While there are amazing training sessions out there, the vast majority of mandatory company seminars are boring and uninteresting. However, in order to create a better workplace environment and provide your team with training solutions to workload problems, employee training seminars and workshops should be on your business calendar often. In order to make this experience less painful for you, your employees, and your budget, we’ve gathered a few useful tips. Engaged employees are just as important to your company’s success as balanced books are.

Engage everyone in a discussion 

Employee engagement strategy goes to the heart of company culture. If you are going to hold a seminar, ensure that your people are learning something valuable. Make it relevant. Ask people what they expect from your seminar or workshop. Channels of communication should be open and include all sides of the topic at hand. Valuable feedback from your audience will help you in crafting the next seminar that will raise the bar even higher.

Also, keep in mind that all people learn differently and respond with different teaching styles. Some prefer audio or visual tools, some prefer logical tasks, and some prefer physical activities. You will need to incorporate different learning styles to improve audience engagement. Be different, interactive, and if possible, make everyone move.  

It is very important to use storytelling and relatable content to hook the audience members into your presentation. Can they see themselves in this story? If not, it is difficult to guarantee buy-in. During your core training, make sure that everyone is involved by encouraging discussion. Remember that engagement looks and sounds different to every individual. Give prompts that allow for various levels of interaction to see how the minds of your employees are working. 

Interesting games or personality tests 

Games and tests are a really interesting way to get employees to be excited about a seminar. They parallel many work environments and appeal to some staff who may not fully participate otherwise. Who doesn’t like to have fun and find out something new about each other? For example, everyone could take the 16 personality test which is based on Karl Jung’s personality test. It will give a unique insight into the personalities of your company. Are the personalities matching their subsequent work titles? Also, what is the most common kind of personality? Is there someone that is one-of-a-kind? Which personalities get along better with others? You could get inspiration from your staff as they make instant connections because they will discover that they have more in common with each other than they previously knew. 

You can also get creative! There is always an option for team drawing games like Pictionary or Win, Lose, or Draw - or you could offer face-to-face competition with Jenga or Scattergories to test the focus of your employees. No matter which industry you belong to, you are never too old for creativity or fun games. 

Eye candy visuals 

Keeping the seminar focused and professional is crucial - so use what you have. Eye candy visuals, music, bright colors, powerpoint, and video presentations will keep your staff engaged in their work and plugged into what you are there to share with them. Just because you mean the business doesn’t mean it needs to be boring. Use projectors and laptop rental, if need be. Make sure that you have the right equipment. Check that all devices are compatible. If you are hosting a seminar where you need to help your employees improve their computer skills (MS office, a programming course, beginner’s guide to Wordpress etc), provide everyone with a laptop or tablet so they can follow each step in real-time. If you think that buying computers is an expensive option because technology quickly becomes obsolete - there is another way. Trust a great computer rental services agency for your event - make sure that you check on options for bulk rentals. Support your team members with kinesthetic learning and have the latest gadgets available to them to accomplish the work at hand. 

Smile - it is free 

Of course, you never should underestimate the power of a smile. People are more likely to trust you if they see a friendly smile (especially if you incorporate a healthy dose of humor to your seminar). But it’s important not to get too carried away and stay focused on what is important: teaching people something. Find your balance between professional and friendly to make your seminar worth your staff’s and your own time. 

There are plenty of reasons to organize seminars for your staff. They can provide training to the whole in one foul swoop. They can inspire your team to get re-centered on the company mission again. Last but not least, a great seminar will make you want to come back for more. It might mean coming back to the same seminar next year or reaching out to the other attendees/speakers for more information. Bottom line: you'll leave craving more knowledge, more growth, and more connections.