During a coaching session, a very successful doctor client told me about a teaching philosophy used in medical school: “Watch one, do one, teach one.” First, students watch a professional complete a procedure, then they do it themselves, and finally, they teach it to someone else. This formula is also a great way to train new hires in the workplace.

What is the best teaching method for training new employees?

I’m willing to bet that you are a lot like me. When training new employees, we tend to hurry through the teaching process, thinking everyone learns the same way we do. We’re anxious to get the training over with so the new hire can jump right into the role, forgetting that poor training will result in poor performance every time.

The “watch one, do one, teach one” method forces us to slow down and ensure that our trainee absorbs the lesson. The process is as follows:

• Watch one: Have your new hire watch as you perform a task. Communicate often throughout the process, explaining each step along the way.
• Do one: Now, it’s the new hire’s turn to complete the task. Take it slow and go step-by-step, correcting their mistakes so they don’t form bad habits.
• Teach one: This is the crucial component of the “watch one, do one, teach one” method. In this final step, the new hire should pretend they are teaching you how to do the task. Teaching the lesson to the trainer forces the trainee to think through each step and make connections they might not have noticed otherwise.

This strategy’s “watch” and “do” components are relatively easy to understand. However, the most challenging concept, and the one that business leaders most frequently overlook, is how to “teach one.”

According to the NIH, studies have shown that only 5% of information is retained when presented in a lecture format. Explanations alone are not enough for your new hire to learn and retain the knowledge of a skill. Employees remember much more information after a hands-on approach to training.

Another popular training protocol, the 70-20-10 method, corroborates this. The idea is that 70% of a new hire’s training should come from physically performing the tasks. The following 20% should come from other employees through demonstrations, conversations, and explanations. Only 10% should come from lectures, courses, or other instruction-based education.

The story’s moral is that whether you choose to use “watch one, do one, teach one” or another training method, employees learn best when they perform a task themselves. If you want to ensure that your lesson is understood, encourage your employee to demonstrate it to you.

“Watch one, do one, teach one” is the beginning. As a coach, I encourage continuous learning. To learn more about hiring, training, and other leadership skills, sign up for my email newsletter, which includes weekly blog posts on various business topics.

Coach Dave