, including photos of safety mistakes, to get people to explain the RIGHT way to do things. "I like to use funny photos and/or videos that show mistakes. Not gross ones mind you but funny ones. Then get the class to elaborate on how serious the incident is or could have been. It gets their attention with a little humor and results in more active participation in the topic." Timothy Johnson, Director of Safety and Quality Control, Murphy Industrial Coatings I could have put this below with "active participation" but I’ll put it here with humor: "I do agree. Funny videos. There are ton on the Internet. Also trying to get them involved in the training get them to have a discussion instead of a lecture. Taught a class once and didn’t talk except for the first five minutes. Awesome." Quentin Snook, Fire Chaplain I’ll place this one under good-natured humor: "I like to make posters with spelling mistakes and the operatives on development could not wait to tell me I had a grammar error in the poster, and then on a Friday buy the operative who told me about the grammar error received a kids happy meal it went down a treat with other operatives who then went about actually reading the H&S posters to spot deliberate mistake after awhile and a great sense of amusement certain operatives started to bring in the Scotsman and such likes for me to read to help me with my grammar it brought about such amusement to the boys on site, thinking I had a problem with my spelling but it brought about a great safety culture on site for the 4 years I was on it’s a tradition I hope to continue." Michael Loughran, Site Manager at MacTaggart & Mickel Timber Systems LTD Another for humor and engagement-but mostly humor: "It has been my experience that training should not be conducted in a somber atmosphere. If you can get people to laugh you will be able to get them to learn. Often times those that we are required to train are there against their will or may perceive the training as inconsequential to their job requirements, or for that matter, it is training that to them has become repetitious. If we cannot get them to engage in what it is that we are trying to deliver to them, I then liken it to trying to ram a stick up a dead dog’s a**. We are doomed to failure from the outset. I myself have been involved in courses that after the first ten minutes I am beginning to fall asleep. The facilitator is delivering everything by rote and drones on endlessly. If we take it upon ourselves to add a little levity to the course material, no matter how dry it may seem, people will perk up and pay attention and if they are paying attention chances are they will retain some of what it is you are trying to deliver to them." Laurie Bell, St. John’s Ambulance Active Participation Many of the replies involved different forms of having the trainees be active participants in the training. Here’s one person who replied with a neat example about having workers film things with video cameras. "Years ago I worked at a DIY retailer who had a chalk-and-talk health and safety session. I got agreement to change it for my stores, so I used a camera and asked them to film around each store. Some groups filmed real health and safety situations, whilst others set up situations, like putting a pallet in front of a fire door. We then debriefed what their findings were back in the training room (or canteen!) and the buzz was fantastic. I just filled in any gaps with questions. Head Office then used the film clips and made a video. It was used on Tuesday training sessions, made by our own people. I think learning by inquiry is the best way. The approach works well for refresher style training too. I did a room ‘set up’ once to see how many hazards people spotted when they came in (well, it was refresher training!)."  Kay Bucky, Management and Leadership Trainer, The Development Company Limited Yet another EHS manager used video (he shot it), active participation by the employees, and some humor: "With all the technology available today, I found creating a training video worked really well to stimulate training interest. The video covered a meeting followed by a site visit using department employees. It was purposely created with flaws built into the script to emphasize key points in the training. Attendees were then asked to see what errors they could point out later in a discussion of what went wrong, what went right, etc. Interest was high since they knew they would be challenged to find the mistakes (Where’s Waldo?), they knew the employees in the video and some well placed humor. The downside: it required a lot of development work on my part, willing volunteers and some practice runs. However the upside was a very effective training tool that could be tailored to specific training needs AND keep interest levels high. Oh, did I mention I did it all with in house resources and ZERO budget? They still talk about the video today." Gary Moulder, EHS Manager, Haas Group International, West Point, Pennsylvania Here’s another advocate of getting the employees involved, this time with inquiry-based training (which has come up before): "If you truly want employee to be engaged then you need to actually get them involved. Scenario training is a great way to do this. For example, in an area where iron workers are involved, these guys live at height and are often looked up to by the other workers. Safety harnesses are mandatory PPE and yet many of them like to wear them loose. Put on your harness during your briefing and then start walking down the aisle as you explain why a loose harness is guaranteed death. As you do this, allow the harness to slip off your shoulder and then physically demonstrate how they would spin out of it and hit the ground. You do not need to explain step by step, instead, simply carry on with your presentation as you spin out of your harness. As soon as it hits the ground stop talking and ask, "So, how well does that comfortable harness style get me home tonight?" Another way is to get them involved by knowing your staff. If you know that Billy has a little girl at home find a way to tie that in. After all, what is more important to Billy than going home to his beautiful little daughter every night? That’s a powerful way to get buy-in. If John fails to use a tool lanyard up on a scaffold and his hammer falls and strikes Billy in the head his daughter will be attending his funeral instead of him attending her graduation." Collin McKnight, OSHA Construction Site Safety Professional This person offered lots of great ideas. We’ll put these under "active participation"  but they span the gamut: "You probably already have these on your list, but here a few of my suggestions anyway: Have trainees demonstrate or use the tools during the training. Examples include actually filling out a permit form or working in groups to work through the job safety analysis process for two steps of a common, easy task most people can relate to relate to - like gassing up a car or mowing a lawn. Have trainees play a game, do a crossword puzzle or otherwise compete to show that they know/have learned information being provided. Giving trainees rewards (even cheap toys) for reading some of the slides aloud or leading a quick stretch to break up lecture-only portions of the training when they can’t be avoided. Asking trainees to provide examples from their own work area, especially solutions, suggestions or learnings that they can share. Having a decorative theme. Years ago I did a bank compliance training on regulation B - the room was decorated with lots of bees-themed items. Participants that answered questions correctly were given bee-themed prizes. And, the group that was the first to successfully and correctly completed a relevant application form on their easel chart was awarded bee-themed prizes. Per an agreement with my supervisor to do something in training way beyond my comfort level, I actually wore a bee costume. These things may sound silly but they increased class participation, engagement and interest. And, the trainees walked away with a much greater understanding of the relevant forms and how they should be used than they would have if I had just showed slides on how to fill out the forms." Erin Perlow, Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Here’s another for active participation. This person makes the good point that it’s worthwhile making sure everyone knows one another (solid!): "Getting everyone to take turns introducing themselves and a little on what they know about the topic is quite useful as an ice breaker, before the start of the session. Making room for class activities e.g. discussion sessions, group work, practice sessions, etc. also make the class interactive. A little veering off with conversation cards enables some introverts to express themselves on issues raised on any card they pick." Bassey Akan, Training Manager at SMTS (NIG.) LIMITED Here’s another fan of creating an active, scenario-based, problem-solving situation for the workers. Again, this person suggests the use of self-shot video, which comes up a lot too. A video-based scenario elearning courseware that provides exaggerating/dramatic negative and positive feedbacks upon learners choice of decision. The story scenario can go inline with what the learner goes through in his/her daily life at work. This video-based scenario will captivate the learners’ attention and engage them throughout with various safety scenarios. This elearning material can either be ● utilise at the learners’ own time ● use during a face to face training session to get the whole class participate ● use as a challenge among groups during the class Alvin Fu, Consultant, Learning Designer & Trainer | eLC Pte Ltd Two-Way Discussions It seems basic enough, but often we forget to have discussions instead of monologues. Here’s one who hit that nail on the head: "In live training, I’ve found that anything that deviates from a lecture-style presentation will improve the odds of workers being more attentive and involved. Engaging in group discussion and allowing workers to talk about their personal experiences is a practical way to make things more interesting. Further improvements can be made if the discussions revolve around non-workplace scenarios that relate to scenarios in the workplace, such as sports and/or hobbies that your workers participate in. For example, I participate in what some may describe as "extreme" sports such as skydiving, snowboarding, etc. There are many analogies that I can make using the details of those activities that relate to the topics that are being discussed - mostly people find them interesting. I’ll usually quickly turn it over to the trainees and they’ll start finding their own analogies from their personal activities and hobbies, which in most cases are more interesting to them than work." Dave Cvetanovski, Director, Corporate Health and Safety at JMC Steel Group, Founder at Eversafe Media Inc. Here’s another voice in favor of two-way discussions: "I think often we as safety professionals preach, I try and make the safety meeting about them. Give them a bit of information but also interact with them about the safety in the field, ways of doing things safer and better on an every day basis. I think it is working and we talk about how incidents happen, how they can be prevented and they are more aware of their surroundings on an every day basis. One of our workers stated he felt much safer because he was not afraid to ask questions anymore." Patricia Murdoch, Health and Safety Manager, JPD Enterprises, Ltd Here’s another who likes active discussions (along with an "icebreaker" event at the beginning): Ice breakers at the start, group discussions on critical incidents and what are the possible ways of eliminating them, sharing personal experiences, could be one of the ways of engaging participants during the safety training. Alfie J. Fernandez, Maintenance Trainer at Qatar Chemical Company Demonstrations A common thread was the importance of giving real-life demonstrations. This is another that could have gone into "active participation"  but the demonstrations really come alive here. "Great topic. I hope to see a lot of people add to the discussion. One of the things I have done with trenching training is to have the group role soil samples out of play dough. I have also done electrical safety with a bucket of water and hair dryer. For the play dough we are doing the Plasticity or Wet Thread Test. This test is conducted by molding a moist sample of the soil into a ball and attempting to roll it into a thin thread approximately 1/8 inch (3 mm) in diameter (thick) by 2 inches (50 mm) in length. The soil sample is held by one end. If the sample does not break or tear, the soil is considered cohesive. It is kind of cheesy but it engages people. The bucket of water and hair dryer is used to show why we test GFCI before we use. I plug an extension cord into a GFCI and then use a hair dryer. Use a plastic bucket (must be plastic) and ask what will happen if I drop a running hair dryer in the bucket of water. Several times I turn dryer on and start to drop it in the bucket only to stop and ask questions. If you do drop the dryer in it will not trip the GFCI. Plastic bucket (no ground). I do use other safety precautions when doing this. But it is very well received." Mike Kane, Safety Consultant at LMC Inc Storytelling Storytelling is a proven way to capture people’s attention, and it came up in this aspect as well. Here’s one EHS director who knows the value of a good story well told, plus interaction and a bit of show and tell: "When holding Safety meetings it is always fun to have a story to go with the topic. It could be something that happened to the trainer at home or traveling or an observation. Make it interesting to hold the attention span. engage with the employees as you are training to get their involvement. Have a meeting like in school with show & tell; interaction with a new face like one of your vendors participating is another great way to discuss your topics." Douglas Dennis, Corporate EHS Director, Qualico Steel Company Stressing the Importance of Safety It never hurts to let people know safety is serious. This person makes more than one point, but leads with the serious angle: "Simply tell them that they can save a life and earn rewards. Use new ways to get their attention by providing them free stuff like ppe kit, mobile recharge cards, free food after training sessions etc… Good HSE system can’t be implemented without providing respect and equivalent rights." Muhammad Ahmed, Health and Safety Manager, National Engineering Bureau, United Arab Emirates Keep it Job-Specific and Relevant It’s always a good idea to keep job training specific and relevant, and that came up here too. This guy makes a few points, and I could have included one in the "different types of software" section below, but we’ll put his comments here: "Here’s a secret worth considering when you plan your curriculum; people generally don’t dislike learning, but they do resent having their time wasted. Less vanilla ‘general awareness’ material and more focus on specific skills & knowledge that the participant can actually apply in his/her workplace is a good start. If I give you my time you owe it to me to provide information I can use when the rubber hits the road. No amount of games, gimmicks and freebies will compensate for content that wastes my time and yours. If you’re serious about engaging people and maximizing retention, do not use ppt… not one single slide. I’m not suggesting ‘no games’, only that they are a poor substitute for meaningful content. Ideally all training should be designed to be enjoyable (fun) but this probably shouldn’t be seen as the key deliverable. Ppt has a place. Its a reasonable aide for information sessions, progress updates, client presentations and the like but rarely as a training tool in an adult education setting; not if you’re serious about facilitating a learning environment where adult participants are partners rather than passengers. Investigate ‘Metaplan’… the applications are limited only by your creativity" Joe Monk, Furgo-TSM Review, Feedback, and Evaluation Some touched on the importance of reviewing training itself, getting feedback, and evaluating the training. Here’s one safety professional on that theme: "I feel that one of the general key points is review and feedback of the training session. Trainers in general do not always sit down and reflect on a session, listing what went well, what didn’t go so well, what was relevant, what was not so relevant etc. Then this reflection is to be used to improve the next session. I feel this is important as it allows a trainer to grow as a trainer, develop their teaching materials and teaching methods. A lot of trainers, myself included at times, rely on the end product, as long as the objectives have been met, your happy. This is not the best way forward and new methods need to be researched to keep up with the different learning requirements of each individual and to make sure everyone comes away from the session with the correct message. Reflection is the only way to achieve this. Student feedback forms are not always that useful and accurate and an honest personal reflection is invaluable. Also good old fashioned enthusiasm of the subject being taught goes a long way, no-one wants to listen to a trainer who can’t be bothered! Just my own thoughts as such, cheers!" Griff Jenkins, Tech IOSH Speaking Their Language It’s important to speak the correct language (like English and Spanish), of course. But it’s also important to speak in a way that your employees relate to. Here’s one trainer on that issue: "Well I work at a small DE mine in nevada, we hold a morning safety meeting every morning. Which can become mundane and boring, so as the mine shift supervisor I do the topics every morning, but as a working supervisor I speak the language of the miners, not of the managers. I am constantly looking for a new way to spin safety topics. So I don’t just use mining, I use construction, I use extreme sports and military experiences and accidents. And while accidents are never funny I try to remain up beat about the topic and throw in key phrases that will stick with the employees. I will thru out the week ask about those key phrases while doing walk arounds and 7 out of 10 regularly can repeat a phrase and have told me that phrase plays over in their head which in turn translates in action while at the same time maybe giving them a laugh. We are going on 3 years with out a reportable and have had 2 non reportable a on the same 3 years. Both those individuals have been never been able to answer a phrase question at all. Hope this helps any further info just let me know." Jason Rogers, Mine Shift Supervisor/ Kiln Operator, Construction experience, Military experience USN Different Types of Software Some suggested alternative presentation software intended to improve the training and/or make it more active. For example, this health and safety specialist suggested TurningPoint, Prezi, and YouTube videos. Along with our old stand-by, competition: "Competition is great, coupled with response technology such as TurningPoint it is even better. Prezi is also a great tool for A/V use. " Drew Douglas, Health and Safety Specialist, Rama First Nation Conclusion: There Are LOTS of Ways to Make Training More Fun So that wraps that up, at least in terms of tips from our repliers. If you notice, a lot of the tips focused on creating an active learning experience for the workers and getting them more involved. And doing something that was a little fun now and again came up a lot too. But what about you? What are your tips? We’d love to read your comments in the section below.   The post How to Make Safety Training More Fun and Engaging: Tips from Safety Managers appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Because we got our start in training workers at paper manufacturing facilities, and because that’s still a core part of our customer base (even if we’ve expanded quite a bit beyond that), we’ve been writing some blog posts recently specifically geared toward training at paper manufacturing facilities. If you’re not a paper manufacturer, it’s OK-what you’ll read below is true for any job training. So don’t let that introduction scare you away. What we’re going to cover below are a few things to make sure your training is doing what it’s supposed to do-preparing workers to do what they have to do on the job. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider that makes a large number of e-learning courses, offers a number of learning management systems (LMSs) for delivering/tracking/reporting on training, and offers custom training solutions as well.  We began in the paper industry and that’s still a core strength of ours. To that end, we have the world’s best libraries of paper, pulp, tissue, and corrugated e-learning courses, and our learning management systems (LMSs) were created for papermakers and in cooperation with the largest papermaking companies in America.  Contact us today to learn more or to set up a demo.   Training People to Perform Tasks on Their Jobs Managers and owners at paper manufacturing facilities (and other places too) are willing to provide training to employees because it makes the employees more qualified to perform tasks on the job. Maybe this means the employees can perform the job better, or faster, or with less waste, or with greater safety, but it still gets down to teaching people to do real-life tasks on the job. As a result of this real-world, job-driven, task-based focus, it helps a training manager to do two things before planning a training program for an entire site (or creating any training materials): Create a list of the job roles at  your site Create a list of the tasks that people in each job role must perform You can then move on to perform a task analysis, write learning objectives, create tests/evaluations, and create training materials to teach people in various job roles the tasks that they must perform on the job. We’ve covered some of those already in existing blog posts (just click those links you may have skimmed past) and will cover more in future posts. But for now let’s take a closer look at identifying job roles and the tasks performed by people in those job roles. Creating a List of Job Roles at Your Site This one should be easy enough. If your ultimate goal is to create training to prepare employees for all the job roles at your site, you should create a list of all the job roles. Seems obvious enough, huh? So start by creating that list. There’s a good chance that your friends in HR have this already, or at least part of one. You can also touch base with department managers and supervisors to make sure you’ve got all the roles. For example, a paper manufacturer may wind up with some job titles like these on the list: Machine Tender Assistant Machine Tender Back Tender 4th Hand 5th Hand Winder Operator Assistant Winder Operator Creating this list will help the training program, but if nobody’s created a solid list in a while, you may wind up helping your coworkers in some other departments as well. Create a List of the Tasks that People in Each Job Role Must Perform To Do Their Job Once you’ve created a list of each job role at your site, now it’s time to sit down and come up with a series of related lists: the job tasks that people have to perform when assigned to each of the job roles you already listed. Ideally, you’ll create a list of all the job tasks for each job role. But it’s OK to start with the most critical tasks first. These might mean the ones that contribute most to creating a high-quality product at a low expense and/or the ones that are necessary for job safety. If you go this route and list the most critical tasks, you can still add more tasks to the list later. So for example, let’s consider that Machine Tender job role. People assigned to that role may have to complete tasks like those listed below: Startup the machine Shutdown the machine Change grades Test the paper Check centerlines Etc… Now just continue, creating a list of tasks performed by the people in each job role, and you’ll be good to go to the next stage, which is called the Job Tasks Analysis. Next Step: Perform a Task Analysis for Each Task In the next step, explained in our blog post about the task analysis, you’re going to take each of the tasks you’ve identified and break the task down into a series of steps. These steps will match the actual steps that a worker has to perform to complete the task on the job. Then you can use that task analysis to create your learning objectives, which is the set of things you want your workers to be able to do when training is complete. And from there, you can move forward to creating your tests and then your actual training materials. Conclusion: The Importance of Identifying Job Roles and Tasks For Training Hopefully, you see the importance of creating a list of the job roles at your work site and then creating a list of the tasks that people in each job role must perform. At its root, this all gets down to giving you some tools to help create effective training materials that help prepare employees to perform real-life, real-job, real-world tasks at work. And it will help you avoid creating a bunch of training materials that have no real-job value, too. This is even better for a few other reasons. First, if you’re preparing workers to do the tasks they need to do in their jobs, you’re helping your business reach its business goals. And ultimately, that’s what job training is for. And second, it helps set you up for the task analysis, creation of learning objectives, and creation of your tests and training materials, which we’ve already hinted at. The post Identifying Job Roles & Job Tasks for Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Job training shouldn’t be designed or delivered in a vacuum. And you probably know that. We’ve written a LOT about how training should be delivered with the learners in mind (the employees, that is). And that’s definitely true and important. But in this article, we’re going to look at training from a different angle: the connection between training and the business itself-in particular, the goals of a business. And we’ll do that by looking at business goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and job training. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with a series of learning management systems (LMSs), many different libraries of e-learning courses, custom training solutions, apps for mobile devices to support workers in the work area, and more. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo.   Business Goals and Job Training All job training should be designed so that it helps a business reach one or more of its business goals. The business goal or goals can be any number of things: increase revenue, decrease cost, improve quality, decrease machine downtime, improve regulatory compliance, decrease safety incidents, decrease absenteeism, etc. Whatever the goal or goals are, it’s important to remember that: You (the trainer and/or training developer) should know what those goals are before training development begins You should continually keep those goals in mind while designing, developing, and delivering training You want to create training that helps the business move toward or reach those goals Here’s an article about business goals that may prove helpful if you’re looking for more information about goals. Business Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) So now that we agree it’s important for training to directly relate to and support business goals, let’s turn our attention to how we can know if our training is doing that. And that’s where key performance indicators, also known as KPIs, come in. KPIs are ways to measure things. A simple KPI is profit, measured and tracked daily, weekly, quarterly, or annually. Another KPI would be operating cost. Another KPI would be the number of safety incidents tracked per month, and yet another would be any of the various metrics used to measure quality in manufacturing. The basic idea is that a KPI is a numerical way to measure progress toward a business goal. As a trainer, once you’ve identified the business goal or business goals your training should support, the next thing you want to do is determine which KPI is used to measure progress toward that goal. You can then find the value of that KPI before training begins, and use that as a baseline to compare the value of that same KPI after training has occurred. This simple before-and-after comparison will give you an effective way to determine if  your training materials are helping the business move toward reaching its business goal(s). How to Identify Business Goals and KPIs As a trainer, you may not always be "in the loop" about business goals and KPIs. And so you may not know which business goals your training should support, and which KPIs to use to measure before/after progress toward those goals. But that’s OK. When you’re working together with department managers and supervisors, ask them for help identifying these. In some cases, they’ll be able to tell you immediately. In other cases, you may catch them off guard. Maybe they haven’t thought this through either just yet. If that’s true, explain to them that you want to create training for a legitimate reason (to prepare employees so they can help the company move toward business goals) and you want to use KPIs to measure the effectiveness of training. With that explanation, the manager or supervisor should see the value in what you’re trying to do and should be able to help you identify some goals and KPIs. Remember this article about business goals might by a handy help here. Conclusion: Business Goals, KPIs, and Job Training Maybe you’ve been creating training key to specific business goals and measured by KPIs for some time. If so, great. But if not, now’s a good time to start keeping these in mind when you’re designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating your training and training materials. Let us know your thoughts in the comments area below. The post Business Goals, KPIs, and Job Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

In an earlier post, we mentioned the importance of creating (1) a list of the job roles at your site and (2) a list of the job tasks that people in each of those job roles have to be able to do to perform their job. In this post, we’re going to start with that list of tasks, and we’ll show you how to perform a task analysis for each task on the list. The idea is that you’ll "break down" each task into the smaller steps or sub-tasks that a person would have to perform to finish the task. The point in doing this is that once you’ve identified the steps or sub-tasks that make up a task, you’ll know what you need to teach employees who will have to perform the task properly on the job. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with a series of learning management systems (LMSs), many different libraries of e-learning courses, custom training solutions, apps for mobile devices to support workers in the work area, and more. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. Example Task Analysis Let’s look at a quick example of a task analysis from my own job. One of the tasks I have to perform every day at work-this may be true of you, too-is to start up my computer. It’s easy to think of this as a single step, but really there are several. For example: Push power button on computer Wait for prompt Hold down the Ctrl-, Alt-, and Delete keys on keyboard at the same time when prompted Enter password So that one task-turn on computer-has at least three sub-tasks. In a nutshell, that’s all there is to a task analysis. How to Break Down a Job Task Into Smaller Steps You might be thinking to yourself, "I’m the trainer, how do I know the smaller steps that make up a job task?" Good question. And we’ve got a few answers for you. First, you don’t need to know everything. One good place to start is by talking to department managers and/or supervisors. In many cases, they can tell you the steps or they may have it documented already. Another good source is to go to an experienced worker who is known for doing the task well and ask him or her how it’s done. A word of caution, though, if you’re asking managers, supervisors, or very experienced workers. Many times they have the information in an "automatic" status and they may accidentally leave out steps because it comes so naturally to them as a result of repetition and experience. As a result, it may also be a good idea to go out into the field and observe people who do the job well. You might want to take pencil and paper or even a video camera out with you when you do this. Tasks, Sub-Tasks, and Smaller Steps When you’re analyzing a task, and you break it down into different sub-tasks, you may still find that a sub-task includes two or more smaller steps. That’s OK-include each of the smaller steps so that you fully document the procedure for completing the task. Exactly how much detail to include and how much to leave out is as much an art as a science. You want to include enough detail so you know you can teach a novice, but not so much as to make it ridiculous. How to Write Your Tasks and Sub-Tasks Here are a few style tips for writing your tasks and sub-tasks: Start each task with a verb (an action word), not a noun. The emphasis is on people doing things. Write clearly and avoid confusion Be concrete and objective; don’t be vague and subjective Next Steps: The Task Analysis and the Learning Objectives of Your Training Materials Once you’ve got your job tasks identified (as discussed in the earlier post), and you’ve broken tasks down into a series of smaller steps using the task analysis (as discussed earlier in this article), now you can move on to create your learning objectives and your training materials. You will use your list of job tasks to create learning objectives for various training activities. For example, if you were going to create some training to teach me to turn on my computer, the learning objective would be something like "by the end of this training, you should be able to turn on your computer." Likewise, you’ll use the task analysis to help you identify exactly what you need to train your workers to do. During the task analysis, you identified the various steps involved in turning on a computer (to return to our example), so now you know what exactly you need to teach when teaching someone to turn on a computer (or perform another job task). The post Task Analysis for Job Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

A kaizen event is one arrow in the lean manufacturing "quiver." Or one tool in the lean toolbox-pick your favorite metaphor. But just what is a kaizen event? This article will spell it out for you: we’ve got the goods in the sections immediately below. If you’re just getting into lean, you may be happy to know that this is part of a series of articles we’ve written on basic lean topics. Here are some others: 6S and Safety What is Kaizen? How "Lean" Value Stream Mapping Can Improve Job Training And we’ll be adding more from time to time in the future. Hope you enjoy our look at lean topics. But now, to business-let’s learn about kaizen events. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider, largely to manufacturing and industrial customers. We provide a series of learning management systems (LMSs) for assigning, deliver, and tracking training; many different e-learning course libraries geared to industrial and manufacturing customers; custom training solutions; mobile device apps for performance support on the floor; and more. Check out our website, give us a call at 1-800-619-2280, or click this link to contact us to set up a demonstration and get your questions answered. Defining the Kaizen Event Kaizen, Kaizen, and Kaizen Events: What’s the Difference? The Japanese word kaizen can be loosely translated to mean something like "change for the better" or "good change." Within the world of lean, kaizen (not the Japanese word kaizen, which we just discussed, and not kaizen event, which we’ll get to shortly) means a philosophy of continuous improvement, especially one guided by actual workers on the floor and not their managers. So kaizen is an ongoing, never-ending process of constantly making the workplace better by using observations and ideas from workers. If you’re curious, check our article that’s specifically about kaizen. By contrast, a kaizen event is NOT an ongoing, never-ending process aimed at improving the entire workplace. Instead, a kaizen event lasts for only a short period of time, typically just a few days. And it’s usually focused on one particular part of the work flow instead of on everything. And, it’s performed by a kaizen team instead of just by all workers on their own. So those are three pretty significant differences between kaizen and a kaizen event. Of course, even with those differences, the end goals remains the same: to decrease waste and increase value as perceived by your customer. How Are Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen Events Related? Lean manufacturing is a school of thought and a set of principles intended to make businesses more efficient. The basic idea is to increase value, as measured by the customer, by reducing waste in the production process. There’s more to it than that, of course, but that’s not a bad quick synopsis. Kaizen events are one aspect of lean manufacturing. So a kaizen event is one of many things you can do at work to be more lean. Holding a Kaizen Event In the following sections, we’ll give you a quick overview of what happens during a kaizen event. We’ll separate the information into three distinct times: Before the event (when pre-kaizen-event planning occurs) During the event (when you hold the kaizen event) After the event (when you follow up on the kaizen event) Before You Hold Your Kaizen Event Before your actual kaizen event, there will be a period of extended planning to prepare for the event. A kaizen event facilitator will help lead this pre-event planning period. You can have an in-house employee act as your kaizen event facilitator. However, the person who fills this role has a lot to do, and the success of a kaizen event can be closely related to how well the faciliator facilitates. When people think about hiring an outside expert to lead a kaizen event, this is who they’re thinking of hiring. That doesn’t mean you have to hire a kaizen event facilitator, we just want to get that on the table. There are also other roles that people in-house can fill during this pre-event planning period. These aren’t as critical as the role of the facilitator, and they’re beyond the scope of this article to cover. But for now, know that some other people will be doing some other things to help prepare for the kaizen event. Many things will happen during this time. Two of the most important will be selecting the scope of the event and selecting the actual kaizen event team members. We’ve included additional information about each of those below since they’re critical to the success of the event itself. Selecting The Scope or Focus on the Kaizen Event Above, during our contrast of kaizen and kaizen events, we called out a critical difference. While kaizen by definition focuses on all aspects of the workplace, a kaizen event is going to be more focused. It may focus on just one process-maybe materials delivery or warehouse and shipping. Typically, the focus of the kaizen event would have been chosen because there’s waste or inefficiency in that area that’s reducing value to the customer. The specific focus may be chosen because lean techniques such as value stream mapping, and lean metrics such lead time (LT), process time (PT), activity ratio (AR), percent complete and accurate(C&A), or rolled first past yield (RFPY) have identified it as an area for improvement. Or maybe other key performance indicators (KPIs) have been used to identify the focus. Or maybe there’s just a general sense that something could be made better. But however you’ve chosen the area, the goal is to select an area or process that could be improved to increase value to the customer. The Kaizen Event Team Another difference between kaizen and a kaizen event has to do with who’s involved. In kaizen, everyone’s involved every day. The emphasis is on having all workers contribute. By contrast, in any single kaizen event, there’s a defined kaizen team assigned to tackle the problem. Typically, you’ll need at least six people on a kaizen event team, and possibly as many as ten. You can go as high as twelve, but be careful about adding more, as this can cause the classic "too many cooks are gonna spoil the stew" problem. In addition to the facilitator (the facilitator plays a role during the pre-event planning, during the event itself, and during follow-up as well), here are some other tips to keep in mind when selecting kaizen team members: At least half of the team should be made up of the people who currently perform the work that the kaizen event is intended to improve. Limit the number of managers/company leaders on the team. Make sure the team includes people from several different departments (whose work "touches" the process or area being improved). Try to include "internal suppliers" of the process (people who provide input to that part of the business) and/or "internal customers" of the process (people who receive output from that part of the business). Include subject matter experts (SMEs) who have special knowledge about the process If appropriate and possible, consider including contractors, vendors, suppliers, and/or customers Bring in someone who’s not directly involved in the process to serve as an objective third party/outside voice. This may be a good role for someone from management/leadership. Holding Your Kaizen Event Your actual kaizen event may last a few hours or a few days. It’s typical to spend 2-5 full days on the actual event. During your kaizen event, you should complete the following phases: Start it up: The facilitator should explain to all team members the purpose and scope of the event. Everyone should introduce themselves to one another. General principles of lean manufacturing, such as waste reducing and increasing value as perceived by the customer, should be explained. And then basic structure and the agenda of the kaizen event should also be explained. Map the current state: Have all team members work together to map the current state of the process. Then, analyze the current state and identify parts that don’t add value (in other words, identify the waste). Design an improved future state: With the current state mapped, and its non-value-adding aspects identified, work together to brainstorm and design a leaner, more efficient future state. Perform some form of "tests" on the designed improvement: This may be simply reviewing a diagram, or it may involve giving a simple new process a test-run, but check to see if the new idea really is better. If you can catch a bad idea that seemed like a stroke genius "in the lab" before you put it on the floor, that’s going to save you in the end. Put the new plan into action: Now, put the new ideas into place and begin working with the new process. After Your Kaizen Event You’re not done when the short 2-5 day kaizen event is over. Instead, you’ve got plenty of observation, measurement, and monitoring to do. First of all, you want to observe the new process in action and see if it’s really being implemented as planned. You may also find that you may have to make some quick (and minor) on-the-fly adjustments at this point. Next, you’re going to want to monitor and measure the process you just changed. Remember that the goal was to increase value, and you can’t just take that on faith. So use your lean metrics and other business metrics to measure the process, compare it to your measurements before the kaizen event, and make sure there really was an improvement. And finally, you’ll want to keep tabs on the newly changed (and hopefully improved) process to make sure the changes "stick." Sometimes new changes have a way of disappearing as we backtrack to our old ways. But if your measurements show that the change did create improvement, then you want to make sure to stick with it. Conclusion: The Kaizen Event We hope this quick overview of the kaizen event gave you a general understanding of what a kaizen event is, how to prepare for one, how to hold one, and how to follow up after a kaizen event. Of course, there’s much more to be said about kaizen events, and entire books have been written about them. If this article has got you interested, then we definitely suggest you pick up a book and read more (or consider hiring one of those experienced kaizen event facilitators we mentioned earlier). If you have experience holding kaizen events, or have thoughts or comments about them, we’d love to hear what you have to say. There’s a comments section immediately below this article-type away and let yourself be heard.       The post What is a Kaizen Event? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

In today’s economy, effective manufacturing training is a necessity. If you’re not training your workers to do their jobs properly, you’re pouring money down the drain and losing your competitive advantage. To help you out, we’ve created a free Manufacturing Training Guide you can download. It’s right at the bottom of this article. The guide will walk you though a step-by-step process in which you: Identify business goals the training supports and KPIs to measure effectiveness of training Analyze your training needs Create learning objectives and assessments Create training materials Evaluate and revise training materials Follow the steps in this guide will help move your training program in the right direction. The post Effective Manufacturing Training: Free Manufacturing Training Guide appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

A lot of people wonder how they might be able to use online  tools and courses for MSHA Part 46 training. Or, they wonder if they CAN use online learning as one part within their Part 46 training. Those are questions we’re going to answer in this article. Even better, we’re going to provide a free downloadable guide at the end of this article that you goes into a ton of detail about how you can use online training as part of your MSHA Part 46 solution. If you’re not familiar with MSHA Part 46, or if you need a refresher, here’s a helpful What is MSHA Part 46? article. Otherwise, continue on to learn more about online MSHA Part 46 training. Convergence Training is a training company that provides training solutions, including LMSs and e-learning courses, for mine safety, other safety and health topics, and much more. Check out our web page or contact us with questions or to set up a demo.   Does MSHA Allow Mine Operators to Provide Part 46 Training Online? Yes. Here’s what 46.4(d) says (note that "computer-based instruction" is explicitly OK’ed): " Training methods may consist of classroom instruction, instruction at the mine, interactive computer-based instruction or other innovative training methods, alternative training technologies, or any combination of training methods." Two Parts of an Online Solution: e-Learning Courses and a Learning Management System (LMS) People often think of "online learning"  as a single thing, but there are really two parts to it, as explained below: A Learning Management System (LMS) An LMS is an online software application that allows you to assign training to your workers, deliver some of it online, determine if your workers have completed it, give them credit for completing the training, run reports, and create documentation required by MSHA. A learning management system can really simplify a lot of the time-consuming and frustrating clerical, organizational, and scheduling tasks that you are probably managing by hand (and Excel spreadsheets, and paper-based training records stored in manila envelopes, etc.). If you’re struggling with the time, organization, and clerical tasks associated with Part 46 training, and the expenses that come with them, then an LMS can really be your friend. For more about LMSs, read this What is an LMS? article or check out an LMS made for MSHA compliance. e-Learning Courses e-Learning courses are what people often think of when they think of online learning. They are the actual courses on actual workforce training topics. An e-learning course is not the same as an LMS, but you can import e-learning courses into an LMS and then use the LMS to assign and deliver the courses to your workers. An good analogy is that an LMS and e-learning courses are similar to video game players (like X-Box or PlayStation or Wii) and the games you buy to play with the players. The video game player is like an LMS; the video games are like the e-learning courses. For some examples, check out this collection of e-learning courses for MSHA safety training compliance. Sample e-Learning Course for MSHA Part 46 Training Here’s a sample of an e-learning course that covers a topic required by MSHA Part 46. This course is about the physical characteristics of surface mines. You could have your miners view this course as PART of your "introduction to the mining environment" training required by New Miner and Newly Hired Experienced Miner. Then you could follow that up with some site-specific training about your site and, of course, a mine tour. Our Free Online MSHA Part 46 Training Guide: Download it Below Want to learn more about how an online solution, including an LMS and e-learning courses, can help you out with Part 46? If so, just click the download button below-we’ll send a free guide directly to your inbox. Nice! The post Online MSHA Part 46 Training Compliance: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We work closely with customers in the pulp, paper, tissue, and corrugated industries. In fact, that’s where we started-partnering with a local paper mill to create a learning management system (LMS) to deliver training online and track its completion. From there, we quickly began creating e-learning courses for the same industries, covering papermaking processes, EHS topics, and more. That’s why we thought it would be nice to create a handy guide for companies in the pulp, paper, tissue, and corrugated industries who want to fine-tune their training programs. The guide below presents a step-by-step approach to creating and/or improving your training program at work. Hopefully you’ll find it helfpul. Let us know if you have some thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to check out our training solutions for these industries, including: Enterprise learning management system (LMS) Contractor LMS Pulping e-learning courses Paper Manufacturing e-learning courses Tissue e-learning courses Corrugated packaging e-learning courses Health and safety e-learning courses Custom training solutions   The post How to Develop an Effective Paper Manufacturing Training Program appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We’re all in favor of safety training. But even better, we’re in favor of EFFECTIVE safety training. Safety training that employees learn from. Safety training that causes them to perform more safe actions at work and fewer (or better-no) unsafe actions. Safety training that drives down our number of accidents, injuries, illnesses, near-misses, and property damage. Maybe all the way to zero. That’s the kind of effective safety training we’re all in favor of. But effective safety training doesn’t just happen. It comes from a focused, concerted effort that involves lots of know-how and planning. In this article, we’re going to look at some things you can do to make your safety training more effective, and as a result make your workplace safer. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with many libraries of e-learning courses, including a large library of health and safety e-learning courses. We also provide a variety of learning management systems (LMSs) so you can manage all types of training (not just e-learning, but classroom, task-based, on-the-job, etc.). Contact us to set up a demo or to learn more.   Tips for Effective Safety Training Below are some tips you can use to make your safety training more effective. If you follow these tips, you’ll definitely be heading in the right direction. You’ll notice the first two steps aren’t directly related to safety TRAINING but to safety in general. But we think you’ll agree they’re logical starting points. Identify Your Hazards: The first thing you can do is inspect the workplace for hazards. Your safety training won’t be very good unless you know what hazards you’re trying to protect your workers from. Performing a job hazard analysis is a great way to get started. During a JHA, a team of people investigate a work area and look for hazards associated with a particular job. They’ll then work to reduce those hazards, a point we’ll get to shortly. Click to read our entire article about the job hazard analysis (JHA). There’s even a free guide there waiting for you. Control Your Hazards: It’s good to do a JHA and identify your hazards. But it’s even better to control your hazards. If you don’t talk "Safety Manager 101," that means to make the workplace safer by eliminating or reducing the hazards. One great model you can use to do this is to follow what safety folks know as the hierarchy of controls. The hierarchy of controls gives you a simple pattern to use when trying to control hazards-try elimination first, substitution second, engineering controls third, work practice controls fourth, and PPE fifth. Note that PPE is always a last resort, and recognize that in some cases you may well use different types of controls in combination (for example, an engineering control and PPE). We’ve got a hierarchy of controls article for you here. And we’ve got a free hierarchy of controls e-learning course for you here. Know Your Safety Training Regulations: It’s also a good idea to find out the safety training requirements that regulatory agencies like OSHA or MSHA place on your work site. First, because the law’s the law, and compliance with the law is a good thing. But even though compliance with the law is a good thing, two even better reasons to check those safety training regulations are (a) to make sure you’re not overlooking something the regulation may help you identify and (b) to set a "baseline minimum" for training that you can then then exceed with your own training. Here’s a website where OSHA identifies its safety training requirements (although I think it’s a little dated and perhaps inaccurate, but it’s the latest one they have). And here are the MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 safety training requirements. Have a Method for Your Safety Training-ANSI Z490.1: It’s a good idea to follow a proven, trusted method for delivering your safety training. If you haven’t heard of ANSI Z490.1, the national standard for accepted EHS training practices, now’s a good time to get familiar with it. The standard provides a step-by-step method for safety trainers like you. Here’s an article that introduces you to ANSI Z490.1. This article serves as an introduction, but you’ll find it includes links to lengthy discussions of each of ANSI Z490.1’s multiple sections as well. Know Your Learning Objectives: Early in the process of designing training, you’ll want to create a set of learning objectives. Your learning objectives are the things you want your employees to do on their job as a result of your training. If you pick the right learning objectives (for example, to lock and tagout machinery before performing maintenance), you can then design your training to teach employees to perform those actions and create tests that evaluate if employees can perform those actions during training. So in short, your learning objectives are what everything else in your training supports. Here’s a helpful article about learning objectives (there’s another handy downloadable guide waiting for you there) and here’s a shorter article that covers similar ground. Know Your Employees: There’s a much better chance that your employees will "get" your training, and be safer workers as a result, if you create training with their characteristics in mind. Do they prefer classroom-style training or training in the field? Do they like to start training with some e-learning and then talk about it as a group? Are they comfortable with written material, or is that a struggle for them? What is their level of previous knowledge on the topic-and what existing knowledge can you use to make comparisons while introducing new knowledge? The more you know about your employees, the more effective your training will be. Know and Acknowledge the "What’s In It For Me?" Issue: Your employees are going to pay attention to training and care about it if they know how it’s important for them. If you start by explaining how training will keep them safe in their jobs (or better yet, ask them how it’s related to their jobs), you’re off to a good start. And remember to design the training so it’s focused on how your workers actually work. Avoid simply reading off a safety regulation-that’s too abstract. Make it personal. Know about Active Learning: One of those adult learning principles we talked about earlier is the importance of active learning. The idea is that people don’t learn by passively sitting and listening to a lecture. Instead, they learn when they’re being active. This can mean leading the training session themselves, actively participating in a Q&A session, sharing their thoughts and experiences, performing hands-on training, and similar stuff. If you design training knowing that it’s important for the workers to be active participants, they’ll get more out of it and you’ll have a safer work place. Here’s a great article full of tips from real-life safety managers about how to create engaging, fun, effective safety training, with an emphasis on active learning. Know Your Adult Learning Principles: The "What’s in it for me?" issue and active learning are part of what learning experts call adult learning principles. Adult learning principles are things that make adults more likely to learn, as you might have guessed. If your training includes these adult learning principles, it’s going to be more effective and lead to a safer work place. Here’s a full article on adult learning principles, and here’s another about applying adult learning principles in safety training. Know How to Write and Talk: When you write training materials, or when you’re speaking during a training session, it’s important to use the right kind of language. And for effective training, that means a few things-primarily, conversational and the kind of language the workers themselves use. Here’s a longer article that gives more tips about how to write (or speak) for effective training. We’ve even got an article about formatting your written training materials to improve your training. Know About the Combined Power of Words and Pictures: We’re visual creatures-most of the information that comes to us comes from our eyes. And so it’s no surprise that training with good visuals (pictures, movies, real-life objects, etc.) can be very effective. Even better, many studies show that training that includes well-designed visuals and words together is even more effective-this is because our brains have two "processing centers," one for images and one for words. Here’s a helpful article about visuals in workplace training. And here’s a sample of forklift safety training e-learning course from Convergence Training and their health and safety e-learning library. You can see how this blending of spoken words and images can be really effective. Know the Value of "Chunking": Humans can only keep a small amount of information in our working memory-maybe only four-at any one time. If you give your workers more than that to handle, they’ll get overwhelmed and nothing will "stick." The solution to that is to organize your training into tiny, bite-sized "chunks." (Yep, that’s what it’s called in learning and development.) Doing this will give your workers a better chance of retaining the information. Here’s an article about safety training and chunking (it specifically relates to MSHA safety training, but the point is universal). And here’s a longer article with more details about chunking and training. Know the Importance of Testing: Training is good, but it’s also important to test your employees to make sure they understand the important concepts and/or can demonstrate that they know how to perform job tasks safely BEFORE you send them out on the floor to work. Don’t forget to test-without it, you’re only hoping people have learned. Here’s a helpful article to get you started with testing. Know How to Evaluate Your Training Effectiveness: And here’s one last thing you want to know about effective safety training. To know if it’s effective or not, you’ve got to evaluate the results-you can’t just assume it worked. Get out on the field and observe behaviors and see what workers are doing. Check your near-miss numbers and your injury/illness/incident counts. Make sure your training is having the effect you’re hoping for. If you can get data of key performance indicators (KPIs) for safety both before and after training is held, that can be a real benefit because it allows you to compare your data. Here’s an article about training and KPIs. What Are YOUR Tips for Effective Safety Training? Well, those were a few tips from us, but what about you? What tips do you have to share that we didn’t mention above? Or what thoughts do you have to add? We’d love to hear what you have to say-just use the comments section below. And while you’re at it, why not download the free Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) guide we’ve got for you below? The post Tips for Effective Safety Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

When a contractor is working at a surface mine, it brings up a lot of questions regarding the MSHA Part 46 training requirements for contractors. For example, who’s responsible for what in terms of providing the MSHA Part 46 safety training? And, of course, there are questions about the type of training the contractor needs to receive, who pays, etc. If you don’t know all the ins and outs of this issue now, you will by the time you finish this article. So let’s get started with this overview of MSHA Part 46 training for contract employees. Who’s Who in the Part 46 Contractor Training Picture There are three roles to consider in this discussion. They are listed and defined below: The production-operator: As defined in 46.2(2)(m), this is "any owner, lessee, or other person who operates, controls, or supervises a mine under this part." The independent contractor: As defined in 46.2(2)(e), this is "…any person, partnership, corporation, subsidiary of a corporation, firm, association, or other organization that contracts to perform services at a mine under this part." Employees of the independent contractor who work at a mine site: These are the people who work for the independent contractors defined immediately above and who work at a mine site where Part 46 training requirements apply. These employees are considered "miners" as explained in 46.2(g)(1)(i) and (ii)-"Any person, including any operator or supervisor, who works at a mine and who is engaged in mining operations. This definition includes independent contractors and employees of independent contractors who are engaged in mining operations; and any construction worker who is exposed to hazards of mining operations." That may make you wonder what "mining operations" means. Here’s how that’s defined in 46.2(h): "Mining operations means mine development, drilling, blasting, extraction, milling, crushing, screening, or sizing of minerals at a mine; maintenance and repair of mining equipment; and associated haulage of materials within the mine from these activities." The Production-Operator’s Part 46 Requirements for Contractor Training The production-operator has two primary responsibilities when it comes to the employees of independent contractors who will be working at their site as miners. The first is that the "production-operator has primary responsibility for ensuring that site-specific hazard awareness training is given to employees of independent contractors who are required to receive such training under 46.11…". That’s from 46.12(a)(1). You can read more about the Part 46 requirements for site-specific hazard awareness training here. The second is to "provide information to each independent contractor who employs a person at the mine on site-specific mine hazards and the obligation of the contractor to comply with our (‘our’ means ‘MSHA" there) regulations, including the requirements of this part." That’s from 46.12(a)(2). The Independent Contractor’s Part 46 Requirements for Contractor Training Now let’s look at the independent contractor’s responsibilities for Part 46 training for his or her workers (who are considered "miners" under 46.2). The independent contractor "has primary responsibility for complying with 46.3 through 46.10 of this part, including providing new miner training, newly hired experienced miner training, new task training, and annual refresher training." That quote’s from 46.12(b)(1), and those links take you to the MSHA site that explains each of those Part 46 training programs in more detail. In addition, the independent contractor "must inform the production-operator of any hazards of which the contractor is aware that may be created by the performance of the contractors work at the mine." Note that because 46.12(b)(1) says the independent contractor is responsible for complying with 46.3-46.10, that includes creating a training plan (46.3) and keeping records of training (46.9). Who Pays the Workers While They’re Training and How Much? The independent contractor. In 46.12(b)(1), it says the "independent contractor…has primary responsibility for complying with 46.3-46.10," and in 46.10 it says "Training must be conducted during normal working hours. Persons required to receive training must be paid at a rate of pay that corresponds to the rate of pay they would have received had they been performing their normal work tasks." Conclusion: MSHA Part 46 Training for Contractors That’s our little overview of MSHA Part 46 training for contractors. If you had some questions or confusion before, we hope we’ve addressed them. Of course, feel free to use the comments section below to write any of your own thoughts or other questions-we’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’ve got other questions about MSHA Part 46, download our free guide to MSHA Part 46 below. The post MSHA Part 46 Training Requirements for Contractors appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

A lot of people are familiar with the lean manufacturing method known as 5S. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a method for straightening and organizing a workplace. Like all lean manufacturing concepts, it’s intended to create efficiency. But of course, a more organized, clutter-free work area also improves safety. This is well known and I’m saying nothing new. Whether you use 5S or not, I’m sure that housekeeping is a big part of your safety training and your safety program in general. In addition to 5S, you can use other lean concepts to improve safety at the workplace as well. And again, even if you’re not using the "lean" name for each, you may be doing something similar already. Or, if you’re not, maybe now’s a time for you to add a wrinkle or two to your current approach. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at 5S and other ideas to investigate improving workplace safety with lean manufacturing tips. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider. We have many libraries of e-learning courses, including courses related to health and safety training, to general manufacturing training needs, and more. We also offer a series of learning management systems (LMSs) to help you assign, deliver, track, credit, and report on training of any type (not just e-learning courses). Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. Lean Manufacturing + Safety We’ll take a look at three different lean methods, give a quick explanation of each, will describe how they can be applied to safety, and will provide links to fuller explanations of each method. The methods are: 5s Kaizen Kaizen Events If you’ve already used one, some, or all of these for your own safety program, we invite you to use the comments section below to share your thoughts and experiences. 5S and Safety As you may know or may have guessed, 5S is a five-step method for organizing a work place, and each step begins with the letter S. The original steps are Japanese words, but we’ll include the English translations  below: Sort Straighten Shine Standardize Sustain And here’s a little further explanation of each: Sort: Go through the work area, identify items that are needed and items that are not, and remove the unnecessary items. Straighten: Once the unnecessary items are gone, put the necessary items in the best possible place. Many companies extend this idea and use tape or other markings to make it clear where everything is supposed to go. Below is a short sample from the 5S e-learning course by Convergence Training. It covers the second S-straighten-and demonstrates putting things in their place and marking their location. Shine (also known as sweep or sanitze): Clean up the workplace and set up a regular schedule for keeping it clean. Standardize: Now that things are sorted, straightened, and shined, create procedures so you can be sure things stay that way. (If you are familiar with lean, you already known it’s big on creating standard ways of doing things. If not, here’s your introduction to that idea.) Sustain: Make sure everyone’s following those new standardized procedures for keeping the workplace sorted, straightened, and shined. Or, as we might say in the US, spick-and-span. But what about safety and 5S? Many say that safety is automatically a part of 5S. Just follow 5S and you’ve got yourself a safer workplace. It’s easy enough to see that logic. Others, however, think it’s worth adding a "safety" component to each of the five steps. For example, when you sort, you can create a separate pile for EHS hazards, and when you straighten, you can consider things like ergonomics. And still others think after you’ve gone through the full 5S process, you could add a sixth step exclusively for safety issues. Choose the method that seems best to you. To read more about 5S (and its connection to safety), see our 5S + Safety = Lean 6S article. Kaizen and Safety Kaizen, as you may have guessed, is another Japanese word. It translates to something like "change for the better." The primary ideas behind kaizen are: A continual process of improvement Making small improvement after small improvement, with great total effects over time Empowering workers to make changes and/or suggest changes in their work areas It’s easy enough to see how kaizen can create a safer workplace. Give workers the power to address safety hazards when they see them, or to immediately report safety suggestions to their supervisor. Continue making small safety improvement after safety improvement. And over time, see the large total effect of many small safety changes. What do you do at work now? What are the incentives for workers to report safety hazards? Is there a clear and defined method for doing so? Do you follow through quickly and let workers know you followed through? All of these can help you put a little "kaizen" into your safety. Click to read more about our kaizen here. Kaizen Events and Safety A kaizen event is not the same as kaizen. Although the aim of both is to make a change for the better, here are a few critical differences: Kaizen is an ongoing, continual process. A kaizen event is short-term (typically 3-5 days) with a definite beginning and ending point. Kaizen involves all workers. A kaizen event involves a smaller kaizen team. Kaizen involves the entire work area or process. A kaizen event typically focuses on one area or process. So, you can see how a kaizen event could help you run a short-term, focused, team-based effort to improve safety. Because of the short-term approach of a kaizen event, it may be best-suited for one work area or process, but that depends on the size of your company. Maybe you already do something like this already. Many companies have a weekly safety meeting, hold top-to-bottom safety inspections, perform job hazard analyses (JHAs), or other things that fit within this "kaizen event" mold even if they don’t use the name. Click to read more about kaizen events. Conclusion: Improving Workplace Safety with Lean Manufacturing Principles There you go: three lean manufacturing techniques that you can borrow from your friends in production to make a safer, more incident-free workplace-5S, kaizen, and a kaizen event. But what are your experiences? Have you knowingly used any of these techniques as part of your safety program? Or, even if you didn’t know the names and haven’t used the techniques, have you doing similar stuff? If so, how did it work and what were your experiences? We’d love to hear about it. Just drop a note in the comments section below. Also, we’ve included a free downloadable guide to performing a JHA to create a safer workplace below. Hope you download it, like it, use it, and benefit from it. The post Improving Workplace Safety with Lean Manufacturing Principles appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We thought we’d pull together a list of a few good books about training or instructional design that we’ve read lately. If you’ve read any of these, it would be great to hear your thoughts on them. If not, you might want to check one or two out. Of course, you’re invite to use the comments section below to give us some additional book suggestions as well-we’re always looking for good ones. And if you’re wondering what’s next on our reading list, it’s this book about "lean" training: Training Within Industry: The Foundation of Lean. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider. We have many libraries of e-learning courses, including courses related to health and safety training, to general manufacturing training needs, and more. We also offer a series of learning management systems (LMSs) to help you assign, deliver, track, credit, and report on training of any type (not just e-learning courses). Contact us for more information or to set up a demo.   Some Good Books about Training Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand by Connie Malamed Connie Malamed is one of our favorite learning writers of all time. She’s got a new book about training visuals out now that we haven’t yet read, but her earlier book on visual language for designers is very relevant to people who are creating training content that includes visuals. She breaks her 25 tips down into different categories, such as "organizing for clarity," "focusing for attention," and so on. This book is highly recommended. Click to read our more extensive review of this book or click to see examples of her tips as used in some training courses by Convergence Training. Design for How People Learn (Voices that Matter) by Julie Dirksen You don’t have to talk with many learning and development experts to run into someone raving about this book by Julie Dirksen. Her book gives a nice explanation of how people learn (based on findings in cognitive science) and then gives tips on how to design training materials that match how people learn. Brilliant! In addition, it’s written in a clever, conversational manner that’s fun to read. Definitely worth checking out. In fact, you can read our longer review of this book here. Writing Training Materials that Work: How to Train Anyone to Do Anything by Wellesley R. Foshay, Kenneth H. Silber, and Michael B. Stelnicki You can look at this one as a type of update of Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Like Gagne, the authors present steps of training. The primary differences are that the steps in this book are based on findings from cognitive psychology and that the authors show how to apply the different steps for different types of information: facts, concepts, processes, procedures, and problem-solving. Read our extended description of the steps in this book here or read about the information types discussed in this book (plus another book by Ruth Colvin Clark) here. E-Learning and the Science of Instruction by Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer: A solid classic that we read some time ago but picked up again and re-read recently. As in all of Clark’s books, the strength here is that she lays out the data behind her suggestions. One big point of emphasis is the proper way to use words and images together in e-learning. There are also nice sections on how much material to add, chunking and organizing training, using examples, building thinking skills, and more. Clark is quick to note that there’s still a lot of data missing and nearly every chapter ends with a "what we don’t know about (topic X)" section. Your Turn: What Good Books About Training Have You Read Lately? Alright, now it’s your turn to use the comments section below. What good books about training have you read lately? We’d love to see your recommendations below. Also, don’t forget to share your ideas if you’ve read one of the books listed above, or if you’ve read other books by the same authors. The post 4 Good Books about Training We’ve Read Lately appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.