• Employers can make training programs interactive through classroom discussions, role play, and exercises or quizzes.

Research shows that learning is improved (for all preferences) when training combines a variety of learning activities — demonstration, discussion, handouts, hands-on experience, etc. For example: As part of a harassment training program, employers might decide to coach new supervisors on best practices for handling upset employees.

Questions to encourage interaction

Employers might show a video that demonstrates a positive way to handle a harassment complaint, and maybe another video that shows a negative way to handle that same compliant. Employers might then start a class discussion about the video demonstrations:

• What did workers observe in the demonstration?
• Which tactics worked?
• Which tactics didn’t work?
• Why?
• How do the demonstrated steps compare to the current way of handling such situations?
• How can employees better deal with complaints?

The learners could role play to practice handling harassment complaints, and employers might provide a handout with tips for handling upset employees that includes suggested phrases that can diffuse tense situations.

Additional tips

• Because adults learn by sharing experiences, the trainer should maintain an informal classroom atmosphere that encourages questions and interaction.
• The trainer can facilitate learning by asking for questions and relating the responses to the trainees’ work duties. The trainer can suggest how the materials can help the trainees set priorities on the job. Handouts should be concise and useful references.
• Adults bring loads of experience to the classroom, and everyone will benefit if the trainer encourages the trainees to share experiences. The trainer should encourage discussions and networking both during class and at breaks. The entire class, including the trainer, should be ready to learn from the trainees, and the trainer should recognize trainees who have relevant expertise.
• The trainer should continuously inform the trainees of progress. This should be done in a way that will not give anyone a feeling of failure in front of peers. Feedback becomes much more important if the class is for some type of qualification or certification and the trainees need to meet certain criteria to pass the course.
• After each exercise or quiz, the trainer should discuss correct replies and allow time for trainees to go back and make corrections to the work. People like to be rewarded. Small prizes for class participation are appreciated. When the class is over, the trainees should feel that expectations have been met and that course objectives have been accomplished.
• Trainees don’t have a lot of time to complete extensive training evaluations. Evaluations using checklists or short answers can meet this challenge. Trainees involved in ongoing training programs will want to know that participant opinions matter. The trainer should acknowledge changes to the program that were prompted by trainee evaluations.