Legal Technology Training Needs New Approach

Software trainers find the need for computer training never-ending. In many firms, including law firms that advise e-commerce counsel, training programs abound, but users don't seem to be gaining ground fast enough to master the array of desktop applications.

Frustrations among users rise with the need for speed in productivity and for trainers as they fight for training time, training resources and willing participants. Yes ' willing participants. End users aren't motivated to attend training that is stressful, discouraging or a waste of time, which is often defined as any training that doesn't provide skill-retention and mastery.

Avoiding Feature-Focused Training

Training programs become stressful when the training agenda is focused on learning a laundry list of features. Training time is typically short, but the list of required competencies is not, so software trainers feel obligated to cram in as much as possible. The result is a stressful experience all around.

Typical training plans emphasize product-based objectives defined by software trainers who identify essential features, and then design lessons that present, demonstrate and practice those features. Although companies and trainers allocate many hours for developing hands-on practice and demonstrations, as well as providing labs, floor support and documentation, the number of participants who master objectives is small ' and dwindling. Most trainees gain a loose understanding of the materials, but not enough to complete designated tasks with their newly acquired knowledge. All in all, time is too short, and the list of 'key' features and functions is too long.

Process-Focused Training

If the goal is skill-retention and mastery, then training programs need a new model.

First, approach the training to teach a process. For example, suppose the topic is creating a letter or memo in Microsoft Word. The focus is not on presenting a medley of various features, but on how to approach the general, yet practical, task of document creation. This also gives the trainees direction. Various features will be covered, but as individual tasks, each with a single purpose. The learned features are tied into accomplishing this project. Because a useful process is being directed, the lessons learned are easily retained and mastered. This provides context: there is a beginning and an end (the completed document), closure and a measurable feat to benchmark success. If the training is geared to learning Microsoft Word, for instance, when are you finished?

The document-based approach to teaching Microsoft Word in particular is effective in the legal community because in this industry, it's all about the documents, and the executives that e-commerce counsel advise expect their attorneys to know how to use technology. It's also less intimidating, because principals, attorneys, on-staff trainers and third-party providers all understand our documents, and automatically determine who needs this specific training.

Second, determine which few critical skills provide a solid foundation to understand a product's core philosophy. Asking, 'What do I need to know?' is just the first step. The next question is, 'What is the main theme or the overall thought process?' If the goal is to learn how to format in Microsoft Word, then participants must learn how to set text in bold, to center text, underline it, and to perform other text-formatting functions. But that won't take you far. You'll either spot-format by selecting text and applying the format here and there, or you'll want to carry a formatting theme through the document by using styles. Teaching in terms of themes is like looking at the forest instead of the trees. In this case, grasping the philosophy (forest) of formatting is more important than experiencing a hundred features (trees). The features will be gained incidentally while mastering the philosophy.

Philosophy-Focused Training

The focus of a successful software-training program is in developing competency by emphasizing philosophies. In other words, the philosophy of formatting ' using styles ' is the goal, because that's the competency on which all the miscellaneous features are built. In this scenario, to be truly competent in formatting legal documents, you must understand the philosophy of formatting.

Understanding a philosophy em-powers us to advance. We can take that one understanding and apply it to a myriad of circumstances. Feature-based learning is narrow and limiting, and results in users who feel overwhelmed. There's really no end if you're learning only product features. Instead, shift the spotlight from what users need to know to philosophies upon which they can build. Learning philosophies gives us a desire to connect the dots.

It's critical that the backdrop of this new model is an emphasis on quality over quantity. Short 1-hour sessions on a single theme are easy to digest. The message is: 'This is important.' This approach is vital for attorney training in which the need for training is high and their availability is low. A brief session on a core concept will go far.

The topic of a recent Microsoft Word session I led for attorneys was creating business documents, such as agreements. My target audience was obvious ' those who create transactional documents. The main feature in these documents is usually paragraph numbering, so the process was definable ' select a numbering scheme and apply paragraph numbers. Participants practiced this several times with various transactional-type documents. With each practice, a few new features were added to the process. At the conclusion, a group of novice Microsoft Word users mastered one of the most important skills in document formatting.

You'll find increased retention and mastery in this document-based approach because there will be repetition in every exercise, and a definite beginning and end to measure accomplishment and competency. Learning key concepts (philosophies) in the context of a process (document-based, for instance) in a short block of time (quality) is powerful.

Judye Carter Reynolds has 25 years' experience in various training roles, including technical support and software implementation for law firms. She frequently consults with law firms on training staff, education and train-the-trainer scenarios. She is the vice president of client experiences for Esquire Innovations Inc., a CA-based provider of Microsoft Office integration-software services and applications for the legal market. She can be reached at @Judye.reynoldsesqinc.com.

Software trainers find the need for computer training never-ending. In many firms, including law firms that advise e-commerce counsel, training programs abound, but users don't seem to be gaining ground fast enough to master the array of desktop applications.

Frustrations among users rise with the need for speed in productivity and for trainers as they fight for training time, training resources and willing participants. Yes ' willing participants. End users aren't motivated to attend training that is stressful, discouraging or a waste of time, which is often defined as any training that doesn't provide skill-retention and mastery.

Avoiding Feature-Focused Training

Training programs become stressful when the training agenda is focused on learning a laundry list of features. Training time is typically short, but the list of required competencies is not, so software trainers feel obligated to cram in as much as possible. The result is a stressful experience all around.

Typical training plans emphasize product-based objectives defined by software trainers who identify essential features, and then design lessons that present, demonstrate and practice those features. Although companies and trainers allocate many hours for developing hands-on practice and demonstrations, as well as providing labs, floor support and documentation, the number of participants who master objectives is small ' and dwindling. Most trainees gain a loose understanding of the materials, but not enough to complete designated tasks with their newly acquired knowledge. All in all, time is too short, and the list of 'key' features and functions is too long.

Process-Focused Training

If the goal is skill-retention and mastery, then training programs need a new model.

First, approach the training to teach a process. For example, suppose the topic is creating a letter or memo in Microsoft Word. The focus is not on presenting a medley of various features, but on how to approach the general, yet practical, task of document creation. This also gives the trainees direction. Various features will be covered, but as individual tasks, each with a single purpose. The learned features are tied into accomplishing this project. Because a useful process is being directed, the lessons learned are easily retained and mastered. This provides context: there is a beginning and an end (the completed document), closure and a measurable feat to benchmark success. If the training is geared to learning Microsoft Word, for instance, when are you finished?

The document-based approach to teaching Microsoft Word in particular is effective in the legal community because in this industry, it's all about the documents, and the executives that e-commerce counsel advise expect their attorneys to know how to use technology. It's also less intimidating, because principals, attorneys, on-staff trainers and third-party providers all understand our documents, and automatically determine who needs this specific training.

Second, determine which few critical skills provide a solid foundation to understand a product's core philosophy. Asking, 'What do I need to know?' is just the first step. The next question is, 'What is the main theme or the overall thought process?' If the goal is to learn how to format in Microsoft Word, then participants must learn how to set text in bold, to center text, underline it, and to perform other text-formatting functions. But that won't take you far. You'll either spot-format by selecting text and applying the format here and there, or you'll want to carry a formatting theme through the document by using styles. Teaching in terms of themes is like looking at the forest instead of the trees. In this case, grasping the philosophy (forest) of formatting is more important than experiencing a hundred features (trees). The features will be gained incidentally while mastering the philosophy.

Philosophy-Focused Training

The focus of a successful software-training program is in developing competency by emphasizing philosophies. In other words, the philosophy of formatting ' using styles ' is the goal, because that's the competency on which all the miscellaneous features are built. In this scenario, to be truly competent in formatting legal documents, you must understand the philosophy of formatting.

Understanding a philosophy em-powers us to advance. We can take that one understanding and apply it to a myriad of circumstances. Feature-based learning is narrow and limiting, and results in users who feel overwhelmed. There's really no end if you're learning only product features. Instead, shift the spotlight from what users need to know to philosophies upon which they can build. Learning philosophies gives us a desire to connect the dots.

It's critical that the backdrop of this new model is an emphasis on quality over quantity. Short 1-hour sessions on a single theme are easy to digest. The message is: 'This is important.' This approach is vital for attorney training in which the need for training is high and their availability is low. A brief session on a core concept will go far.

The topic of a recent Microsoft Word session I led for attorneys was creating business documents, such as agreements. My target audience was obvious ' those who create transactional documents. The main feature in these documents is usually paragraph numbering, so the process was definable ' select a numbering scheme and apply paragraph numbers. Participants practiced this several times with various transactional-type documents. With each practice, a few new features were added to the process. At the conclusion, a group of novice Microsoft Word users mastered one of the most important skills in document formatting.

You'll find increased retention and mastery in this document-based approach because there will be repetition in every exercise, and a definite beginning and end to measure accomplishment and competency. Learning key concepts (philosophies) in the context of a process (document-based, for instance) in a short block of time (quality) is powerful.

Judye Carter Reynolds has 25 years' experience in various training roles, including technical support and software implementation for law firms. She frequently consults with law firms on training staff, education and train-the-trainer scenarios. She is the vice president of client experiences for Esquire Innovations Inc., a CA-based provider of Microsoft Office integration-software services and applications for the legal market. She can be reached at @Judye.reynoldsesqinc.com.