7 Best Employee Training Methods L&D Managers Must Know

Designing an advantageous employee training program is never an effortless process. It’s not just about developing understandable and appealing content. Selecting training methods for employees is also a huge matter that many of our clients have struggled with. Which training method works best for their learners? Can it completely deliver the topic? So, we put together a list of top types of employee training methods to help you find the perfect one.

Here are the five most effective employee training methods you should consider:

1. Active Learning
2. Game-based Learning
3. Gamification
4. Problem-based Learning
5. Social Learning
6. Scenario-based Learning
7. Microlearning

Let’s explore them in more detail!

Hold up! Before diving into the method list, there is one more thing you should know 

Do you know employee training methods are different from employee training delivery methods? Don’t worry if you have always thought they are the same, as it is pretty challenging to tell the differences between them.

• Training delivery methods consist of the materials used by trainers to provide learning experiences. Materials such as virtual reality, animations, and sound are the most common training delivery methods applied in corporate training.

• Meanwhile, training methods enhance employees’ knowledge and abilities so that they may complete their given tasks without failure. There are numerous employee training methods; you will find out what they are in the next part.

Training method #1: Active Learning

Active learning encourages employees to engage in classes by analyzing, debating, researching, and producing. They can apply their knowledge to reality, work through difficult decisions, solve issues, offer answers, and articulate concepts on their terms through writing and discussion. 

Since students occasionally fail to recognize the connection between activities and learning objectives on their own, be clear about it. This method allows you to walk around the training room and engage with employees to grasp their viewpoints better.

Why choose this?

• Make the information personal, so employees are more motivated to learn.
• Receiving frequent and immediate feedback helps students correct misconceptions and develop a deeper understanding of course material.
• Employees have various learning options when given a chance to process course material. 
• Relating new information to existing knowledge is easier to memorize as information is structured.
• Employees can correct mistakes, and deeper comprehend the course topic by receiving regular and fast feedback. 
• Employees are more motivated to learn when engaged in activities that help them form personal connections with the subject matter.

Training method #2: Game-based Learning

Game-based learning’s basic idea is that learning occurs via practice, failure, and achieving objectives. The player starts slowly and improves until they can master the most challenging levels. Well-planned and constructed games will maintain a tough level of complexity while remaining easy for the player to win. 

Employees work toward a goal while making decisions and dealing with the results. A few examples are customer service training, policy review, corporate training, team development, and staff awareness training.

Why choose this?

• Increase employees’ training engagement 
• Employees actively learn and practice the right way to complete tasks instead of passive learning.
• Increase collaboration, communication, and teamwork between employees

Training method #3: Gamification

Wait a minute! Aren’t we just talking about games? YES and here are the differences. The main distinction between the two is the integration of game elements with training content. GBL completely combines the two, making the game the training. On the other hand, gamification rewards learners for finishing and understanding already-existing training modules.

Why choose this? 

• Gamification fosters learners’ engagement.
• It motivates employees to finish the course to achieve higher scores and earn rewards.
• This method saves time, money, and effort to incorporate into existing materials.

Training method #4: Problem-based Learning

Employees learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem as part of the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology, which puts the student’s needs first. This issue drives motivation and learning.

With this employee training method, employees learn about a topic by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem. This issue drives motivation and learning. Employees might present ideas and develop their business plans as part of a problem-based learning initiative, for instance, to address a business need. Employees might imagine, design, and implement their creative ideas individually or in groups.

Why choose this?

• Encourage employees to work in teams, which enhances oral and written communication. 
• Boost critical thinking and evaluation skills during the group process
• Give learners chances to apply the information they learned to the real-world

Training method #5: Social learning

You must have seen some employees asking their colleagues about how to perform tasks or follow up on work-related discussions in a forum. Those are all forms of social learning that mostly promote learner-generated content with speeches, presentations, blog posts or videos, etc.       

Typical social learning formats include: 

• Mentoring or Coaching: This is a one-on-one approach. Mentoring is sharing their knowledge, experience, and skills to help employees to develop and grow. Whereas coaching is providing employees guidance, helping them to reach their full potential and accomplish their goals. 
• Learning through social media: Social media can be Facebook, Youtube, or Pinterest, where employees share useful information or ask for convenient discussions with colleagues. 

For example, in a closed group, you can create an ever-growing online library for internal course materials and assignments. Or you can use Youtube to upload workplace training videos just like IBM does. IBM’s employees can watch various videos for training and internal updates, etc., on their corporate channel. 

Why choose this?

• Social learning encourages employees to gain learning and practical skills on their own.
• Learners can raise a discussion and receive opinions at the point of need.
• It helps to promote a learning culture in your business, which enhances collaboration among employees. 

Training method #6: Scenario-based Learning

It often involves employees working their way through a plot usually built around a difficult or complicated problem they must solve. Employees must utilize their topic knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities during this process in a secure, real-world setting. 

Employees may participate in a virtual stock trading competition during economic training, for instance, or they may role-play as they negotiate a labor issue during a policy update course.

Why choose this?

• Increase the ability to apply knowledge to real-world scenarios
• Give employees the freedom to fail and learn from their failure
• Boost employees confidence 
• Make it easier to memorize training content

Training method #7: Microlearning

A strategy for learning new material in small chunks is called microlearning. Microlearning sessions can last as little as one minute and are often under 10 minutes long. 

It might be difficult for learners to memorize material presented in numerous formats or all at once because they may feel overwhelmed. When knowledge is presented in manageable bits, learners are exposed to a single, concise topic at a time and can better retain it.

Why choose this?

• Provide a better learning experience such as self-paced learning
• Save time to consume information
• Enable mobile learning

Which are the best out of 7 types of employee training methods?

The answer is that there is no one-size-fits-all method. You should consider the following factors to pick out a suitable method. 

• Your training objectives and goals
• The target audience: quality, demographics, and learning types
• Resources of materials available
• Budget and timeline for each training course

Clarify all factors, and then you can choose the best training method for employees to design a fulfilling training program. 

In fact, many corporations are likely to use blended learning, which means integrating at least two different employee training methods. In this way, learners can get the best of all component methods. For instance, a sales training course can include instructor-led sessions on selling techniques and eLearning videos about the products. You also can add coaching sessions for each member with low achievements to improve their skills. 

Wrapping it up

Here, we have the top five effective types of employee training methods. Hope that you find the list helpful in your training program development. Consider this information carefully to get the most suitable methods for your workplace and each employee group’s requirements.

Read more:

• How to Write Training Objectives Effectively
• How To Make The Most of Skill Gap Analysis
• Microlearning For Employee 101: All You Need to Know