Re: Differences between Training guide vs User's Guide

[doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com]

On Wednesday 17 August 2005 03:43, Daniel Ng wrote:

> The issue is what are the key differences that a training guide should
> offer. Nowadays, I am unsure if I have even worded the topics correctly
> now, unlike when I was writing the User's Guide.
>
> Training Guide for XXX Personnel
> Course 1: Managing human resources
> -Managing factories
> -Managing departments
> -Managing production groups
> -Managing employees.
>
> Do I document every dialog/field/ screen, or am I focused on user
> interaction flow alone.
>

Training design is driven by objectives and the audience.  If you document and 
attempt to train the class on all of the minute details as seen in screen 
captures and text, will your audience be dedicated enough to study so much 
detail?  How much detail is necessary to accomplish specific training 
objectives?     

The training writer needs knowledge of techniques in instructional design 
(ID). A standard ID-inspired training is EXPLICITLY to the point about 
training objectives and content:

First, tell the audience what you are going to do (training objectives).  Then 
do it (procedure).  Then tell them what you have done (summarize).  Apply 
this little methodology to everything you do in training. 

Training uses this technique to consolidate learning by eliminating 
opportunities for misunderstanding. For example, start by giving an overview 
of the learning objectives for the entire training--"Today we are going to 
learn how to maintain the soldering robot.  The instructor will describe and 
discuss 20 critical inspection and adjustment procedures, and then you will 
have the opportunity to practice.  PAY ATTENTON TO THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE 
PROCEDURE. DO NOT SKIP AHEAD IN THE TRAINING MANUAL." 

Then you do the same over and over, giving an overview of the learning 
objective for each procedure before you get into the procedure.  After you 
teach the procedure, summarize what you've done.  

At the end of the training, summarize it all. 

(Trainees in the classroom will take every opportunity to get lost and explore 
on their own.  Training material must be very well designed to identify each 
page and each slide so that trainees can pick up the thread if/when they get 
lost.)

I would not get too hung up on whether or not to duplicate the content from 
the User Guide--you'll increase the audience's stress level if they feel that 
you've designed yet another unfamiliar view of the material, so re-using 
content from the User Guide is perfectly alright. Training material can be a 
literal re-use of the user manual content, merely re-purposed under the 
rubric and methodology of instructional material.  Or you can let the 
instructor worry about all of the ID angles while using the User Manual as 
the training content.  A User Manual won't have much pedagogy built into it, 
but a User Manual, designed and written with regard for ID, should be fine as 
the classroom training content. 

IMHO, users prefer to use the actual User Guide for training precisely because 
the familiar material=less learning overhead, and especially because they'll 
leave training with more expertise in the content and use of their primary 
working manual. I believe this is true for educated IT audiences I have 
trained, based on feedback.  You can begin collecting feedback from your 
audience to help you identify what works best for them.    

Hope this helps,

Ned Bedinger
Ed Wordsmith Technical Communications

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