Welcome back to another deep dive. Today, we're
getting into something I think many of us find
frustrating. Training. Specifically, training
that just doesn't seem to land. We're going to
look at some really interesting insights that
challenge why we think people dislike training,
especially in a place like retail. Yeah, it's
a great source for this. Our mission here is
really to pull out the key lessons about what
makes learning stick, you know, especially for
people who learn best by doing, seeing, interacting.
Those hands on learners. Exactly. So if you've
ever felt just buried in information or sat through
training that felt, well, boring and pointless.
This one's definitely for you. We'll look at
why so much training falls flat and what actually
works. Let's do it. OK, so let's unpack this
first bit. There's this common idea, right, that
people, maybe especially in retail, just fundamentally
hate training. Like it's a chore. Yeah, that's
the default assumption, a necessary evil. But
what this source suggests is maybe it's not the
idea of learning they hate. Maybe it's how we're
trying to teach them. The delivery. That's the
core of it. There's this huge mismatch. I mean,
think of a retail. It's all about energy, people,
visuals, right? It's hands on. People don't generally
go into retail because they dream of sitting
alone in a back room reading a 47 page PDF or
clicking next on some online module until you
know, their soul quietly leaves their body It's
just not aligned with why they're there or how
they operate best The source uses this phrase
the cruelty of misaligned training and it really
it really paints a picture It does like imagine
hiring someone who's just naturally brilliant
with people, you know They can sell three pairs
of jeans before you can even say distress denim
They've got that energy that connection a perfect
hire for the floor. Exactly Exactly. And then
the first thing you do is make them sit for hours
reading about abstract customer engagement behaviors.
Oh. It's like hiring an amazing DJ and then saying,
great, your job is actually filing taxes. Yeah.
Yeah. That's a perfect analogy. You're completely
fighting their natural strengths. You put them
in the wrong environment. You force the wrong
method on them. And you get the wrong result.
Frustration instead of skill. Precisely. This
points to that fundamental flaw in so many passive
training methods, handing over thick binders,
emailing massive documents. Well, it's just not
effective. The information tends to go in one
eye and out the other. Right. No sticking power.
Very little. Retention is just really low when
it's not interactive. We don't really process
information passively, especially when it's out
of context like that. We need to connect it,
do something with it. So thinking about what
those retail associates actually want, what helps
them? Well, they want to see it. Right. See how
the display should look. OK. Watch someone else
actually do the new product introduction. Yeah.
They don't just want bullet points. They want
to practice those customer conversations too,
I bet. Not just answer true false questions in
a quiet room somewhere. Exactly. Learn by doing,
by seeing, by interacting. It's how we're built.
But it's especially true in that kind of dynamic
job. So. OK, if the old ways are so mismatched.
What's the alternative? This is where it gets
really interesting, I think the source talks
about mobile first training platforms and not
just like putting the old PDF on a phone. No,
definitely not. It's a totally different philosophy.
It's about changing the approach to fit how these
folks actually work and learn, integrating it
into their day and not pulling them away. Yeah,
if you connect this to the bigger picture, it's
about. Making training seamless part of the workflow.
How does that actually work then? Well, it becomes
interactive bite -sized. Yeah, really visual
and Crucially usable right there in the moment.
Okay. So, you know an associate has five minutes
between helping customers Yeah, perfect time
to watch a super quick video on a new feature
Maybe do a quick knowledge check question or
even just scroll through an update on visual
merchandising Like looking at photos. Ah, so
no dragging them off the floor, no scheduling
separate training blocks necessarily. Exactly.
No binders, no backroom exile, none of that glazed
over look. It's just there when they need it
in a format that works. Fluid. And I guess the
other piece is how familiar that feels using
a phone. Totally. That's a huge factor. They're
already on their phones all day, right? Swiping,
tapping, watching short videos, sharing stuff.
We all are. Exactly. So when the training works
the same way, uses those same intuitive actions,
it doesn't feel like this alien, horrible homework
task. It's just another app, almost. Another
way to use the device they already have. Yeah,
it feels like an extension of how they already
live, and importantly, how they already learned
informally. It just lowers that resistance barrier.
Okay, so the benefits seem pretty clear for the
associate. What are they? Well, the immediate
ones are engagement just shoots up. People actually
do it. And because it's active and bite -sized,
retention is way better. And managers aren't
just hoping people read the manual. Right. They're
not left wondering, did anyone actually look
at that email I sent last month? They can actually
see what's happening. OK. That leads into the
next bit, then. This raises an important question,
yeah. What about the leaders? What's in it for
them? Right. Well, probably the biggest advantage
is that real -time visibility we just touched
on. Leaders can see, like right now, who's completed
what training. OK. And maybe more importantly,
how well they actually understood it. You can
track comprehension, not just completion. Ah,
that's a big difference. Huge. It's the difference
between saying, I think most of them know this
stuff versus knowing for a fact who's confident
and ready and maybe who needs a little extra
coaching. That's incredibly valuable for managing
a team. You know where to focus your energy.
Exactly. It allows for really targeted support.
So zooming out again, the overall impact. effective
training, the kind we're talking about. It should
really fuel those strengths people already have,
shouldn't it? Absolutely. That energy, the personality,
the knack for connecting with people, training
should amplify that, not fight it. It should
make them feel, I don't know, more confident,
more capable, not just bored or frustrated. Yes,
empowered. When associates feel supported like
that, with learning that actually fits them and
their job, They don't just like retain facts.
They genuinely light up the sales floor. They
use the knowledge. They use it. They engage customers
better, more authentically. They bring the whole
brand experience to life. And that for the business.
Well, that's where you see the payoff, right?
Increased customer loyalty, more repeat business,
and ultimately real sustainable growth. It all
connects back. So wrapping this up. What does
this all mean for you listening? The main takeaway,
I think, is that the choice isn't really if you
should modernize training. It feels more fundamental.
Yeah, it's about deciding what kind of workforce
you want. Right. Do you want associates who feel
drained by, you know, outdated PDFs and long
manuals? Or do you want people who are energized,
confident, and actually equipped to do their
best work? Seems like an easy choice when you
put it that way. It does. And it really highlights
how much impact the method of learning can have.
Definitely and maybe just a final thought to
kind of chew on mm -hmm Think about how often
maybe not just in retail, but in any field maybe
even our own lives How often do we force these
square pegs into round holes when it comes to
learning? How many other parts of our work or
even our personal development could be well transformed
if we just? design the learning experience to
truly respect how the learner naturally operates
in the environment they're in. That's a really
powerful question to end on, designing for the
learner, not just the lesson. Exactly. It's about
meeting people where they are.