Anyone who is in charge of a company is likely familiar with the challenge of hosting the required training sessions. As more and more legislation is passed surrounding workers’ rights, keeping it all straight is paramount. Sometimes, the same training sessions that we offer for our employees can be helpful to us as well.
It is easy to get lost in technical terms, after all. As you can see here, sorting through it all is not exactly “easy” if we are not well-versed in the law. Even with a background in Legal Studies, I find that some of the information goes over my head.
To present it, though, we should probably have a good handle on it. That is where some of the third-party providers come into play. You see, we can outsource our training and have someone else proctor it for our employees. This can allow us to get the same information. While it might seem unnecessary, it can be rather helpful.
Why it Matters
Admittedly, this is where a lot of questions arise. Like I said before, it is easy to wonder why this even matters in the first place. Brushing it aside and deciding it is just a chore to complete to follow the law is a possibility, but not one that I recommend. There are good reasons to pay attention to the information provided.
For one thing, a lot of compliance comes down to basic human decency. This is especially true in terms of diversity and inclusion protections. Harassment and discrimination are real things that happens a lot in workspaces, even if it feels like we should have moved beyond those things occurring. Educating ourselves is paramount in helping stop this, though.
Having a training compliance employee can be one way to spread the message if you have felt uncertain about how to proceed. One person in charge of it can streamline the process. They do not even have to be an in-house hire if that is not something that you want to do.
That all being said, there are also practical reasons to create a safe space for employees of all backgrounds. What do I mean by that? It is simple, really – diverse offices are more productive and tend to be happier overall. Wondering why that is?
Hiring workers from different paths of life can bring a much-needed breath of fresh air into an organization. A lot of that is due to the different perspectives and ideas that they can bring to the table. So – you can see that it is simply smart business to not discriminate, beyond the obvious of it being the right thing to do.
How it Works
Once you have made the decision to offer an enriching and valuable training session, the next steps are fairly simple. You could provide some additional content to read, like this article – https://onlinemba.wsu.edu/blog/10-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/, if you want to go above and beyond. However, there are other methods by which you can make the content of the session engaging.
Because lectures can get boring rather quickly, I do recommend that you expand your horizons beyond them and them alone. Instead, you could do some trivia or quizzes to break up the monotony by which the audience can win small prizes. You could put something big like an extension to a break or even a work party if everyone goes above and beyond on their scores!
The key is simply to encourage participation from the audience. If they are asking questions, answering them in return, and clearly paying attention, then you are probably in business! However, if you see a lot of the audience members slacking off, scrolling on their phones, or obviously disinterested…it may be time to change tactics.
In terms of gauging this beforehand, it never hurts to send out surveys asking for your employees’ preferred learning styles. Since everyone has different ones, it is a fair assumption to make that not everyone will have the same preferences. It is likely not possible to cater to absolutely everyone.
That being said, it does not hurt to ask and try to accommodate different learning styles. While it cannot be done for everyone, making an effort demonstrates that your business is willing to meet your workers in the middle. That is part of why it tends to be one of the first recommendations in terms of building exciting presentations.
In general, remembering the basics of presenting can also be valuable. The core of it is eye contact, varying pitch, and tone of voice, and interacting with the audience. Remember those facets, and it should go well.
Approach it from the perspective of it being valuable information rather than something that you just have to do. This will improve it as well!
