Why Face-to-face Training Is Essential for Your Business

10 October 2019

In the modern world, there are many different options for training programmes within your business, whether it’s online or face-to-face training. Many businesses opt for the ease and convenience of online training. However, there are many businesses and situations when training your staff face to face is the right option. There are a number of advantages to conducting your training face to face as opposed to doing so online. In this article, you will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of training face to face. You will also have the chance to evaluate why training your staff face to face may be the right fit for your business.

Direct Responsiveness from Your Staff with Face-to-Face Training

When training is conducted face to face, trainers, management and instructors have the chance to see exactly how their students respond. This involves a lot of freedom to see what the staff’s first impressions are, as well as some of their initial ideas about the training strategies given. This is a great opportunity to analyse your staff, giving management the chance to see which staff members stand out during the training.

Everyone is different, and online training doesn’t offer the same type of one-on-one focus that can be achieved with face-to-face training. During this type of training, any confusions or problems that arise with a learner can be addressed right away. Not to mention, problems or confusions can be tackled by everyone in the group rather than just the instructor. Training that is done face to face is the only type that allows for creative problem solving and easy answers.

Training that is conducted in person also has a human aspect that is simply impossible to gain in online training. Even online training that features videos and recordings simply doesn’t have the same impact as hearing from an experienced instructor in person. This type of training allows for a broken-down format, and it gives instructors the chance to share their experiences and knowledge with the staff.

If one subject is easily grasped, or one proves to be difficult for students, instructors can adapt and change their focus on the spot. This adaptability allows for better, more specified learning for the staff. It also avoids wasting time on subjects that staff already understand – reducing boredom and frustration.

Face-to-Face Training Helps to Strengthen Workplace Relationships

Conducting training online is effective in a number of ways, but it can be an isolating form of training. Face-to-face training, on the other hand, offers the chance for co-workers to collaborate and interact during the process. It offers a huge opportunity for staff to strengthen their workplace relationships and get to know each other better throughout the training. Conducting training programmes in person and face to face with your staff allows everyone to get involved in discussions about the given problems, as well as benefit from the knowledge that their co-workers may already have.

This type of training provides a professional and workplace-focused time for co-workers to get to know each other better and really learn about some new viewpoints and opinions. There is no replacement for time spent together when it comes to strengthening relationships, and in-person training is a great way to do so while also improving your staff’s skills.

In-person learning allows for dealing with specific problems or asking questions that may not be possible in an online training situation. An in-person training programme aims to create a safe space for staff to ask whatever questions they have, as well as deal with any problems they may be facing. This is a great place to have confidentiality and allow staff to work out their issues in a professional environment. It also offers the chance for miscommunications or confusions to be cleared up extremely quickly. 

Keeping Staff Engaged and Collaborative

While online learning may work for some people, it can be difficult to focus on and get through. This is especially true if the subject isn’t particularly appealing to your staff. On the other hand, face-to-face training can easily be made fun and collaborative. Instead of staring at information and completing training online, your staff will have the chance to work together with their co-workers and complete more interesting and adapted forms of training. Focus and engagement are usually higher when training is conducted face to face. This is because students tend to consciously or unconsciously multi-task during online training procedures. It’s so easy to lose focus if you are doing training alone on the computer.

However, when training is done in person, the option to lose focus or multi-task is not given. Staff are usually far more focused on the task at hand when their training is given face to face. This results in a far more useful training programme with much better results for the business.

Physical involvement and interaction are still proven to be the most effective ways to learn. That’s why colleges and universities aren’t conducted totally online, even if they have the capacity to do so! There is something to be said for learning in person, and it results in a higher level of concentration in students. The ability to ask questions or clarify information on the spot also keeps staff members engaged in their training. This is a solution that can avoid long-winded confusion and misunderstandings that could happen when training is conducted online.

In conclusion, training your staff face to face has plenty of advantages and disadvantages. The decision really depends on the specific needs that your business has. Online training also has its advantages, but when it comes to developing strong workplace relationships, it’s best to conduct training programmes that focus on face-to-face communications. Working face to face allows staff members to work with one another and develop strong bonds in a business environment. Not to mention, doing training in person allows trainers and management teams to see exactly how staff respond and integrate the information that they are given throughout the training programme.