The 10 Top Tips For Field Staff Training On TaroWorks

Our last webinar on field staff training using TaroWorks inspired our in-house expert, Gordon Lau, to come up with some more amazing advice he’s learned while conducting numerous training sessions for our customers.

Field staff training can make or break a project, especially if you are trying to achieve your goals within a limited time-frame. Whether you are going to be conducting field staff training yourself or you want to get the most out of TaroWorks’ training programmes, these tips are a must-read for project managers using TaroWorks.

Field Staff Training Tips

1. Live training with devices (the How) are most effective when your team already have a through understanding of the big picture (the Why) – the jobs they are expected to do on the ground and how the data collected feed back in to the organization to make decisions.
2. Take time to familiarize yourself with local culture and custom. A short greeting in local language can do a great deal to build rapport, be aware of important events such as prayer times.
3. The learning environment is very important. Be sure to check the internet connection, projector, power, etc. Ideally arrange the seating so everyone can see you and you can move around easily to help.
4. A tried and true routine is to first introduce a topic, show how it is done on the screen, and then let the participant do it on their own. If your job is very long, consider making a mini-version to focus on the key point. (Eg. Recording location using GPS.)
5. Be sure to confirm learning before you move on. A powerful way to do this with TaroWorks is to complete a job, and then have them sync and then show the class the data in Salesforce. This reinforce the fact that the data actually go somewhere and is doing something. Remember that imparting knowledge is just one half, the other half is to install confidence.
6. Avoid long period (10 minutes is a good guide) of SHOWING – going through slides or walking through TaroWorks jobs while they watch passively. It is best to break up topics into digestible portions. It is also a great idea to take a breaks after each one so that you can help those who ran to problems so they won’t be left behind.
7. There are bound to be students who have experience / learn quickly. To avoid them getting bored and getting ahead of the class, spread them around to help their peers who might be struggling for a win-win solution.
8. Classroom management is paramount. Avoid distractions and off-topic discussions. Sensitive questions (especially if incentives are involved) to be dealt with separately (ideally before the training).
9. Role playing is important, but also try to encourage classroom participation! You can do this by asking questions out right, splitting up into field staff training groups for competitions, or pose a scenario and have them tell YOU what to do step-by-step as you move through the screens.
10. Have fun! A funny picture here and there, a joke at the right time do wonders to keep the energy up and can help drive key points home.

Update: More tips for field training success.