• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsBusiness ManagementKenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach

Avoid these Top 5 training mistakes to become a more effective trainer

Top 5 training mistakes.

By Kenny Chapman
Kenny Chapman
July 29, 2014
training mistakes
Photo credit: ©istockphoto.com/EmiliaU

I study training and peak performance, as well as work with many diverse companies every year, and I’ve observed some common training mistakes that I want to help you avoid in your own business. I spend a large amount of my time helping people zero in on their unique personal and professional strengths to accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

Effective training helps individuals see how to utilize their strengths and understand how specific training will help them become more successful. When it comes to training meetings that actually make a positive impact on behavior and results, there are a few common mistakes you need to be aware of and avoid.

One of the key distinctions between business owners who struggle and those who flourish year after year is the desire and skill set to keep things as simple as possible, while implementing proven systems and strategies. Owners and managers who seem to consistently struggle tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. Training in your company does not need to be overcomplicated, you simply need to have a consistent strategy in place which offers your team members valuable information and tactics.

There’s a universal mindset of very successful people that includes their desire to implement rapidly, minimize mistakes and get the greatest return on investment possible.

More and more companies are beginning to view their training time and training budgets as serious investments that should create a tremendous return for the business owners, management and, of course, the frontline team members. The only way to accomplish great returns when it comes to training is to plan accordingly, show up with a contagious sense of passion for your topic, continuously work on improving your methods and keep it fresh.

 

Create effective training meetings

Below are five crucial mistakes to avoid when it comes to developing your own successful company training meetings.

1. Failure to prepare for regular meetings. The majority of service managers are tasked with the role of “company trainer” for a number of categories including (but not limited to): customer service, sales, communication skills, technical skills, paperwork, housekeeping, etc. Most owners and managers who deliver the company training meetings are multitasking throughout the day and have many different hats to wear in order to be successful in their positions.

Due to the fact that they have so many things happening in any given day, preparation for weekly training meetings becomes a last-minute task. It doesn’t get the time or attention necessary to be effective for the company, clients and team members.

2. Overwhelming your team with too much content. Just because I’m a huge proponent of planning and preparing for company meetings does not mean I want a large number of topics prepped and ready to deliver for just one meeting. Most trainers put way too much content into a short meeting without diving deep enough into any given topic to create real change.

We recommend focusing on one deliverable piece of content, then going deeper into explaining the who, what, when, where and why regarding this one individual topic. Most training is done in the morning and many technicians are slow starters this time of day, which means they can only digest a certain amount of information at a time.

3. Trainer dominant vs. interactive group training. Most trainers have pretty big egos. OK, almost all of them do! There’s nothing wrong with keeping an ego in check as a manager or trainer. It’s critical to remember that the training is not about who is delivering the message — it is all about the people being trained on the message.

It’s easy to get into lecture mode and just teach, teach, teach, but that’s not an effective way for your team to learn and retain information. Begin to incorporate group conversations and activities into your meetings and the topics you deliver. Allow them to learn from each other as you simply facilitate and guide the learning. It’s always effective to have them do some group reinforcement exercises at the end of each meeting and allow a few minutes for questions or discussion.

4. Failure to inspire and motivate the team to succeed. A company trainer does not need to be a motivational speaker or jump up and down with pom-poms like a cheerleader. However, if you’re the training face of your organization, you absolutely must bring some passion and enthusiasm to your delivery — effective training is 20% content and 80% show.

 That’s not to say content isn’t critically important, but it does help us realize the importance of creating a motivating and entertaining experience while the team is being trained. You must at least have the ability to demonstrate your own passion in a way that becomes contagious for helping the team desire to accomplish its goals.

5. Lack of follow-up after the meeting. One major thing that contributes the most to killing positive results after training is the lack of follow-up and follow-through on topics that have already been facilitated. You’re sadly mistaken if you think your company can host a weekly meeting and drive improved results just from that meeting alone. There must be follow-up. There must be consistent and effective ongoing coaching.

Team members must know and understand how the training is immediately relevant to their jobs, how they can easily implement the training in the field and how it can make a positive impact on their results. Too often, training is delivered only once and then it’s on to the next topic without having follow-up sessions or coaching to influence a positive, lasting behavior change.

If you’re a progressive company, training is at the forefront of what you do. It should be strategic, planned and consistent. It also should be clear to your team members that training makes them better, makes the company better and provides a better overall experience for your customers.

Creating a culture of training is imperative to stay ahead of the competition and continue to improve your customer service. So as you design future meetings in your own shop, be aware of how topics are being presented. Effective training meetings have the potential to immediately improve results for your company and avoiding these five mistakes will help you develop the best possible strategies.

 


HELPFUL LINKS:

  • The Blue Collar Success Group
  • Contact Us
  • Follow PM on Twitter!
  • Find PM on Facebook!
  • Join PM on LinkedIn!
  • PM is on Google+ 
KEYWORDS: best practices business coaching education training

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Chapman

Kenny Chapman, "The Blue Collar Coach," is an award-winning industry coach and trainer, as well as founder of The Blue Collar Success Group, a business-development organization for in-home service contractors. He is the author of In-Home Sales Acceleration and The Six Dimensions of C.H.A.N.G.E. and specializes in helping business operators become true business owners. Visit Kenny's website for free sales and leadership resources, or call 877-968-2244 to see how Kenny and the BCSG team can help you improve your company and better your life.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Chapman

    5 steps to a more productive office

    See More
  • Kenny Chapman

    Three tips to help your team become top performers

    See More
  • Build operator confidence

    Kenny Chapman: Build operator confidence by overcoming these mistakes

    See More
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!