When navigating a heavily regulated industry or company, you can find yourself in a sea of external and internal standards that require personnel compliance with processes, procedures, and documentation. Designing and facilitating high-quality training is one approach for improving employee compliance.  

Here are four tips for designing and facilitating training with compliance in mind. 

Don’t Just Answer “Why”

An important element of adult learning programs is defining “why” learners are present. But sometimes the answer might be the lackluster reality that training is simply a mandatory requirement for a regulatory authority. In other cases, training may be a result of a recent incident. While these reasons are valid, it’s also important to answer “why” with a response that stimulates engagement. If one of the training goals is to change attitudes or behaviors, which may lead to greater compliance, then trainers need to explain why training is essential to the learner’s daily function, role in the organization, or career development.  

One way to honestly and interactively address this issue is to engage learners immediately with storytelling. An effective story will not only captivate your audience’s attention, but it also can help you establish credibility. Storytelling can help trainers quickly build a frame of reference for learning and explain why learners should remain attentive throughout the course. More importantly, it demonstrates a personal understanding of the learners’ struggles with compulsory training. 

Simplify Technical Content When Possible 

If feasible, summarize and simplify regulatory or technical information. Translate technical language into specific, clear, and actionable items. While presenting complex background information is required, trainers need to be concise when they hone in on the take-away items learners need to know and perform on the job. Easy-to-use support materials or job aids, such as checklists and manuals with photos or illustrations, can help break down and simplify the behaviors and actions required to achieve compliance. 

Consider All Perspectives 

Compliance training in many heavily regulated industries focuses on delivering case studies and reports that document incidents, losses, and other events that stem from “what not to do.” Often, these cases have led to changes in industry regulation and legal framework. In other words, these cases are the reason “why” your audience is attending compliance training.  

As important as it is to learn from these types of case studies, though, trainers should seek out and highlight case studies that document successful behaviors. Be sure to give equal time to strategies, best practices, and examples of the positive results that occur as a result of increased compliance or adherence to quality standards. 

Lead With Attitude 

Don’t limit your leadership and attitude to the confines of formal training. Engaging attendees with pre- and post-training communication encourages the attitudes of learners to match yours. If you demonstrate effective leadership, clear communication, and genuine interest outside of scheduled training hours, learners may be more likely to adopt similar attitudes. Additionally, when instructional designers and trainers work with other departments and supervisors to proliferate positive attitudes in the workplace, an organizational culture of compliance will spread beyond a single training event. 

No doubt, captivating storytelling, easy-to-understand summaries, relevant and diverse case studies, and positive leadership can lead to increased compliance with policies and procedures. But keep in mind that training is only one method to changing behaviors and improving compliance—and it may not be the solution for every problem. 

Want to learn more? Check out ATD’s Essentials of Effective Compliance E-Learning.