Also, I provide my contact information to the trainees, which includes my work telephone number and email address, for any questions or concerns. Next, I provide to the trainees an overview of the mail merge topics that will be covered in the session, as well as the learning objectives for the session. Then, I ask the trainees to introduce themselves and speak about their experiences with performing a mail merge. If trainees have never performed a mail merge, I encourage them to ask questions during the session since they do not have experience performing the steps for creating a mail merge. I strongly encourage trainees that do have some experience with mail merge communicate to me where they are having difficulties with performing the steps; therefore, I encourage them to remind me to review any process not understood so I may assist them with the process before moving on to a new topic. During each session, all trainees receive handouts, and they are encouraged to take notes on the handouts as I lecture. In my experience, trainees appreciate the handouts because they are able to use them in their office and keep as reference material. According to Blanchard & Thacker, (2013), “Oral instructions certainly need to be provided, but a handout containing the same information is also a useful resource for trainees” (p. …show more content…
One training method is a question and answer session at the beginning of each training session and at the end of each training session. Both question and answer sessions provide valuable feedback for all trainees who may be experiencing a particular issue, or they may want to share with the other trainees their experiences with using mail merge. Handouts are another method for providing valuable information for the trainees. In addition, the handouts include vocabulary words and a list of each button and definition for each group contained on the Mailings Ribbon. An overhead projector is used for the trainees to visually see how each step in the mail merge is performed. Furthermore, a computer lab session is provided during the last thirty minutes of the session for trainees to ask questions or concerns they may have about the material covered in the session, or trainees may desire to practice the new skills they acquired during the training session at the computer workstation. Also, during the computer lab sessions, I provide one-on-one assistance with each trainee for any difficulties he or she may be encountering with the topics or computer capabilities. Furthermore, during the one-on-one session, the trainee may want to visual show me where they are having difficulties with the material on the computer.