How to Develop Employee Training Materials? A Complete Guide With Examples

ust imagine: you spend tons of time finding insights, gathering all training materials in one place, and structuring them in modules. You are sure your learners will love them, and the content will make the program truly effective. 

Yet, something goes wrong. You see that employees are disengaged; they skip lessons and struggle with knowledge retention. That’s when it becomes clear that creating training materials is not so easy; it is an art and a science, with its imperfections and rules.

Whether you are a corporate trainer, manager, or a part of a large L&D team, developing employee training materials needs a structure and plan. We’ve designed a small guide that can help you with it. 

Read on to learn more about how to create training materials and know some tips.

Training Materials: Things to Consider

As you may already know, training materials are the content and resources that help you create a training program, answering learners’ needs and objectives.

Yet, usually, the effective training materials contemplate a whole framework, where different types refer to certain methods, strategies, and documentation, digital or printed. There, the learning goals and objectives do matter. 

What are the main characteristics of effective training materials?

• Training materials should answer goals and expectations.
• Training content should be structured and easy to follow.
• Training content should be relevant and practical, answering objectives and reflecting real practice.
• Training materials should be followed by knowledge checks and should have room for revision.
• Training content should be clear and accessible, ensuring no disengagement. 

That way, the employees can get important tools for upskilling, get clarity, and have a reference material that they can go back to. 

Examples of Employee Training Materials

Sure, developing training materials for different audiences and settings may require a different approach. So much depends on the topic, goals, expertise, and audience.

Not to mention the employee development plan.

Thus, let’s consider the most common content types that are used in the training:

Note. You may be a fan of certain content types, but do not overuse certain formats; make sure you implement diverse options to make training more engaging. 

How to Develop Training Content? 

Next, let’s focus on the key steps of how to approach training material development. What are the important parts there? Have a clear understanding of the goal and audience, considering training delivery methods and using the right instruments. 

Let’s look at them in detail:

Step#1. Identify Needs and Set Objectives

First of all, effective training is about solving business and organizational problems, not just delivering content. 

That’s why development training materials should be goal-oriented and specific, with a clear connection between objectives. How do you make it clear?

#1. Identify business and learner needs

Skill gaps analysis is important here, as it pinpoints gaps and challenges. That’s why an organization should conduct surveys, review performance data, and check feedback.

For instance, if there’s a notification that your organization has slow response times or a lack of product knowledge in the customer support department. For you, it may be a reason to integrate role-playing scenarios or quick reference guides into the training.

#2. Engage with key stakeholders to align strategy and goals

Once you see a gap, you should resort to an employee, HR, or managers. Yet, you aim to frame the goal and make it measurable.

Instead of saying you want to create a “Compliance training piece for employees”, be more specific, say “We need to improve safety by improving compliance”.

#3. Establish learning objectives with the SMART framework

Lastly, when you create training material or content, your learning objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

In particular, if you want to create an employee cybersecurity training, your SMART objective should sound the following: 

"After the training, employees will be able to identify five common phishing scams and know how to report them, eliminating breaches in the next year."

From there, you know that your training materials will cover the common phishing attacks and ways to report them without harm to the organization. 

Step#2. Develop Materials with Delivery Methods in Mind

Next, as you select delivery methods, you should pick the format of training materials that best suit the method. You will want to ensure that employees retain information and apply it effectively. Some settings will need more room for engagement, others will require a drier format with references only.

Here is a table showing which training materials are appropriate within specific training delivery methods:

Other than that, when creating content for certain programs, it is important to remember some universal tips to make learning more engaging and accessible.

,Consider the schedule and availability of learners. For instance, the microlearning formats are the most flexible.

Also, do not forget about making learning interactive. Therefore, do not hesitate to use a blended approach, apply peer reviews, and encourage learners to participate in discussions. 

Step#3. Evaluate Existing Materials and Develop New Content

Next, once you’ve defined suitable delivery methods and are ready to create new content, it’s time to revise the content you have. Knowing whether existing training materials serve their purpose will help you save time and effort. 

So, the main questions to ask yourself are:

• Is the content relevant? (To understand whether it aligns with industry standards and employee roles)
• Are there knowledge or skill gaps? (To see whether training addresses challenges or lacks key topics)
• Does it suit one or different roles? (Identify how general or specific the content is concerning specific job functions or policies.)
• Is the format effective? (Think whether the change of format will add to knowledge retention or better engagement.)
• Is the material still useful? (Check whether employees actively use it or if there is a need for an update)

After you’ve revised the existing content, you should analyze the approach to creating new materials.

There, you may consider the following: 

• Content necessity. (Ensure the content will help solve an issue, as the unnecessary materials may overwhelm learners.)
• Training format. (Consider the format that helps effectively meet the training objective.)
• Interaction potential. (Think about whether you need to hold learners’ attention or direct them to self-learning; for instance, you may use quizzes or direct them to the article in a corporate wiki.)
• Accessibility. (Consider how to ensure that content is available and accessible to your employees; for example, VR training may require additional efforts to set up).
• Cost and resources. (Think of the budget and team for the training development. Will you be able to repurpose the content? Or would you need to cooperate with the team, hire specialists, and buy some tools?).
• Scalability. (Ask yourself about the options you have in terms of developing training materials for multiple programs. Can the materials be updated and shared easily?)

As soon as you answer the questions and take into account all the factors, you may switch to training materials development. Remember that some materials will need a refreshment, like updating information, adding visuals, and getting rid of some insights. 

Moreover, you can always repurpose, and it is usually a very effective strategy if you have enough quality content.

Note. Do regular evaluations and updates of the content, especially if you run a certain program often.

Step#4. Create a Training Plan, Segment and Determine Scope

At this point, you may have an itching feeling to start developing training materials. 

Yet, jumping straight into it may bring inconsistent or overwhelming materials for the employees. For you, the main goal is to address specific roles and responsibilities and make programs manageable. 

#1. Define the scope of training

There, you should develop a training plan that will then turn into a syllabus. That’s why you should first define the scope of training. Take into account the next material development factors:

• Who is the training for? Clearly define the audience to communicate with them appropriately. 
• What are the learning objectives? Make sure your content adds directly to meeting the objectives.
• How much time do the learners have? The answer to this question will define whether it is better to create an intensive, multi-day program or a microlearning course. 
• What training styles are appropriate for training? If a self-paced course is preferable among employees, then you will have a lot of videos and text lessons. However, a more complex training may require instructor-led sessions.

Note. Onboarding for new sales reps may need basic videos about communication techniques, while upskilling for experienced ones would require advanced group negotiation training.

#2. Segment training content by roles or skill gaps

Next, before creating training materials, you may need to segment the content based on roles or skill gaps. It is especially true if customizable training experiences for different departments.

Similar to the matrix for defining the best topic for your curriculum, you can create a matrix to develop content for the different roles or skill gaps to segment the content. 

To segment content for a certain group or role, you may list their skill gaps in the first column and training objectives in the first row. Next, for each intersection, you can add a topic or content to be used to make programs more relevant and structured. 

Here is an example of a content matrix for a technical training program:

The skills or knowledge gaps to cover: lack of understating of technical concepts, no technical skills to apply, troubleshooting.

The learning objectives to meet are mastering technical knowledge, developing hands-on proficiency, and improving troubleshooting.

In the intersection: employee training materials that can be developed.

Note. Such a matrix should not be as detailed and may be used to segment topics and formats. 

#3. Create a plan and turn it into a syllabus

After you clarify the scope and segment the types of content, you should structure it into stages. Later, it may be used to create modules and lessons for the course. Here is how you can plan it:

• Introduction. There, you welcome an employee and the learning goals.
• Core lessons and modules. That’s where you deliver key concepts using a mix of formats.
• Practice and scenarios. Offer employee materials for learners to apply their knowledge through group assignments and sessions.
• Assessments & feedback. Next, it is crucial to measure retention and allow learners to reflect on what they’ve learned.
• Q&A sessions. You can use meetings or coaching sessions to reinforce skills over time.

As a result, when you have your plan ready, it’s likely to be a roadmap for your syllabus or course structure. Here’s how this principle is applied by EducateMe LMS:

In learning management systems, course editors aim to make training material development easier, allowing you to add parts of the curriculum or certain activities as blocks.

#5. Provide Assessment Strategies

Next, a crucial part of creating training materials refers to the assessment. Why? They support the retention of knowledge, help identify if there are any gaps, and see whether the training is effective and knowledge will be applied.

Thus, when creating training materials, you should leave room to induce formative and summative assessments. In particular, they refer to:

• Quizzes and polls. (great to use after modules and large content blocks)
• Scenario-based exercises (interactive simulations to assess decision making)
• Live discussions (ideal for complex topics, critical thinking, and group learning exercises)
• Final tests (with multiple-choice options and case studies)
• Assignments (group works and projects for leadership training)

Importantly, the innovative LMSs can help you create different types of assignments and quizzes, for instance, with single and multiple choice or free text options.

Note. Do not forget that you can integrate gamification into the assessment strategies to boost engagement. However, you may need additional software if you do it online.

Step#6. Leverage Technology

Whether you are creating training materials for the offline session or developing an online course for employees, using learning technologies will give significant benefits. There are more than enough options before you, from video editing software and e-authoring tools to LMSs and AI agents. 

How to create training materials with the help of technology?

Here are some ways to impact content creation, driving engagement, making it more scalable, and streamlining the process:

#1. Apply LMS to Support Training Material Development 

Contemporary LMS offers centralized content management systems to store, organize, and distribute training materials. 

For instance, EducateMe supports multiple media formats, integrates other solutions via API, and allows organizations to create whole courses with AI prompts.

Besides, many learning management systems allow the creation of customized learning paths for specific users or groups. For a trainer, it is a way to deliver created training materials to the specific employee and foster a unique approach. 

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In particular, you may create a chain of specific courses for different groups, where all of them have a shared starting point but then get access to different lectures based on their role or previous step.

#2. Use chatbots and AI agents

Other than that, you may use chatbots and AI agents to help you create training materials. For instance, you may train chats to be an assistant to learners and offer them information based on their requests. It is one of the ways to make learning interactive. 

At the same time, you can use AI for content development. Today, many LMSs have that functionality, where you can generate content or quizzes based on prompt, available materials, manuals, or documents. 

#3. Apply video-based training and tools for interactive training

Lastly, as the edtech industry is booming, there is more than enough interactive software to ads to creating training materials. For instance, Articulate 360 and Lectora are easy-to-use options for interactive e-learning courses. Kahoot can help gamify training sessions, while Miro and Figma offer great options to create visuals. 

What about video training software? There are separate tools to create interactive videos to support onboarding and upskilling. For instance, Loom is great for instructions, while Camtasia and Vyond may help create tutorials and explainer videos with avatars. 

Moreover, the VR technologies are there, totally shifting how trainers create materials for safety and compliance training. 

Tip: If you want to streamline content development and make training interactive, you should combine LMS, AI, and video training.

#7. Run a Program and Ask for Feedback 

Once you develop content and have your materials, run a program. During the course, you must collect feedback from learners, colleagues, and learners' managers. 

That way, you can identify gaps, measure how engaging the course is, and determine whether you should change delivery methods.

In this regard, you can:

• Use post-training surveys. Google Forms or Typeform are traditional ways to collect feedback.
• Resort to live polls. If you use Slack or other messengers, they have live poll options where you can get quick feedback and react accordingly.
• Interviews and peer input. You can ask learners to engage in discussions, or after some time, ask managers or supervisors how the performance of their employees changed.

In online training, collecting feedback may be an issue. That’s why some LMSs have incorporated feedback tools that make it easy to collect feedback, making it mandatory. 

Here is one of the unobtrusive options to collect feedback after modules:

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Based on the feedback, you should analyze your content and check whether certain parts are confusing or outdated. Other than that, always pay attention to delivery methods and engagement — they are crucial for knowledge retention. 

Tip. If learners struggle with technical terms or complex topics, try adding video tutorials or setting up instructor-led sessions, depending on feedback.

#8. Update Content, Make Revisions

When you have enough feedback and see the results of training. It may be time to reconsider the approach to creating training materials. Why? There are always things you can improve. 

The revision strategies you can use refer to A/B testing, Microlearning updates, Improvement every 6 months, and data-driven adjustments based on learner analytics.

Conclusion: Creating Training Materials Needs Planning

We know that the answer to the question “How to create effective training materials” is not so simple. To develop training materials, you need clear objectives, structure planning, and the right tools. Moreover, you need to understand needs and set goals to choose the right content formats. 

At the same time, what can optimize processes upon planning is EdTech technology. LMS, AI, chatbots, and interactive tools can streamline content creation and focus on giving relevant insights.

Want to enhance your content creation process? Check out the best AI LMS for business.