Designing a Training Manual

1 Designing the manual

Training manuals are particularly useful in the following

situations:

A well designed training manual, that is kept up to date,

Trainees can use the manuals for reviewing the sub- can become a valuable source of information to the orgaject after training.
nization. An eective manual:
It lets the trainee concentrate on and partake in the
training during the training session instead of taking
Is easy to read and has easy to follow instructions;
detailed notes.
Has an attractive design;
It can serve as a reference document in the work
place.
Uses illustrations to enhance understanding;
Developing a training manual is an important part in de Can be used for future reference.
signing a formal training program. A formal training
manual ensures consistency in the presentation of the
The following should be taken in consideration when detraining program. Another major advantage is that all
signing the manual:
the training information on skills, processes, and other
information necessary to perform the tasks is together in
Content topics, tasks, procedures and other inforone place. Training manuals should support the training
mation arranged in a logical sequence and broken
objectives.
down into small units;
Manuals are generally developed using the most commonly used instructional design models - the ADDIE
Audience their reading skills, previous work expemodel.
rience;
A stands for Analysis of the audience, and of training needs;

How the manual is to be used during the training session, afterwards (for revision) and/or as a reference
in the work place.

D stands for Design of training, its objectives, sequencing of tasks, etc.

The training manual can have dierent versions for the

D
represents
Development
of
traintrainer/presenter and the trainees. The version for the
ing/instructional materials, that are consistent
trainer would include the basic text, prompts for discuswith the design requirements.
sions and demonstrations or other activities. It could also
include information or checklists on preparation for the
I means Implementation of the training, and
session. The trainees version will have the basic text, ex E is evaluating the training.
amples and exercises, as well as space for making further
notes.
Training manuals can be designed to be used as:
Work books often used in training sessions. It provides basic information, examples and exercises.

2 Writing the manual

Self-paced guides: designed for trainees to work

Once the purpose for the manual has been established and
through on their own.
attention has been given to the preliminary design, the
Reference manuals: for containing detailed infor- main task of writing is the next step. First, organize the
mation on processes and procedures.
contents into a logical sequence of topics. Break down
the topics into smaller segments that describe a task, pro Handouts: provide general information to support
cedure or concept. Include an overview on how to use the
training done during the session.
manual. As preparation for the training session give a list
Job aids: provide step-by-step instructions to be of key points or a summary of what is going to be covered
used in the work place.
at the start of each chapter.
1

4 PRESENTATION

What are the key elements of a

Training Manual

The Training Manual may contain the following elements

Write a detailed index, including cross-references,

to make it easy to nd information. A good index
makes the manual usable as a reference work for future use.
Check spelling and grammar.

A Cover page with plain or graphic with Title clearly

After the completion of the rst draft get feedback from
written
trainers/presenters and other key personnel. Implement
any suggestions if appropriate.
A Blank page after the cover page
The title page, table of contents, a glossary of terms (if
used) and the index are prepared last. On the title page the
An Introduction page on What-How-Who - What following should appear: Name of the manual, author(s),
the Manual is about, How to use the Manual & company name, publishing date. A copyright notice can
be included, as well as acknowledgement of contributors
For whom the Manual is meant
if appropriate.
A Navigational Tips page with visually catchy icons
which will be used throughout the manual
Table of contents

Expanding the Table of contents - Objectives / Description of each topic / Section Summary
Placeholders for graphics
Placeholders for work sheets
Page for Conclusion

4 Presentation
An attractive appearance and ease of use can motivate
the trainees to use the manual and thus reinforce learning.
Good page layout increase readability and make the information more accessible. The organization of the material
on the page guides the eye of the reader which areas get
attention and in what order.

Page for Further Reading

Page for Bibliography / References / Citations
A Blank page prior to closure
Closing Cover page
The following advice has been given by many authors:
Write in plain English: Avoid using technical terms,
unless it is part of the work place vocabulary. In that
case make sure technical terms are explained in simple language/terms. Spell out or explain acronyms
and abbreviations.
Use the active voice: It is concise.
Be consistent in the use of terminology, tone and
style of writing.
Long sentences and paragraphs can be confusing.
Use short sentences and phrases. Numbered steps
are easier to follow than long paragraphs.
Include illustrations (graphs, ow charts, tables, pictures, screen displays, examples of nished tasks)
where appropriate to clarify concepts and enhance
understanding. It also adds visual interest. Illustrations should be in proper proportion to nearby text.
Write a detailed table of contents that include chapter headings as well as the next level of subheadings.

4.1 Graphic design principles:

Proximity: Group related pieces of information and
other items together to form a cohesive unit, e.g. illustrations should appear on the same page as the related text. That is part of organizing the content in a
logical order. Avoid too many separate elements on
the page. Use close proximity to indicate unity between items. Use white space to separate unrelated
items
Alignment: The alignment of text and graphics is
another technique in organising the page. All the
elements (text and graphics) should appear unied
and interrelated by their placement on the page.
Repetition/Consistency: Consistency in the style
of the elements (headings, graphics, arrangement)
gives visual clues to the reader. It also unies the
dierent part of the manual and creates visual interest.
Contrast: Creating contrast between sections visually organise the page, leading the eye in a logical
ow from one section to the next. Contrast is created
by the use of fonts, line thickness, colours, shapes
and space. Create a strong contrast to be eective.
Fonts (or type): Avoid using more than two or three
fonts in a document. Fonts can be in italic, bold,
light, heavy, or condensed versions. Avoid all uppercase it is dicult to read use bold, italic or

5.2

Example 2: Text book style manual

other versions of the font for emphasis. Titles, headings and subheadings should be in a larger size font
than the body of the text. When combining dierent fonts, use fonts that are clearly distinct to create
contrast. It is often recommended to use a sans serif
font for headings and a serif font for the body of the
text.

have been handled as handouts to overcome this restriction. Some of the handouts lend themselves to appendices, such as the 'OSH guidelines in the example. Since
this manual has only three main sections with all the handouts led after each section, it is still easy to handle, especially with the detailed index in the front of the manual. If
it had more sections, then this format would be cumbersome to use. Although a detailed index would enhance
Colour: It could be used in text for emphasizing its reference value in the workplace, this isn't the ideal
and in graphics where appropriate. When used ju- format to use for future reference.
diciously it increases learning and retention. Avoid
overuse of colour as it loses its interest value.

5.2 Example 2: Text book style manual

4.2

Ease of use:

Discharge of returned items

Another consideration apart from the page layout is the

collation of the manual to make the nal product easy to
use. The following techniques might be helpful:
Section dividers that extend beyond the page width
make it easy to nd sections, especially if it has the
topics printed on the tabs. This is especially appropriate for a bulky manual that is to be used over several sessions.

1.

(a) Introduction:

All returned items are handled at this desk. When borrowers return their items, the items are discharged, resulting in the removing of the items form the borrowers
record. Once the discharging is done, the displayed message will indicate what must be done with the discharged
item.

1. (a) Setting screen up for discharging:

A detailed table of contents at the beginning of sections, in addition to the main table of contents at the
front of the manual makes it more accessible.
Discharging is done in Circulation Services (no. 2 on the
main Circulation menu). To set the system up for dis Allow wide enough margins to accommodate the charging type in '2' at the command prompt (indicated
type of binding used, as well as space for users to by '>>'). Dierent commands will be displayed on the
make key notes.
Circulation Services screen.
When considering binding, use a method that would Illustration: Circulation Services screen.
allow easy replacement of pages. The manual can
To display the discharge screen type 'DI' at the command
be updated easily, which adds to its reference value.
prompt. The date for discharging will be displayed and
the system is now ready for discharging items.
Lastly, be aware of copyright and other legal issues before
Illustration: Discharge screen.
reproducing the manual.
1.

5
5.1

(a) Discharging books

Training manual examples

Example 1:
checklist

Before discharging check that the settings of the scanner

are correct: It must be set on 'discharge' and the sensitiser
based on the training must be switched on.

This manual is used during on the job training and is

available for reviewing between training sessions. This
format is based on the checklist, which consists of a lists
of tasks/skills to be taught, with extra columns where the
trainer date and signs as the trainee progresses through
the checklist.

Illustration: Scanner set up for discharging books

Stack books face down to a maximum height of 20 cm.

Be careful to stack the books in a way that will prevent
injuries - see the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)
guidelines (Appendix 1, p--). Slide the book past the
scanner to wand in the barcode number of the book. Read
the message on the screen and place the discharged book
Comment: This format works well in the on-the-job in the appropriate place.
training situation where step-by-step instructions are Comment: This is the more traditional format which
given for fairly simple tasks. As it follows the check- most people are familiar with. The illustrations are at the
list it makes reviewing easy while training is ongoing. Il- appropriate places which makes it easy to follow the text.
lustrations are dicult to incorporate in the text, which The text tend to be 'wordier' than in the succinct bulleted

4
style of the previous example. This format is good for
future reference in the work place. It is also suited for
describing more complex tasks and concepts. To assist
navigation, a detailed index is essential, especially when
it contains many sections.

5 TRAINING MANUAL EXAMPLES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Designing a Training Manual Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Designing_a_Training_Manual?oldid=2721764 Contributors: Robert Horning, Watsonianz, Duncharris~enwikibooks, Poccil, Francs2000~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Ceyockey,
Whiteknight, Hooperbloob, Jguk, Pegship, Hagindaz, Wknight8111, Webaware, AdRiley, Ravichandar84, Mike.lifeguard, Remi, Recent
Runes, Adrignola, Frigotoni, Madvenu, Gloriadowdy, Akw120888 and Anonymous: 32

6.2

Images

File:00_percents.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/00_percent.svg License: CC0 Contributors: File:

00%.svg Original artist: Siebrand

6.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0