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Announcing New White Paper: Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention

Written on July 26, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in OHS videos, company induction training, improving safety standards, induction videos, safety videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Getting Training Messages to stick can be Tricky. This New Report reveals the Key Factors behind Successful Staff Induction Training and how to implement them.

Melbourne, Australia (July 26,2010) – Digicast Productions, a safety and induction training video production house, today released a new white paper “Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention”. Around the world, many companies train new starters and contractors ineffectively often finding it difficult to get training messages to stick inside people’s heads. This paper outlines the impact of poor induction training, the high cost of face to face training and the growing importance of including visuals in training materials.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of human learning occurs visually, yet the majority of companies produce text based induction training materials that have a 10% effectiveness rate on recall levels.

Smart organisations who regularly need to train contractors and new staff are looking for a more streamlined, engaging and cost effective way to ensure staff absorb training messages.

This exclusive white paper addresses the various pitfalls of a poorly designed induction training process and what can be done about it. The report looks at:
•   What current induction training programs are really costing companies
•   The importance of avoiding a poor safety culture
•   The emerging trend of using more visuals in communication
•   How to make training messages sticky
•   A little mistake that cost a Quarry $20,000 a year

For a complete copy of the whitepaper, download it now.
About Digicast Productions

Established in 1991, Digicast is an Australian vendor of customised safety and induction training videos. Thousands of people each year worldwide are trained with Digicast training videos. For more information, visit Digicast or The Workplace Improver blog for training tips.

Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au

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7 Tips to Improve Induction Training Materials

Written on July 20, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in OHS videos, company induction training, customer training videos, improving safety standards, induction videos, safety videos, shift work training, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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1. Use more Visuals - 83% of human learning occurs visually. Use lots of photos, videos, diagrams and colour to present training information. Avoid relying heavily on text based training. After all, we only recall 10% of what we read compared to 50% for what we both see and hear.

2. Tell Stories – During training, tell stories of exemplary staff behaviour that typify the type of action you want staff to do. Stories help people make emotional connections.

3. Lead by Values – Let staff/contractors know what your values are. Using values, empowers workers to make decisions based on company values. Difficult for staff to make the right decisions if they only have rules to follow.

4. Positivise it – Remove negative language. Tell people how you want them to behave, rather than telling them what you don’t want. Remove words such as ‘no’, ‘can’t and ‘don’t’.

5. Involve senior management - Senior management play an integral leadership role in establishing culture. Effective leadership whether it be concerning safety, a new sales method or business structure must be led from the top. They must be involved in the induction process.

6. Reduce complication - Get rid of long sentences, jargon and big words in training materials. Keep it short and tweet.

‘Words are how we think, story is about how we link’ Christina Baldwin

7. Ask more why questions - Teach people why they need to do something, so they can always figure out the how. Otherwise, company processes keep getting perpetuated without people ever questioning why they do something.

Think you need help to improve your company induction training materials? Then, go to the seminar to find out more information.

How to Communicate Workplace Safety Messages

Written on July 9, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in company induction training, improving safety standards, induction videos, safety videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Safety training comminication According to Steven Bell, senior associate with law firm Freehills, in January 2012 the new Australian OHS laws will expect companies to drive safety management internally and push greater alignment between key messages and action.

The new laws will introduce a level of personal responsibility that will help drive the changes needed for better OHS. This means that senior managers will be expected to foster a positive workplace culture, receive regular safety reporting and a practical understanding of what is happening on the ground.

This is a great step forward as senior management actually drive the safety culture of a company.

Currently, most companies promote a safety culture, but send out mixed messages when it comes to a safe workplace. For example: A fairly standard grumble by many workers is that they are expected to work safely, yet at the same time they are told to work faster or in a way that involves safety risks, to drive productivity.

So with the new requirement to promote safety messages and show evidence of a positive safety culture, what is the best way to communicate workplace safety messages?

With any communication program, it is important to take into account that people absorb messages differently and the more they see it, the more likely it will be taken on-board. Therefore, any workplace safety communication messages need to include a variety of communication approaches such as posters, training videos, staff newsletter and ‘toolbox’ talks. They all need to be branded with the company’s unique safety messages.

In addition, the workplace safety communication must be personalised to the company. Generic safety messages won’t cut it. Instead, it needs to be formulated according to your culture and demographics. And then it needs to be followed up with action.

Training videos are more persuasive than written material which is perceived as less important and credible.

A lot of companies that we have worked with have successfully used a customised training video as the main communication medium to drive OHS behaviour change. They have then supported the training video with posters, newsletters and other safety specific materials.

A staff training video is an ideal way to connect with staff. Made correctly it will positively and believably demonstrate your company commitment to the healthy and safety of your workplace. After all, research has found that training videos are more persuasive than written material which is perceived as less important and credible.

In order to take into account the new laws, consider creating a customised training video that includes:

An introduction by senior managers talking about the importance of safety to the staff and company.
Safety rules/explaining that poor safety effects the viewer and other workers
Procedures
Summary

Of course, just playing a training video doesn’t automatically ensure that staff will know your training messages. It needs to be followed up with a consistent workplace culture that always considers the safety rules/message in every activity. Not just when played on a training video.

More importantly, senior management must support and agree with all the safety communication tools. And refer to them often.

After all, staff won’t believe that the company backs its safety messages, until they see the proof of action.

How to make your Induction Materials come to Life

Written on June 17, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in company induction training, induction videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Truck driver training

Recently, I was speaking to a client about what baseline figures we needed to measure before and after his company induction training video gets released.

What I found interesting was that even though there are some key figures we can measure (eg: trends in customer complaints and accidents), as far as he was concerned the video was mainly a holistic training device to help in a number of key areas that were immeasurable.

In this company, they have 450 truck drivers who do a vitally important job. Yet, other staff members in different departments and even the truck drivers themselves, do not realise how important this role is to the company success.

The training video has been written to let truck drivers realise how important their responsibilities are and the broader impact on the company itself. This is part of the all-important introduction which clearly lets drivers know what the company does, who they serve, how their job role impacts the company, the importance of safety and their job responsibilities.

The induction video is a way of connecting emotionally to these truck drivers so they realise the importance of their ambassador role for the organisation while also ensuring the fresh and timely delivery of their milk products. It also includes procedural tasks.

Interestingly, my client made the remark that the training video was really a different communication medium to ‘put life’ into their induction document. And while it is important to train on procedures, it was more important to align the truck drivers with the broader perspective of their job and the company vision and values.

What pleases me, is that this organisation understands that training is not just about teaching the right processes, it is also about getting staff aligned with what the company does and why, as well as the importance of jobs. It’s not just about delivering a product on time, it’s also about the being an important visible representative of the company. After all, a truck driver that is discourteous reflects badly on the company reputation. By letting staff know the greater meaning and importance of the job, the more they will see purpose in what they do which will result in better performance, but also better job satisfaction.

After all, a happy team is a productive team.

What can you do to your training materials to provide information about the importance of the job role and its relevance to the broader perspective to your company?

Why telling Stories is important for Company Induction Training

Written on May 31, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in OHS videos, company induction training, induction videos, safety videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Those of you who have read my posts know that I’m a big fans of telling stories to indoctrinate staff and contractors (see Telling Stories to improve Company Inductions).

In his book Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership, Harvard professor Howard Gardner wrote, “leaders achieve effectiveness largely through the stories they relate. Stories must in some way help the audience/team members to think through who they are and frame future opinions”.

One of the best ways to induct new staff is for senior managers to be involved and to be seen getting involved.

The ex-CEO of Virgin Blue airlines, Brett Godfrey, would always turn up to staff induction training to introduce himself.

And while it is important for senior managers to introduce themselves and welcome new starters, they also need to talk about legendary company stories. It’s a great way to improve the safety culture, customer service and pride in the company. Also, particularly useful for welcoming staff from a new merger/aquisition.

‘Words are how we think, story is about how we link’ Christina Baldwin

But what if the senior manager can’t be there? What if the CEO is unable to welcome the 20 new staff who start every month across different sites in Australia?

Film them!

It’s a surprisingly simple, but effective way for new staff to know who the senior staff member is and to feel like they know them. It also saves the CEO or Executive General Manager a lot of time.

We have filmed many senior managers welcoming new starters and giving their own personal introductions. It’s warm, funny and believable. And it’s a great way to start an induction training video.

Free Seminars – Seven Induction Tips for Improving Company Inductions

Written on May 19, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in company induction training, induction videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, workplace performance

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Do new staff feel undervalued in your company?

When it comes to inductions common complaints are that they are ‘boring’ and ‘overwhelming’.

They also represent the only first impression that you get with a new employee. This is a great opportunity to align them with your company values and processes and make them want to stick around.

In this fun and informative presentation, you will find out what most companies are doing wrong during the induction process and what you can do to make your company a leader in safety inductions.

You will learn seven ways to instantly improve the induction processes in your company.

These great tips will help you to improve your safety culture, productivity and engage your new staff/contractors with clear and consistent training materials.

For those of you serious about improving the quality of safety training in your company or welcoming new starter or contractors, this event is not to be missed.

Wednesday 16 June – GOSH

Royal Geelong Yacht Club

6.30 – 9.00pm

Monday 26 July – Southern Safety Group

3 – 4.30pm

Protector Alsafe Premises at 41 Greens Road Dandenong

To find out more or register, click here.

Why training videos are best for staff training

Written on May 6, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in OHS videos, company induction training, induction videos, safety videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Over the last three years, online video has become one of the fastest growing web trends due to the widespread availability of broadband and YouTube. In fact, one of the most widely used search terms are “how to…” videos.

Now, more than ever before, there are hungry online audiences using video to educate themselves in their own homes.

And for good reason.

Everyone likes Pictures

In 2000, research by Gunter et al found that learners more easily understand and recall new material presented in video that allows participants to both see and hear the information. This dual-encoding process reinforces information in multiple brain areas which increases the chances of the information being stored in long term memory.

While studies by educational researchers have found that 83% of human learning occurs visually. Visually rich information keeps the brain busy and alert to learn more information.

You can’t see me

And videos can go where trainers can’t. It’s fairly difficult to visualise how the back works and what happens when you lift incorrectly. But clear medical animations can inform the user of how their spine works and what happens when they damage it.

When Trainers go Bad

Training videos also offer consistent training. When different training facilitators are involved confusion can arise when they teach different processes. In fact, inconsistent training is common within organisations, with around 54% stating that onboarding is inconsistent within their organisation. Imagine what effect this has on productivity.

“I need more time”

When it comes to training, often trainers are overwhelmed by the amount of time they spend training and inducting face to face. The truth is it doesn’t have to be this way. By converting repetitive training tasks into easy to understand training video modules, the trainer can be relieved of repetitive training tasks. And they can then spend time doing more important things like managing your site or taking the afternoon off to play golf.

You seem so Credible

Compared to written training materials, training videos actually increase comprehension and retention of subject matter by a staggeringly high 51%. They actually command the attention of the viewer and motivate them to learn more. But more importantly, they are perceived as more persuasive and credible than training materials which tend to be viewed as less important in comparison.

Here’s a test. The next time you have to induct a contractor tell them that you need to sit down with them and read through your training manual. After they curse and groan, smile and say, “actually, how about you watch our induction video with a small quiz?” They will love you for life. Or until the end of their shift.

Reduce Training Time

But the best part about training videos are that they teach information in around 50 – 75% of the time as an instructor. And if you get an expertly produced training video made, expect productivity to increase also. So if you are undertaking 45 minute inductions reducing the induction time to 12 minutes is about average. Think about the cost savings to the trainer’s time and the new starter’s time. The cost benefits can be quite enormous depending upon the amount of inductions your company does.

Do you make these mistakes in your induction training?

Written on May 3, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in company induction training, induction videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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Over the years, I have had the pleasure of revising company induction manuals and what I have found is that just about every company makes the same mistakes in its training materials.

Given that the quality of your induction training can actually determine whether a new starter will want to stay or not, it’s imperative to have the best training materials you can. So which of these common mistakes do you have in your induction training:

1. Provide text based training - This is when training is from training manuals or PowerPoint presentations that contain mostly text. Studies by educational researchers have found that 83% of human learning occurs visually. You can actually help people keep their brain active and alert to new information by providing visual information relevant to the training. Use lots of colours, photos, diagrams and video content to better explain training concepts.

2. Talk in corporate speak - Avoid formal corporate language in your training manuals. Workers at different site locations will know if corporate has written the training materials and they weren’t consulted. This can make the training manuals seem less credible. Make sure it is friendly and conversational – and welcoming! Keep sentences short (17 words or less), use short words (5 characters or less) and avoid jargon. And in this day and age of Twitter, keep it short and tweet!

3. Use negative language - Remove rules that focus on “don’t, can’t, forbidden”. Remember induction training is you most teachable moment with a new staff member/contractor, so use language that is friendly and warm. Let people know what they can do, rather than tell them about behaviour that you do not want.

4. Forget the How - This is when staff are told what to do but no explanation is given as to why. Company processes are perpetuated without people ever questioning why they do something. Over time, staff are taught processes that solve problems that no longer exist.

In order to boost retention rates and improve productivity levels, inducting right is important to any company who wants to improve the bottom line.

By making your induction training visually appealing and easy to learn, you will be able to improve your staff productivity and safety quite remarkably.

Start adding colour, video and pictures to your induction training materials and keep sentences short. Where can you convert processes into more visually appealing training videos that will get the messages across better than just boring text?

By fixing these common induction mistakes, you will have people commenting positively on the quality of your induction training.

Why do men feel the urge to insert sexual terms into workplace training materials?

Written on March 9, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in Inappropriate sexual terms, OHS videos, company induction training, corporate videos, improving safety standards, induction videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos

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Back in the early 90′s, there used to be an Australian comedy series called “Fast Forward”, that featured a character called, Calvin Cunnington (played by Michael Veitch), who would burst into laughter at any sexual innuendos mentioned in the workplace, subsequently driving his colleagues mad.

As a training video producer, specializing in safety and induction videos, as well as marketing videos in the industrial arena, I come across training materials that are pretty dry. My job is to transform the training materials into training video scripts that are interesting and will improve message retention and comprehension.

Yet weirdly, I feel a bit like Calvin when I read training materials and find all sorts of sexual terms lurking behind quite mundane and technical text.

My favourite one is slab penetration. Any shape and size of penetration can be made through decking. If size of penetration is greater than one rib…..

I couldn’t work out what it all meant and was very surprised to discover that slab penetration is all about cutting. Who knew that cutting a piece of metal is really all about penetrating and that even the size is so important?

The next one is “insert the fuel nozzle into the receptacle“. Okay, that’s probably harmless and the more I think about it, it would be pretty hard not to write that in a suggestive tone!

But time and time again, I come across very technical training materials that seem to use a lot of references to penetration, erections, vibrator compaction (ouch!) and receptacles. And many times, I’ve felt that the words are just said too many times or could be substituted for something else.

It reminds me of my biology notes at school. I found it quite funny to write orgasm, instead of organism in my personal biology notes. My mother read them and was quite disturbed that I had got those words so wrong. But that was just a teenager deliberately exchanging words for a bit of fun.

What I can’t work out is whether men are deliberately slipping in sexual terms because they are finding the material just a tad boring and they want to spice things up a bit. Or whether it’s all a bit subconscious.

One thing for sure is that while inserting sexual terms into training might be a bit of fun for the writer, it certainly doesn’t help the learner. Once I stumble on sexual innuendos in a very non-sexy topic, it is fairly distracting. Particularly, when I can’t understand how in the world cutting can be replaced by penetration. Or maybe it’s just me (or just a girl thing)? Maybe men are fine with all of these phallic phrases and don’t even notice them.

But as for staff training, how do employees go with reading these training materials? Are there Calvin-esque type sniggers occurring during induction training in workplaces across the country?

What I want to know is has anyone else experienced sexual terms being inserted into training materials (or even marketing materials) that just seemed a little bit inappropriate?

Telling Stories to Improve Job Inductions (Part 2)

Written on October 28, 2009 by Marie-Claire Ross in Happy staff, OHS videos, improving safety standards, induction videos, safety videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance

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According to an article by Steve Osborn in The Safety & Health Practitioner June 2007, formal job induction training must deal with performing specific tasks safely, information about duty of care (both the company and workers) along with standard emergency procedures.

In particular management expectations with respect to health and safety need to be addressed along with certain standards of behaviour being made a condition of employment.

In this article, it was found that staff need to be inducted but also refreshed annually. More importantly, business leaders should be involved and be seen to be involved.

As mentioned in my previous blog post, company-specific stories are a useful means of communicating the firm’s history, traditions, and values. This technique can also be skillfully transferred to show new employees how to do their jobs safely and correctly by talking about how others have done their job in the past. It has also been found to be an effective communication method to change poor behaviour or attitudes within companies about the importance of safety.

In order to use corporate story-telling in your company, think about some examples where a staff member has worked safely and avoided an incident by thinking ahead. Was their an employee who worked safely despite his colleagues urging him to do otherwise that resulted in an accident being avoided?

Stories frame information so that it is meaningful, memorable and understandble. They provide a power tool for communication, problem solving and perpetuating important company values. Video storytelling is a great way to communciate your company stories.

Can you think of ways to include storytelling in your inductions? What legendary stories do you have in your organisation?

Improving Workplace Safety, Performance and Training through video

Tag Archive: job inductions

Announcing New White Paper: Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention

7 Tips to Improve Induction Training Materials

How to Communicate Workplace Safety Messages

How to make your Induction Materials come to Life

Why telling Stories is important for Company Induction Training

Free Seminars – Seven Induction Tips for Improving Company Inductions

Why training videos are best for staff training

Do you make these mistakes in your induction training?

Why do men feel the urge to insert sexual terms into workplace training materials?

Telling Stories to Improve Job Inductions (Part 2)

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