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Are you spending all your time orienting new employees? Does it feel like you don’t really ever get to “team building” because your team is constantly changing? You’ve read all the books, but while you are ceaselessly training new hires, it’s tough to get started on team building. Welcome to the problem most companies and organizations are facing—keeping people beyond the orientation. But don’t stop yet—you can learn effective strategies to win at orientations. Providing strategic engagement training to leading corporations has given us unique insights into what’s working (and what is not working) in efforts to orient new employees. It’s too easy to overwhelm and stress them out with volumes of new information. In addition, we’ve noticed a common pattern in entrepreneurial start-ups as well as training departments in established corporations. One obvious error is:
Orientation—how bad is it?All right, ‘fess up. Just how long is your company’s orientation program. We’ve seen some that are six weeks, eight weeks, three months. Others, are a few hours and it’s time to hit the floor, running. Long or short, all along the spectrum, orientation sessions that are poorly organized data dumps can cause new employees feelings of despair, overwhelm and frustration. In addition, just how much orientation are you doing? In many companies I know that training professionals are almost full-time devoted to training new hires. This leads to trainer burn out—who can sustain one more welcome with a smile when it’s going on 50 weeks? Most of the training organizations I talk to, don’t have time to even step out to learn new skills that will help shorten orientation time, increase memorability and reduce the pain of all this repetitive training. So, what are the key principles to get started on right now?
Visuals make orientations memorable. A graphic chart is easier to remember and ultimately easier to put into practice. According to Stanford research, groups make decisions 36% faster with visual displays. 3M research shows that the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than words. Groups see patterns and make connections with visual mapping. How much time could you save by orienting staff with a visual process chart? Explain the agenda of the orientation with a visual roadmap. Just as you pick up a map of a city or see a diagram of an airport or mall, help your new hire get the lay of the land with a visual map.
Show a visual overview map. Adults get engaged when they can see the big picture up front. In a recent pilot orientation, participants complained that the trainer treated them like children. Why? They jumped into the details and didn’t use an overview map. This occurs mainly because trainers and developers didn’t organize the information into a visual big picture. The focus is on the content and not on the context or shape of the information. Seeing this pervasive problem, Hands•On Graphics has defined specific practices to create engagement with visual maps. These tools can provide your team with the visual engagement tools it needs to succeed at orientations. A big picture is useful for every aspect of the orientation. Use a landscape chart to display each phase of the orientation process. Identify each day or week with a picture or theme to help participants see where they are and where they are going. Draw a roadmap or landscape to convey corporate values. Help each employee see the big picture rapidly engage with company values, mission and processes. Ask yourself, what visual models will help a new employee quickly engage with your organization’s culture?
Limit the sections of your map and your training to 7 units. Adult learning research shows that it is easier to remember 5-7 items. This is why phone numbers are seven digits plus the three for area code. And why so many people panic when area codes change and they have to remember a longer number. In addition, the “Less is more” principle applies also to how the number of power point slides, the number words, the number of bullet points, and the volume of graphics. It’s a phrase to say to yourself over and over again as you review your orientation. Keep asking yourself, “could I say this more simply?” and “How can I convey this idea with fewer words?”
Think of designing your training like creating a subway map. Use the same color to identify related and connected topics. Use different colors to show other “subway lines” or tracks of information. Refer to these color codes when you present information to the new hires. It will help them manage a large volume of information and easily reference related material. For inspiration on this, take a walk around your local subway and examine the map. Or go to the airport to see how your airport identifies departure and arrival gates, trains and baggage pick. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Gray’s Anatomy and see how the colors code different physical systems: red for arteries, blue for veins and yellow for nerves.
Say it. Show it. Say it again. Have them repeat it. Now is the time for repetition but not boredom. Show an icon and word message on the overview map and repeat the image/message on each section poster. Repeat the same icon/word message in the manual. Use the same in a review check. Use it again to show a process in the manual or web reference material.
Give new hires the same overview map that is posted on the wall, as a placemat. Encourage activities where they can draw/write on as a placemat. They will see, write, and interact with the content and flow of the orientation as they take their own notes. Is your business philosophy to engage employees? Are you finding ways to express this in your orientation? Do you have exercises and activities when new hires can express their feelings, opinions and questions? Do you structure involvement and interaction with current employees so that the orientation is a mini-preview of the type of work environment you strive to create? Point your compass to engagement Ultimately the payoff is that participants understand what they are learning, can see the relevance to their job and can take practical steps to directly apply the learning. Because they feel involved, they’re motivated to put what they learn into action. Use visual engagement maps, and apply principles of adult learning to point your orientation in the direction you want. You’ll find that, just like using a compass to find your way, you’ll head in the direction of higher understanding, faster absorption and higher levels of engagement in your sessions. |
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