Our guest blogger, Zack Merrill, CBTP, is a Senior Training Consultant with InterAction Training. You will enjoy learning the secret to training tellers.
We seldom remember the expected exchange of everyday conversation because our brain is chock-full of stuff already. If the exchange is meaningful or helpful to you then there is a better than average chance you can recall it. When you are called upon to train or be trained remember this secret: Engagement, getting involved in the training, creates a very distinct file in the brain. When you want learners to learn, teach utilizing engagement and involvement.
When we only read, look, or listen that information is instantly processed and we file it away in our brain under the junk file marked MISC. Very hard to recover information in this file of the brain because it is overloaded and stuff is tossed in there in no particular order. Like taking your trash and junk to the landfill. If you cleaned out that file you could sort it into four piles: Don’t care, Don’t Understand, Won’t Ever Use, I Need This. The last pile will be the smallest.
When training tellers how to perform, the expectations are high. Both the teller and the company want recall to be quick and spot-on so we wow the client and protect the company. Many bank and credit union trainers feel lousy when the trainees that attend their training don’t remember what was covered. Most trainers are offended when leadership complains that so and so wasn’t trained very well.
In teller training, the amount of information that needs to be transferred to learning is staggering if you look at the whole picture. The trainer must breakdown the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes into training modules that call for engagement, relatable stories, discussion, real world examples, role play, FAQs, and note taking.
A module that I always enjoyed training tellers about had to do with the persistent threat of counterfeit items. A highly impactful technique for training tellers is the use of storytelling. Here is a favorite one of mine.
Our customer, a decorated veteran was a favorite with the branch staff. Kind and friendly, everyone enjoyed seeing him walk into the lobby. His daughter convinced him to cash some postal money orders she had received as part of a Craig’s List employment opportunity. I don’t need to tell you what happened next. He became my favorite former customer. He thought we should have been able to tell the items were worthless and counterfeit.
It’s still a punch in the gut to think about today. When we charged back the fraudulent activity it cost him over a third of his irreplaceable nest egg that he had earmarked for retirement. It pained all of us to see Mr. Smith fall victim to a scammer.
Immediately after this unfortunate event came to light, I went to the Post Office and purchased a low dollar amount authentic money order to use in the counterfeit module as a “show and tell” discussion. All new tellers as well as veterans should have at their fingertips the means to compare an incoming postal money order to a genuine one.
What stories or techniques have you used to create highly impactful training for tellers?
When we only read, look, or listen that information is instantly processed and we file it away in our brain under the junk file marked MISC. Very hard to recover information in this file of the brain because it is overloaded and stuff is tossed in there in no particular order. Like taking your trash and junk to the landfill. If you cleaned out that file you could sort it into four piles: Don’t care, Don’t Understand, Won’t Ever Use, I Need This. The last pile will be the smallest.When training tellers how to perform, the expectations are high. Both the teller and the company want recall to be quick and spot-on so we wow the client and protect the company. Many bank and credit union trainers feel lousy when the trainees that attend their training don’t remember what was covered. Most trainers are offended when leadership complains that so and so wasn’t trained very well.
In teller training, the amount of information that needs to be transferred to learning is staggering if you look at the whole picture. The trainer must breakdown the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes into training modules that call for engagement, relatable stories, discussion, real world examples, role play, FAQs, and note taking.A module that I always enjoyed training tellers about had to do with the persistent threat of counterfeit items. A highly impactful technique for training tellers is the use of storytelling. Here is a favorite one of mine.
Our customer, a decorated veteran was a favorite with the branch staff. Kind and friendly, everyone enjoyed seeing him walk into the lobby. His daughter convinced him to cash some postal money orders she had received as part of a Craig’s List employment opportunity. I don’t need to tell you what happened next. He became my favorite former customer. He thought we should have been able to tell the items were worthless and counterfeit.
It’s still a punch in the gut to think about today. When we charged back the fraudulent activity it cost him over a third of his irreplaceable nest egg that he had earmarked for retirement. It pained all of us to see Mr. Smith fall victim to a scammer.
Immediately after this unfortunate event came to light, I went to the Post Office and purchased a low dollar amount authentic money order to use in the counterfeit module as a “show and tell” discussion. All new tellers as well as veterans should have at their fingertips the means to compare an incoming postal money order to a genuine one.
What stories or techniques have you used to create highly impactful training for tellers?
Great info for our audience, Zack, thank you for sharing your story.
Still learning,
Honey
