Are You Really Training Your Employees?
Last week I was frustrated by the lack of implementation that had happened on a new marketing financial policy we had put in place at our Medical Practices. A few months ago, our company’s chief financial officer and I co-hosted a 45 minute training session on the new policy with our marketing team. All of the marketers signed off on an agreement that clearly outlined what we had discussed. Yet here I was just a few months later wondering why so many of the things we had discussed were still not happening. As I pondered this, I began to also ponder other trainings I had put in place. Our entire marketing team has access to an online university, where multiple marketing resources are available to them at the click of a button. Yet sometimes I feel as though they have never watched a single one of the trainings. When I combined my thoughts on these two things, I realized one of the biggest problems I was facing was failing to remember that people learn in different ways. All of my teachings to my team had really been focused for auditory learners. They had videos to listen to. They had attended teleseminar style meetings. But those on the team that were visual learners or kinesthetic learners hadn’t truly been given a fair shot at learning the material. Sure, I could attribute part of the downfall of some of the lessons to entropy. But at the end of the day, I realized that one of the things I have failed to do as a leader is create tools whereby all team members can successfully learn the material I am teaching. What about you? Training Visual Learners Visual learners do best when presented with image-rich stimuli as they are taught. They easily understand written documents, but they do better when those documents have good formatting, examples, charts, and pictures. Training Auditory Learners Auditory learners do best when presented with spoken directions and perform best when they can provide answers orally. Auditory learners, however, tend to have a difficult time understanding written instruction. Training Kinesthetic Learners Kinesthetic learners do best with hands-on instruction. Throughout their instruction, they need physical stimulation and the ability to actually perform the training at hand. It’s important to note that kinesthetic learners tend to have a wandering mind when they are forced to simply listen to a training or read a manual. Knowing to include these different types of activities in your training can help all of your employees, regardless of their learning preferences, thereby ensuring a successful training program. At the Medical Marketing Conference this June in Anaheim, California, we will be implementing and practicing marketing training methods that appeal to three styles of learning. Click here to learn more about the marketing conference that will be held at Disneyland.
Article By: Tina Bell Tina Bell is the Director of Marketing for HealthCARE Express®, where her responsibilities include spearheading the company’s social media and internet strategies, leading the in-house physician recruitment team, and developing aggressive programs to promote patient satisfaction and effective service recovery. Tina speaks nationally at industry conferences including the Medical Practice Association of America and the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals. She is the director of business development for Medical Practice Success and an independent Medical Practice marketing consultant.
