The Challenge: You have to train a diverse group of seasoned and new employees.
Possible Approaches When There is a Diverse Group:
Move the Diverse Group into a Mutual Share Activity
- Begin the session by dividing the group into seasoned and new employees.
- Have the seasoned employees identify a fact they wish someone had told them when they were starting on the job.
- Have the new employees identify a question that they have wanted to ask a seasoned employee.
- Ask the new employees and seasoned employees to join in small groups to ask their questions and provide their facts.
- This now becomes the new employees “expert group.”
- Ask the members of the new expert groups to sit together, thereby ensuring a mix of new and seasoned employees at each table.
Have the More Seasoned Participants of the Diverse Group Facilitate Discussions
Now that the groups have a diversity of expertise, the more seasoned participants can facilitate the small group discussions and provide practical real life examples and applications of concepts presented.
Ask the More Seasoned Participants for Examples from the Field
Use the more senior staff to outline the basic knowledge or augment your presentation with examples. Since it is important to provide three examples, you can provide a general example and ask the seasoned employees to provide two field-specific examples.
Provide Basic and Advanced Case Studies That Meet the Needs of the Diverse Group
Prepare both basic and advanced case studies or problems and divide the groups according to their degree of expertise or interest for application exercises.
Having a diverse group can really enrich the conversation at the tables when the small groups are working on problems or hands on activities.
Don’t discount the expertise of the less seasoned employees, because they may have a great deal to offer based on their varied employment and life experiences.
If your trainers are struggling with how to manage a diverse group of learners, please book a call to discuss a tailored train-the-trainer program. https://laurelandassociates.com/contact/
