Tip #72: Teach a complicated procedure

The Challenge: You have to teach a complicated procedure with a lot of steps.

You also know that brain research has proven that we can learn only 2-3 steps at a time if we have no familiarity with the content. If we are familiar, then the instructor can teach 4-5 steps at a time. This is an important consideration when you have to teach a complicated procedure with lots of steps.

Possible Approaches:

Conduct a task analysis to identify the appropriate sequence of the steps.

Identify the steps with which the participants have some familiarity. You may want to begin with these, to build a sense of security and mastery before proceeding with more complicated and less familiar steps. This will enable you to teach 4-5 steps at a time.

Assess the necessary building block sequence for teaching: what should be first, second, and third.

Show the entire procedure (simulation or videotaped presentation) so the participants are clear about the flow and the end result of the procedure.

To the extent possible, provide an organizing principle: a concept, a metaphor, or an acronym that can help the participants remember the steps.

Teach only 2 or 3 steps at a time if the steps are completely new to the participants. Then provide sufficient practice to ensure learning has occurred before adding new steps.

Present, model, and have the group practice the most difficult steps before placing them back into the correct sequence. You might do this since the beginning of any learning segment is when our brains are most ripe for learning. So, this is a good time to focus on the most difficult steps.

Use a peg system that numbers each step and attaches each step to a movement. Have the participants practice each step alone, then practice adding it to the previous step(s). Call out numbers out of sequence to be sure that the participants have learned and retained what each step is.

If your trainers would benefit from learning how to handle different training challenges, please book a call to discuss a tailored train-the-trainer program. https://laurelandassociates.com/contact/

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