training

3 tips to make sure your training is equitable  

Training has become a key need of companies in recent years because of the multiple changes in the workplace. But sometimes training has to be adapted to the participants’ needs to be effective for them. You can’t have the same training solution because that is inequitable training. Such training might not cater to the needs of the minorities because they are not as experienced as the managers. Hence the training needs to be created as per the requirements of different groups of people.

Hence the Learning and development managers need to take into consideration the following requirements of various groups before coming up with training programs:

  • Include everyone 
  • There should be the inclusion of everyone in the training program because a knowledge upgrade is required. Hence, it’s discriminatory if someone is not asked to attend a training program because he is not at a senior rank or of a certain gender. Not only for the participants but the trainers also it’s better that different people attend such a seminar. It’s because they have different opinions about the topics taught to them. Such opinions enrich the training experience for every attendee who benefits from the pool of diverse experiences and educational backgrounds. 

    When a company does not include minorities in its training programs, it can lower morale.

    It can hurt their productivity, which is least desirable. But it’s also true that you can’t just include one participant from a minority group for inclusion. If he is a foreigner present in a room full of natives, he will experience a lot of hesitation in speaking in front of others. So due to his awkwardness, he does not bring anything new to the table as needed. 

  • Prepare diverse content 
  • The content must also be created as per distinct requirements for equitable training. The participants should get to hear such language in the training program with which they can relate.
    Hence participants from minority groups should be included in the content development process right from stage 1. As learning and development consultants, you can’t assume that you know the nuances of every culture. The L&D team should include people from diverse backgrounds so that no problems arise at a later stage. Also, complicated local language should not be used or complemented with English words that non-native speakers can understand. A participant’s confidence is boosted if his language needs are catered to in a training program. 

    There could also be people with disabilities attending the training program, and hence their needs are important. Someone with a vision problem gains nothing if a training program does not have audio narration. Sometimes, hearing problems are also there; hence the narration should also be accompanied by text bubbles on the screen. All these disabilities in the attendants must be included during the program development only for its success. 

  • Facilitate delivery for everyone 

Equitable training also depends on how a program is delivered. It’s because, during facilitation, participants who can’t move between different places such as their homes and the office must be taken care of. The program must be prepared in a virtual format to cater to such remotely situated participants.

Hiring an appropriate trainer is also crucial because he understands the cultural differences between participants. Also, he knows when something culturally inappropriate has come up during training and how to handle it. He makes sure that such a topic is taught calmly without hurting anyone.

The unavoidable quality that any facilitator must have is modesty which makes him understand the opinions of everyone in his room. He does not get annoyed when people ask him questions in the middle of a lecture, although not frequently. The job of a facilitator is to make others learn and imbibe something from others in the process. Such facilitators know when their knowledge is not so full-fledged and ask someone with a different viewpoint to explain them. Thus all the attendees benefit from such training when a two-way exchange of knowledge happens. When made to face intolerable situations in someone telling things unknown to them, they don’t panic or get angry and let the other person speak. Equitable training is delivered when no one’s opinions and factual knowledge are ignored during a session. 

 

He was a German psychologist who is known for discovering the forgetting curve. According to this curve, the biggest decline in memory happens within 20 minutes, and then 1 hour.