Better training might make me want to use that new web-based software

Effective, self-guided resources can make the difference between whether someone wants to use a new tool or resource, or whether they'll resist.

I was getting ready for a team meeting earlier this week and I wanted to do something different as an opening, teambuilding activity. We’ve used polls and we’ve used Kahoot. We could do something like that again… or we could try something new. I was itching to play around with digital BINGO, but with so little time before the team meeting, was I going to be able to use the online software properly?

I checked out a digital BINGO game through My Free Bingo Cards and it looked cool, but I was a little anxious it wouldn’t work when we went to play it for the first time and it would be a big waste of time.

There were several support features on the website that gave me the courage and confidence that I’d be able to use this online software correctly the first time, and I think this could be a great transferable lesson if you’re trying to get people around your organization to adopt a new web-based tool. Heck, some of these ideas could be transferable even if you want your colleagues to adopt something more analog or offline.

Simple Instructions

In addition to a simple user interface (which goes beyond the scope of training… it’s tough for training to make up for a poorly designed or complex user interface), the site offered simple instructions to introduce new users to each of the features involved in setting up a virtual Bingo game.

Short, Easy-to-Follow Tutorials

If you’ve ever tried to put furniture together just by following written instructions and maybe some illustrations, you know that it can be a frustrating 2 or 3 or 6 hours of your life. There have been many times that I’ve had to try to find video tutorials on YouTube to help me finish the job.

The Free Bingo Card site not only offered clear, simple-to-follow text instructions, but also short tutorials that you can view, pause and re-watch at your leisure.

Bingo 2 — The instructions, the videos – that’s all I needed to go from: “Hmmmm… I may just want to stick to the old activities like Kahoot that I already know how to use,” to: “This looks super cool and I feel confident that it’ll work the first time I try this with my team!”

Want to Create Video Tutorials?

Video tutorials can help guide someone in ways that text and even images can’t.

Creating video tutorials has become very easy with all sorts of free or low-cost tools available. A quick scan of Jane Hart’s Top 200 Tools for Learning offers the following video tutorial making software that you may wish to check out:

Brian Washburn

Brian has over 25 years of experience in Learning & Development including the last 7 as CEO of Endurance Learning.

Brian is always available to chat about learning & development and to talk about whether Endurance Learning can be your training team’s “extra set of hands”.

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