A learning management system (LMS) implementation is a big deal for most organizations, and certainly for the staff who will be using it. When it’s time for training, some staff will be enthusiastic and others may be indifferent. They will have ideas, suggestions, critiques and concerns. As the LMS implementation team, you will be responsible for the success of the training. Here are 6 tips to help ensure it goes smoothly.

Disgruntled attendees make for a long day. Plan for a successful training by following these tips. Photo by World Bank Photo Collection https://flic.kr/p/7tqcXB

1. Know your LMS training attendees

There is a wide level of technical skill and experience at most organizations. Some LMS training attendees may not know how to copy and paste or open a new browser tab. Others may have years of experience running an LMS and work with 20 tabs open at any give time.

Putting those attendees in the same training session without planning will guarantee that at least one of them will be unsatisfied. Try to organize your training sessions by experience level. If you can’t, then try to pair attendees so that the more experienced attendees can help the novice.

2. Communicate agenda and objectives

If you don’t share a detailed agenda, attendees will be nervous that their priorities might be skipped. They may interrupt with questions that will be addressed later or just sit and silently sulk. An agenda is the cure for this concern.

Learning objectives will help the attendees understand what they need to have learned when the training is over. It will help them feel more comfortable and satisfied that they haven’t missed anything.3. Acknowledge concerns and discussions

No matter what you do, there will be concerns, objections and “what ifs.” Maybe a feature that one attendee needs isn’t ready yet or won’t be included. It’s important to acknowledge those concerns without taking the training off course. To address this without dismissing it, create a “parking lot” document and share it on screen. When a discussion or question starts to take the class away from the agenda, document the issue on screen so everyone can see it will addressed at a more appropriate time.

Planning for an LMS training is important to ensuring satisfied attendees. Photo by Fort Worth Library https://flic.kr/p/a3XKHa.

4. Share sensitive subjects and terminology

Every organization has its politics. When you plan the LMS training, make sure the instructors are aware of sensitive issues and adjust their agenda appropriately. The details of how the LMS implementation will effect training attendees may not be clear yet.

Terminology is also important. If the trainer says “assessment” but you use “exam” it may confuse people. Ask the trainer to use your terminology if possible, and even better, reference examples that the organization has in place at the time of training.

5. Tell the LMS training attendees what’s next

When LMS training is over, the attendees will what to know when they can get in the system and add their courses. If this information isn’t clear, attendees may wonder if the LMS training information will go stale and be forgotten if they can’t start working soon. Pro tip: Don’t train until the LMS implementation is ready for content upload and let attendees start the next day.

6. Be ready with internal process documents

If the vendor did the LMS implementation right, the attendees can start adding courses and content immediately after the training. But if your organization’s internal process documents aren’t ready yet, you might have issues with how people are doing uploading content, what they are naming it, or how they are setting it up. Make sure that internal process document is ready to go at the time of training so that staff follow your rules and best practices.