Tip #347: Avoid Seven Mistakes When Organizing Participant Materials

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” Douglas Adams

How the participants’ materials are organized will have a direct impact on the ease in which they are able to locate desired documents both during and after the training program.

Mistake #1: Omitting a Table of Contents.

Trainers hope that their training content is relevant and useful to the participants. Facilitating the participants’ ability to locate specific pages or information would be in everyone’s best interests. The easiest way to do this is with a Table of Contents that identifies the page number for each titled page.

Mistake #2: Not Binding the Materials.

There is nothing so frustrating and time consuming (for both trainer and participants) as participants having to shuffle through paper trying to locate a specific page. It really doesn’t matter if it is stapled, paper clipped, or three-hole punched and in a binder. Just make sure the pages are in order (and all of the pages are there).

Mistake #3: Overlooking Space for Note Taking.

Some participants prefer to take notes. That is how they learn. So meet their need by providing space. There are many ways to accomplish this: leave space intended for note taking and answers on worksheets; leave the back of the previous page blank; use extra large margins or double spacing so there is room for notes; or simply provide blank pages that the participants can insert into their materials.

Mistake #4: Not Separating Key Chapters.

The best way to help participants navigate their training materials when the training is more than one day is to separate the key chapters or content. This can be done with tabs in a binder and/or different colored pages.

Mistake #5: Using Binders Without Pockets.

In lieu of the need to keep a three-hole punch available at all times, it is wise to plan ahead and make sure that, when using a binder, it has pockets in the front and/or in the back. These pockets are easy catch-alls for additional handouts and note pages.

Mistake #6: Not Placing the Title on the Spine of the Binder.

A binder is of little use if it is not easily found in a bookcase. The best way to accomplish this is to make sure that the binder has a slipcase on the front (to slip in a copy of the title page for the training) and on the spine (to slip in basic information, such as the training title and date).

Mistake #7: Not Printing Extra Copies.

It doesn’t matter what quality control for printing is in place, make sure to print extra copies of participant materials. Invariably, someone will be missing a page or a section. If you have extras, you can easily remedy that situation.

Avoiding these seven mistakes will help to ensure that the participants have a ready reference to guide them as they apply their new skills both inside and outside of the classroom.

May your learning be sweet.

Deborah

Tip #346: Avoid Eight Mistakes When Creating Participant Materials

“I don't want to make the wrong mistake.” Yogi Berra

When you really think about it, what is most useful for a participant to take from a training program? A good job aid certainly comes to mind. What about a recipe for success? In other words, how about a workbook or handbook that provides examples and worksheets that walk the participant through the process or procedure under discussion?

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This might be true, but I doubt it pertains to Power Point slides unless those pictures are labeled for future reference.

Let me be clear. My bias is that participants need to be actively engaged in learning and applying new skills. Therefore, it follows that their materials should be organized and formatted to support their current involvement and future review.

There are eight common and easily avoidable mistakes that training designers make when developing participant materials.

Mistake #1: Copying PowerPoint Slides

PowerPoint slides can be very helpful when used to emphasize a key point through a bullet, picture or comic strip. However, training that is predicated on having the participants take notes on copies of the PowerPoint slides is doomed to be ineffective.

First, if the real meat of the training is actually written on the slides, then the slides are too information-heavy to read and to follow. The participants need written reference pages to which they can refer in the future.

Second, relying on participants to take notes is a catch as catch can proposition. Unless they have their own shorthand, they are likely to miss key information. Again, this problem is eliminated if the participants have reference materials to follow or informational worksheets to fill in the blanks.

Third, information that is printed on PowerPoint slides can, at most, provide knowledge and pose questions to check for participant comprehension. If the object of the training program is to develop observable skills, the participants need to be able to apply what they have learned in a practice session during the training. For this, they need written instructions, guidelines and job aids, and then time to reflect on what they have learned, ideally by writing down and discussing their conclusions.

Mistake #2: Not Numbering Pages.

It may seem obvious, but numbering the pages in a participant manual or handout is the only way to ensure that everyone can quickly and easily locate the desired page.

Mistake #3: Not Titling Pages

Placing titles on pages helps direct the participants’ attention to the topic at hand. The title should serve as a label for the content included on the page.

Mistake #4: Placing Too Much Information on a Page.

There are four problems with this. First, if participants are reading, they are not listening to the trainer. Second, if there is too much information, it is difficult for participants to isolate the key information. Third, the eye can get easily tired after reading a lot of text. Fourth, if it is too much work to read all of the information, participants may tune out in frustration.

Mistake #5: Not Enough White Space.

Each page in the participant manual should be easy to scan. A wider margin (at least 1 inch on either side of the page) assists with this. So does space between paragraphs or items in a list.

Mistake #6: Not Emphasizing Key Information.

Participants need something to focus their attention. It is very helpful when key words or phrases are bold or italicized or underlined. Just don’t get carried away and emphasize everything.

Mistake #7: Using Small Type Sizes.

The only reason to use a small type size is to fit more information on a page, which we already know if not wise. Our mantra should be less rather than more when it comes to information. But in deference to tired, aging, and poorly sighted eyes, make sure to use a type size that is easy to read. That means at least 12 point, although 14 point is a personal preference.

Mistake #8: Using a Serif Font.

It may be a personal preference, but it seems that sans serif fonts (such as Ariel or Calibri) are much easier to read than the serif fonts (Courier or New York). This is primarily due to the fact that the letters in sans serif fonts seem more distinct and clear.

Quite simply, the pages in participant materials need to be written and formatted in such as way as to make key information easy to access and easy to read.

May your learning be sweet.

Deborah