It usually starts with a simple request. A new starter arrives on Monday, or a client adds a new area to the contract, and someone asks the most experienced person on site: “Can you show them how it’s done?”

It sounds easy. You’ve done the task hundreds of times. But being good at a cleaning task and being able to teach it are two different skills, and the gap between them is where most on-the-job training goes wrong. The trainee nods along and says they’ve got it. A week later the floor is over-wet, the dilution is guesswork, and nobody can quite say why.

The good news is that you don’t need a training qualification to close that gap. A few simple habits make a big difference.

Pick one thing

When time is short, the temptation is to cover everything. Resist it. Decide on the one thing your trainee must be able to do by the end of the session, and phrase it as something you could watch them do: “demonstrate the three steps for safely diluting the floor cleaner”, not “know about chemicals”. If you can’t see it, you can’t check it.

Show it more than once

Most people demonstrate a task once while talking through it, then hand it over. That asks the trainee to watch your hands, remember the order of the steps and listen to your explanation, all at the same time. Try this instead:

• Do the task once at normal speed, without talking.
• Do it again slowly, explaining what you’re doing and why.
• Do it a third time, and ask them to tell you each step.
• Let them try it while you watch, stepping in only if something is unsafe.

It takes a few extra minutes, and it saves you repeating everything next week.

Don’t ask “Do you understand?”

Almost everyone says yes, whether they understand or not. Some don’t want to look slow. For others, telling the person teaching them that they’re lost feels disrespectful. Ask them to show you instead, or ask a “what if” question: “What would happen if you didn’t dilute it?” Their answer tells you far more than a nod.

Plan for nerves, not against them

If you feel nervous about training someone, you’re in good company. Know your one objective, practise the demonstration once out loud, and remind yourself to slow down. Nerves make almost everyone speak faster.

Check back within a week

People forget new information quickly unless they use it. A five-minute visit a few days later, watching them do the task and correcting small habits before they set in, is often worth more than the original session.

How do you know When Training Is (and Isn’t) the Answer to Cleaning Performance Issues ?

Want a ready-made framework?

These ideas come from our new Quick-Start Guide to Delivering Training, a one-hour online course for supervisors, team leaders and experienced cleaners who’ve been asked to train someone at short notice. It includes a fillable planning template and a pocket reference card, so the method is to hand when you need it. And when you’re ready to go further, our full Train-the-Trainer course will take you the rest of the way.