Write It in Crayon: Simplifying Complex Training for Maximum Impact

My husband says often, “Write it in crayon.”  Here I pictured somebody writing a letter in purple, spelling errors, backwards letters, and all.  But here is the thing: if you cannot write it in crayon (AKA, you cannot explain it to a 10 year old)- you should not be training it.  That might be a bold statement to some; I’ll explain.

When you are training something, you need to have a vast understanding not only how to do something, but why as well.  People who you’re training cannot connect to something unless they understand the why behind it.  If I came up to you and told you to dig a hole in your front yard that is 4’ wide, you’d probably think I was crazy.  But if I told you that everyone in town was getting a free peach tree, but only if they dug their own hole and it had to be 4’ wide.  If you like peaches (which most people I think do), then you’d be inclined to dig the hole.  The same goes with training.  When someone understands the why behind something, it makes a whole lot more sense.  It clicks.  It connects.  Those who say “because I told you so,” usually don’t understand the why nor understand it enough to explain the why behind it.  

When you fully grasp a concept, you’re able to explain it in a way that puts it in layman's terms.  This is a sign of true understanding.  I personally believe that training is a unique skill set and sometimes if someone has done something for so long and never had to teach it, it can actually be hard for them to take a step back and explain it in such detail that it can be trained.  That is why I typically prefer when people who’ve been doing something 1-3 years (or even less)  are the best trainers, because learning the task themselves is pretty recent for them, they have done it long enough to fully grasp the concept, but also not too long where they are not unable to break down the steps which can be hard to do if something has become second nature.  The ability to write in crayon is not an easy one and is almost like speaking a second language.  Not every expert is the best trainer; and that is ok. 

Often times we promote the best person at something to be a trainer, but sometimes this actually isn’t the best move for the trainer or the trainee.  It’s a separate skillset to be a good trainer.  It takes someone who can take a big concept and chip it apart into a few different pieces.  I’ve actually lost really great people because I promoted them when they didn’t really want it, but I encouraged it because I “saw something in them.” In reality, they were really good at their job, and I wanted to duplicate that.  Unfortunately just because someone does an excellent job, doesn’t mean that they’re the best ones to train.  You’re much better off identifying your systems based trainer, having them observe your best person, and training from there.  It takes a unique skillset to train & the idea that you must be an expert in something in order to train it isn’t accurate.  Here are some important aspects that a great trainer should include when training: 

1. Trigger: How does one know when to begin their task?
2. Deadline: How long from the trigger does the person have to complete the task?
3. Recurring Tasks: If recurring task (such as a daily/weekly/monthly type task), how often should it happen and what day of the week / month should it happen, and by what time?
4. Length of Time: How long should it take to complete the task?
5. How: How does one do the task?  Use video such as Loom or Zoom, Checklists in Google Drive (I love providing people with links to guides so if they change, they always have the most updated version), Tango Guides with Screenshots, or an audio explanation on a free voice recorder app (you can upload your voice files right to the Drive).  

Keep in mind, this should all be written & kept somewhere where people can access it in the future.  This way you’ll have these resources to use time and time again as your team grows.  I have even made guides for myself for something I don’t do often, so I don’t have to start from scratch all over again, especially if a task is tedious and there is a big gap in between when I complete it.  By focusing on ensuring that you’re putting the right people in training positions, your team will go so much further and your new team members will feel supported and empowered!