Training a Team? Try Using Scenarios!

By: Justin Ferriman • March 17, 2015
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team-workThere are a variety of ways to go about training a team. Depending on the geographic location of the team, elearning might be the best option since it can connect everyone no matter where they are located. Of course, this is also a great option if the team is rather large.

But what about small, local on-site teams?

Well, the best option would be to implement some form of blended learning (for the greatest impact). Sometimes budgets to allow for this approach, so in-person only training is ultimately what has to happen.

One way to train a team is in lecture format, but that is pretty boring and doesn’t engage the learner. The team needs to have direct experience with the new content and principles. The best way to do this is through using scenarios.

Creating scenarios is an art more than a science. The scenarios will be dictated by the desired end-result and your organization’s unique culture. When possible, use scenarios that are relevant to the team members and not abstract examples. They should be able to place themselves directly into the hypothetical situation.

Scenarios are useful because they not only promote critical thinking, but they give the team a chance to fail in a forgiving environment. In fact, it’s better if they fail a few times so they can learn from the mistakes.

This is where real learning occurs. When mistakes are made, encourage the team to discuss the mistake in greater detail so as to understand why it was a mistake in the first place, and what possible alternatives should have been attempted instead. When the team encounters a similar scenario later, they’ll know better how to response (and why to respond that way).

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter