Flip Flop Training

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By Gail Yahner 

Trainers- the odds are stacked against you.

How can I say that? I don't even know you or your training style

 Let's think about it for a moment or two. You have a room full of adults from different backgrounds and skill sets, looking to you to train them on Everything they will need to know to do the job they were just hired to do.

Wow- I guess you better get hopping. You have a huge job ahead of you! That's when I say- "wait a minute, we are in this together".  This needs to be a group effort.

How do you turn the tables and make learning a group effort and why even try? Think about it this way.

Statistics show that people generally retain information at the following levels:

90% of what they say as they do 

70% of what they say or write

50% of what they hear and see

30% of what they see

20% of what they hear

10% of what they read

If the information retention rates above are correct, it would appear that the best results would come from a trainer that understands that training must include the whole person. The person needs to hear it, read it, say it and do it to actually have the best odds at retaining the information

Sounds exhausting.  How do you this?

Have you heard or tried the 70/30 method?

As the trainer, how much of your training time do you spend in front of the class, actually speaking? For most, I would you say 70% is a good guess. The other 30% would be divided between the trainees reading and participating in learning activities. Am I close?

At my last site we flip flopped the percentages to 30/70 with the trainers training 30% of the time and the class self training the other 70%. While it sounds odd, this actually made a tremendous difference in the agent's performance and reduced training attrition.

Give me a moment to explain what the Flip Flop to 70/30 means, how we did it and how it reduced training attrition.

While this is no magic pill to aid all that ails training, it is a fresh idea that most of my trainers loved. You can't win everyone over and that is fine.

Trainer Prep:

The trainer divides that days topics/lessons (using the curriculum outline) into manageable segments

The class is divided into small groups that are for the current day only.

The groups change each day to stimulate increased participation of all trainees.

To determine group size follow this simple formula: divide the days topics into the class headcount = group size

 After the trainer starts the day with a review from the previous day and clears up any outstanding parking lot issues the small groups are given their topic for the day and the line up of when they will be presenting their topic

The groups are given approximately 45 to 60 minutes to research the topic, prepare flip charts, PowerPoint presentations or create an activity in which to train the rest of the class.

The groups have full access to all needed materials i.e. computer systems, lesson plan, training manual, white boards and flip charts with markers.

The group line up is posted in the class with approximate time lines

Each group then trains the class with their presentation.

 Trainer responsibilities during the group presentations:

The trainer and training assistant are present at all times and are available to assist the groups during the preparation time.

The groups are encouraged to create interactive hands on activities to reinforce the lesson they are training— and they did!

The trainer manages the time and informs the group as they near the end of their allotted time.

The trainer aids the groups when a question is presented and they have are stumped, stepping in to assist when it is apparent that no answer is available.

Trainer reinforces the material at the end of the day with an end of day review.

 Tying the Results back to the Flip Flop:

Having the trainees so deeply involved in their training shifts the responsibility of learning from the trainer to the trainee. We found that the small groups were so creative in their presentation that the other students were able to understand and relate to the material very quickly (this was validated with higher test averages). We also noted that the trainees were more apt to bond with each other and show signs of becoming an actual part of the company faster than with our old training style. We also found that with the increased interaction and investment on the part of the trainees, they came out of training more knowledgeable and better able to grasp the concepts from class. This was validated over and over through higher quality scores, lower handle times and lower attrition rates over previous classes.

Give it a try and see what you think of our Flip Flop Training. I would love to hear your feedback and results.

Gail is a contributing writer for Call Center Cafe, the Community for Call Center Professionals. As the self professed Call Center Quality Queen, Gail shares her experiences in Quality and Training with readers. If you are would like to read more of Gail’s articles please visit: http://www.callcentercafe.com  While you are on the site, sign up for the free e newsletter: The Call Center Café Newsletter at http://www.callcentercafe.com/call-center-newsletter/

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