Businesses are constantly trying to upskill their workers. Employees undergo all manner of training from earning job-specific qualifications to crisis management training. This training is essential to building a strong and competent workforce and being able to tackle the many challenges businesses face. Challenges such as whether to train your staff face to face or through online training. Well, perhaps you don’t need training on deciding what training is best for you, but this guide will certainly help. If employees are to fully utilise their training then the training needs to be delivered effectively and, with this guide, we will help you decide which delivery method is most effective for you; face to face or online.
Face To Face Training
Face to face training can occur at your workplace or a training centre or anywhere else for that matter. If the trainers and trainees are in the same room – it is face to face training.
Face to face training allows participants to exchange ideas and to ask the trainers question in real-time. This enables a more personal training which addresses your specific needs and enables the trainers to make sure everyone fully understands what they are being taught. If one person has a question there’s a chance other people are thinking it too, in a face to face setting everyone gets to hear the answer whilst with online training only those with the initiative or confidence to ask benefit from the question.
Face-to-face training also enables the trainer to tailor the training to the individual business whereas online training is typically more standardised. Crisis management training for example which needs to account for a selection of bespoke elements such as your office building and team structure should be delivered in person. Training which requires demonstrations and may need someone to check employees are implementing training correctly, such as first aid training, should also be delivered face to face.
Online Training
Online training (sometimes called e-learning) is any training that is delivered online. This training can be live though is often delivered through a series of pre-recorded videos. They are often made available 24/7 which is useful if you need to change your learning schedule or revisit sections of the training. However, no matter how many times you revisit the training the content won’t change. If you have a burning question there may be no way to have it answered by the trainer (or at least not promptly).
These training courses are usually watched in isolation whereas face to face training is more likely to be delivered to a group. This isolation means a little more motivation is required on the trainee’s behalf. If you’re a social person that likes to bounce ideas off people, then online training might not be the right choice for you. If you also like to have your progress monitored as you go and like seeking feedback then you might find e-learning doesn’t suit your learning style. People face a similar problem if the training has practical application as there is no one to check you have fully grasped the ideas taught and are effectively implementing them with the correct technique.
There is a place for both types of learning. Online works well for a standardised, matter of fact, training which require minimal tailoring. If there is a lot of visuals such as graphs charts, or software tutorials then online training has a lot to offer. However, if the training requires a more bespoke approach, face-to-face training will enable your employees to receive more optimal advice tailored to them and their needs.
