RE: Training policy advice and website resources

["Oja, W. Kelly" <w -dot- kelly -dot- oja -at- verizon -dot- com>]

Not sure why this didn't post the first time:

Michelle Deeprose wrote:

>>Not sure how off topic this request is but I am involved in advising
on the
>>contents of a training policy document which should contain best
practice
>>training procedures and processes for the department.  

>>My questions are:
>>What sort of things should be included in this document ?  

A majority of what I write is procedural in background, although I have
written training manuals in the past and I am currently in the process
of writing an extensive manual as well as a "dummies" manual. And so far
the biggest challenge for me has been audience analysis. About the only
advice I can give is try to set up some sort of usability test with
varying levels of your audience. Granted, the final copy is not going to
be perfect in everyone's eyes, so don't worry if you get critical
feedback.

As for what to include, I think a lot of that will depend on your
audience. I recently completed a procedures manual and it was basically
steps because the audience did not need nor did they want paragraphs of
explanations, definitions, etc to go with it. I then turned my attention
to a training manual that was for a much broader audience, and found out
that I needed those explanations, definitions, etc. 

If I had to provide anything that I implemented that people liked was
how I included monitor display examples to aid users in the procedures.
Most everyone liked knowing what they will/should see after completing a
task. I also placed notes/hints/reminders in text boxes and warnings in
red boxes. Lastly, I avoided using too much color to avoid confusing the
user.

>>Anyone got links to appropriate policy templates ?

Not sure where you're going with this. I think (keyword: think) just use
your best judgment. Try and use the "6 cognates" and other "rules" of
the biz.

>>Anyone got links to web resources like TechWhirl but for training ?

I know it is not the most popular among the list as a whole, but if you
are an STC member, browse through the publications. You may find
something you can use, or something you can modify if what is shown is
not quite right.


W. Kelly Oja
Verizon Airfone

Verizon Airfone JetConnect (SM) now with email
Inflight e-mail, Instant Messaging, and more...