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When you are on-boarding a new staff member, take a moment early on to inquire about how they learn best. They may be a little caught off guard as this is not a question most people have been asked by their bosses. Explain that you want to tailor your on-boarding and training to their learning style—so that everyone’s time is spent productively.
If they struggle to name how they learn, throw out a few options. Perhaps they need to take their own notes as they hear you explain things, or perhaps they work better reading something written for them like a policy handbook, or maybe they learn by doing and need to shadow you. Whatever their process, it’ll be good for them to articulate how they best absorb information. This is good for their professional development (especially if they hadn’t thought of it before) because it’s good practice for them to talk about what they need from a supervisor in a professional way. It’s also good for you so that you can tailor what you’re offering and save headaches later when you find out that everything you offered was received as intended.