Tape/Slide Training
| Published date | 01 September 1981 |
| Pages | 7-9 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057209 |
| Date | 01 September 1981 |
| Author | Alan Ayriss |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Tape/Slide Training
by Alan Ayriss
There are occasions when the induction of new emp-
loyees and other training can create problems for many
companies, not through lack of ability by training offic-
ers but because - if a scattered workforce has to be
reached - they often lack time. If recruits have to wait
weeks for a proper introduction to their new jobs,
production can suffer. And if some existing staff have
never received a thorough grounding in their tasks,
there is a danger that efficiency will remain below par.
The problem is easily solved, of course, if employees
can simply sit down and induct and instruct themselves,
but leaving people to digest a pile of books and literature
is unlikely to have much success. Many companies have
found that audio-visual training is the answer - achiev-
ing a self-tuition situation by using a projector which
perches on top of a desk, with a built-in screen like a
television set. One or several people can view prog-
rammes by themselves, often without supervision.
Video is a popular method, but its drawbacks include
a certain amount of inflexibility if updating for product
or company changes is a frequent necessity. And
because moving pictures really need a professional pro-
duction touch (otherwise they look clumsy and loose
impact), programme-making is best left to the experts,
which means that it can be an expensive exercise.
The use of a desk-top projector, but this time with
another system - tape/slides - can overcome both prob-
lem areas. Updating can mean simply replacing several
slides and productions can be made in-house by non-
experts. For training, it may be easier to "freeze" a still
picture if that part of the lesson needs closer study. And
many users would argue that because movement on the
screen is so commonplace through television, the still
picture changed automatically by taped commentary has
a novelty value which increases the impact of presenta-
tions.
If recruits have to wait weeks
for proper introduction to their new
jobs,
production can suffer
This kind of tape/slide approach has been widely
adopted throughout industry. In these cost-conscious
days,
ease of in-house programme-making is a particular
attraction. The experiences of two users - John Crock-
att Limited (Leeds) and Jas Smith & Sons Limited
(Dewsbury) - illustrate the advantages. They are both
dry-cleaning organisations, and in addition to shops in
the High Street for the public they supply several
thousand companies with rented loose linen, endless
towels, rugs, towel cabinets and working garments.
Their training campaign has been so successful that
eight other companies in their group (the Johnson organ-
isation, which claims to be the world's largest dry-
cleaning group) have also adopted tape/slides, using the
same equipment, the Bell & Howell Ring Master. This
machine, which has a built-in screen and can also pro-
ject on to a large external screen, has another feature
which has proved essential to these companies - a
built-in recorder, enabling users to make their own
programmes.
With a tape/slide projector a
self-tuition situation is achieved
Douglas Blackwell, Personal Assistant to the Manag-
ing Director at Crockatt and responsible for audio-
visual training at both that company and Smiths,
explains that producing a programme requires no special
knowledge or ability. "After arranging the slides in
sequence, I record a commentary and then - while
viewing the slides - I simply press a button when I want
pictures to change. This adds pulsed signals to the tape
cassette and for subsequent presentations slide-changes
are automatic and synchronised with sound. Programme
production with this machine literally costs only a few
£s."
During 1980 Mr Blackwell made 18 programmes -
each with 30 to 90 slides, lasting for up to 30 minutes
and covering all areas of training, from induction and
equipment usage to health and safety. John Steel, Train-
ing and Safety Officer at Smiths, has made three. Other
companies in the Group borrow these programmes and
sometimes make their own. Presentations can be easily
adapted for individual and local needs,
Crockatt and Smiths use 17 RingMasters to take
training to 178 branches. This was the problem-area for
the companies - the difficulty of reaching these shops,
each employing from two to 20 people and spread over a
quarter of the UK.
More than 95 per cent of retail dry-cleaning (many
thousands of garments a week) is now done in most
branches and not at the main factories. "District train-
ing officers cover such a wide area that induction for
new recruits and courses for established staff often
cannot be given quickly enough," Mr Blackwell
explains. "Lack of training can obviously affect effi-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1981 7
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