How can you train your employees as cheaply and effectively as possible?  It’s well known that usually an external training company can be one of your best options, but also quite pricey. However, there are many low-cost solutions that can improve working practices and encourage personal development without resorting to spending money your company doesn’t currently have.

1. Identifying Training Needs

You may not be able to afford a specialised consultant to check this out for you, but you could always try asking your staff themselves what they think. You could hold feedback sessions, or just set up a comments box for staff to put their ideas in on how they can develop themselves. This can sometimes work out better for your staff and give you fresh insight into working practices.

2. Book Club

Once the training needs have been identified, some people overlook the simplest form of training – purchasing library of books and introducing a book club to see that these needs are met. All you would need to do is give a member of staff a book on a key training of area each month and ask them to do a presentation on the book’s key points and how they can be applied to their job. Not only does this offer training opportunities, but also lets employees work on their presentation skills without having formal training. You should also encourage your staff to give feedback on each others performances so everyone learns from the experience.

3. Share In Excellence

Naturally, some staff will have better skills in some areas than others, therefore, peer-to-peer training can sometimes be effective. Identifying and sharing areas of excellence in your staff involves having your best employees in lacking areas such as organisation or problem solving, give short training sessions to others.

This may not be applicable to ‘hard skills’ like administration, but could be useful in things like behaviours and attitudes, such as low morale – ask an employee who is naturally positive and proactive to give a motivational presentation.

4. Getting Staff To Buy In

With internal training it can be tough to get staffs enthusiasm. By shaping training around your staffs needs, you may be able to begin to win this back. Wherever it is possible, training should also be as fun and rewarding as possible.

Keep all sessions under 30 minutes and try to get staff out of the office for a while into a more stimulating environment, be it the local cafe or park, but away from their normal environment.

Incentives such as free coffees an muffins, or rewards for carrying out the sessions are also good to make your staff feel appreciated while still working out cheaply overall.

Whatever method you choose, remember to recognise the value each staff member can bring to your team and your training will always be a success.

What Do You Think?

Do you have any cheap training ideas that have worked for you in the past? Share your experience. Leave your comments here.

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