Explore Learning Tools

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Maintain Slack standards when creating learning materials.
  
• Design training channels and sandboxes for live training.
  

Considerations for Learning

It’s almost launch day for your client’s new Slack implementation or major feature. Before you dive into training and enablement, complete some essential setup to ensure you’re ready to deliver. Take time during the design phase to prepare the learning experience based on your learning plan.

There are two aspects that make up the learning experience: learning materials and live environments.

Learning Materials

Use learning materials for live or self-guided training. These resources help clients gain the skills they need for a successful launch.

Live Environments

Live environments are the cornerstone of the experiential learning approach at Slack. Use Slack to demonstrate features and provide learners with opportunities for hands-on practice.

Learning Materials

In this lesson, you explore templates for learning materials developed by Slack that you can use to train your clients. You use two types of learning materials to deliver live training.

• Presentation materials: The topics and activities you present to learners.
  
• Facilitation guide: The guide you use when delivering live training, which isn’t shared with learners.
  

Prepare these materials in advance to ensure that you’ve included the topics and activities to match your client’s needs and that you’re prepared to deliver the live training.

Presentation Materials

When designing learning materials, focus on the content and activities that you’re going to present to learners during your live training session.

When designing presentation materials to support live training sessions, consider the following steps.

• Explain. Introduce the topics and provide any background context behind the feature or concept. Explain why Slack improves their productivity and way of working.
  
• Demonstrate. Visually show what the feature is and how they can use it in your sandbox org. This helps learners identify how they can use the feature in their day-to-day work. Ensure that your visual demonstrations include accessibility considerations for any learners with low or no vision.
  
• Practice. Practice activities in-channel provide opportunities to test out the skills they’ve just learned. This is a great way for new Slack users to experience their new collaboration platform.
  
• Understand. Perform knowledge checks and ask questions throughout the session to test the learner’s knowledge before continuing through the next lesson.
  

Facilitation Guide

In addition to the materials your learners consume during training, it’s important to prepare facilitation materials for yourself. This provides a clear plan to follow during your training and ensures that you’re prepared to manage the technical components of facilitating a live training. The facilitator guide isn’t shared or provided to the class, so feel free to design this guide however it makes training delivery most efficient for you.

Facilitation guides include the following.

• A pre-course checklist
  
• Talking points
  
• Steps or instructions for the live demo
  
• Instructions for facilitating interactive learning activities in the training channel
  
• Links to any resources you want to share at the end of the class
  
• Time stamps to keep you on track
  

Download Training Templates

Slack integrates years of research with our customers on how best to teach Slack into templates you can download for your training event.

While you can customize each template to meet the needs of your clients, avoid deviating from the topics outlined in each template. Your clients might tell you they want advanced topics, but skipping the basics risks building a house without a foundation.

You can use the same guides that the Slack Services team uses, including links within each guide. As an external consultant, you might not be able to access every link.

Live Environments

Because your clients learn Slack in Slack, preparing the learning environment is critical. There are two unique aspects to delivering live training in Slack. You set up both before you deliver training.

• Training channel: This is a Slack channel (typically Slack Connect) where you facilitate learning activities. Learners join and participate in this channel.
  
• Sandbox: This is a Slack environment where you demonstrate features during delivery. Work with your admin to set up a sandbox. Learners don’t join or participate in this channel.
  

Set Up the Training Channel

When preparing for your live training session, it’s important to set up a Slack channel specifically for your training class. This establishes a space for your class to participate easily and in a safe environment.

During the session, use the training channel to answer questions. To handle support-related questions, assign a team member to provide support for the channel. Include this assignment in the roles and responsibilities section of your learning plan. This allows you to focus on delivering the training materials while ensuring that questions are being answered along the way.

As a consultant, remember to set up a Slack Connect channel with your client, which might require approval from the client and your organization’s admin.

Follow Training Channels Standards

Adopt these standards when configuring the training channel for live training.

• Make the training channel public.
  
• Ensure the training channel is created in a workspace that all participants can access.
  
• Ensure everyone providing in-channel support can access the channel.
  
• If you have access to the participant list ahead of time, consider asking the client to add participants to the channel in advance of the training.
  

Resources

• Slack Slide Templates: Slack Grid Orientation - Specialists TEMPLATE - Slack Certified
• Slack Slide Templates: Slack User Essentials - Specialists TEMPLATE - Slack Certified
• Slack Slide Templates: Slack Admin Essentials - Specialists TEMPLATE - Slack Certified
• Slack Resource: Roles and Responsibility Matrix
• Slack Facilitator Guide: Slack Grid Orientation Facilitator Guide - Specialists - Template
• Slack Facilitator Guide: Slack Admin Essentials Facilitator Guide
• Slack Facilitator Guide: Slack User Essentials - Facilitator Guide - Specialist TEMPLATE
• Slack Help: Use Slack Connect to work with other companies in channels