A training manual is a book of instructions. A manual is designed to provide an overview of a topic before attending a class, an outline to follow during a training course, a subject matter reference for post-training, and a general reference. Use these steps to write a training manual.
1Know your audience. Research the knowledge and experience level of your audience regarding the service, system or product the training manual addresses.
- Use simple language and provide extensive system or product background information for groups new to the content. New users not only need to learn what the product or system is, but how to use it.
- Use higher-level terminology and less background information for groups familiar with the product or system. Existing users of the system or product may only need to know about new features added.
2Write an outline. An outline helps organize the information. It also helps you make sure that all the points of the system or product are covered within the training manual.
3Start with orientation. Outline the company's structure, and the roles and responsibilities. Introduce the SOP, guidelines and QA scorecard. Go through some of the general guidelines briefly, perhaps in bullet points or with keywords. Generally, do not assume the reader knows anything about the subject matter or even the organization and spell things out for clarity.
- Keep orientation brief and to the point. Reread and cull all unnecessary additions.
4Write lesson chapters. Begin each chapter with an overview of the information presented in the following pages. Use headers to organize the information into smaller sections within each chapter.
- Start each step or direction with an action verb.
- Keep directions short and to the point. Communicate any background information in separate note boxes to keep the directions together and help users see the process from start to finish.
- Alert users of any alternate ways of performing the steps. If there is more than 1 way to complete the action, note that in the training manual.
- Include screen shots, as applicable. Screen shots of the system provide a visual aid that complement the text instructions.
5Compose individual lesson summary sections. Write a brief overview of the main point of the information contained in each section. Use quick reference tables for any information that users might need to reference regularly, such as keystroke combinations or field definitions.
- Insert the lesson summary sections after the end of each chapter. Create an appendix or reference section at the end of the manual and include all the lesson summaries there.
6Perform test training. Select a group of participants that resembles the group that will be using the end-product training manual. Have the group use the training manual and provide you with feedback on readability, areas for improvement and sections that need more or less detail.
7Edit the manual. Use the feedback received from the test group to make changes to the content or flow of the manual.
- Send the manual to an in-house editing group or a co-worker. Have them proofread the training manual for grammar and punctuation.
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- Include a feedback form with the training manual. Users of the training manual can have a way to send in any suggestions or changes after the training class, or as the system or product documented within the manual changes.
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