The most important training tip

The most important training tip

I've been sitting in a lot of database training sessions recently, and I've been reminded of the following: whether you are doing the training yourself, or you use your vendor or a third-party for training, when you're teaching a process...

  • Tell them what you're going to do
  • Do it
  • Tell them what you did.

Far too often I see trainers jump right in on a process without actually preparing the learners for what they're about to see. And then, once they've completed the training task, they move right on to the next without recapping what was just taught.

As a result, very little of what was taught is actually retained by the learner.

Learners need to understand the context of what they are learning (tell them what you're going to do) and then need time to process what they just learned (tell them what you just did).

It's a simple yet powerful formula that will dramatically improve your training effectiveness.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Don’t forget to celebrate!

January 14, 2026

Don’t forget to celebrate! Truth be told, I’m not a big celebrator. (Maybe it’s because […]

Three thoughts on duplicate records

January 7, 2026

Three thoughts on duplicate records Duplicate records are a reality in any database of any size, […]

Please don’t do this…

December 17, 2025

Please don’t do this… I’ve noticed a trend among online retailers that I want to […]

AI is perpetually patient

December 10, 2025

AI is perpetually patient My friend and colleague Noel Shatananda of fusionSpan was providing me some […]

User adoption is (almost) all that matters…

December 3, 2025

User adoption is (almost) all that matters… I was speaking with an association recently about their […]

When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming

November 19, 2025

When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming There is a common belief in project management and general business management that overcommunicating […]

Communicating when there is a major technology change

November 12, 2025

Communicating when there is a major technology change For those of you who are ASAE […]

Everything works, until it doesn’t.

November 5, 2025

Everything works, until it doesn’t. “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” – […]

Some things are unknowable

October 29, 2025

Some things are unknowable One of the most challenging aspects of moving to a new […]

Do we have access to that data?

October 22, 2025

Do we have access to that data? When I work with my clients on a […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top