But I Have To Deliver A Training Programme

PREFACE

This article is part of a miniseries written for the accidental trainers, the problem-solvers, and the “you’re-good-at-explaining-this” people now leading learning inside their organisations. If you’re a business leader who never expected to take on training, but now you are – this series is for you.

Whether you’re just getting started or already mapping yours [or others!] learning journeys, this series shares grounded stories and tools to help you deliver training with more ease, structure, and confidence, without needing to be an L&D expert. It also offers an inside look at how Zoho TrainerCentral can support simple, scalable delivery without unnecessary complexity.

SERIES AT A GLANCE:

You Are the Trainer Now
Blog: Help! I’m Not an L&D Expert
LinkedIn: If You’re an ‘Accidental Trainer,’ Here’s How to Thrive
Available: May 06

It’s Not the Training, It’s the Delivery
Blog: Life Without an LMS?
LinkedIn: The Real Reason SMEs Don’t Adopt LMS Platforms
Available: May 20

Make It Real, Make It Work
Blog: How We Built CA academy on TrainerCentral
LinkedIn: Why We Built Our Client Learning Academy
Available: Jun 03

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How learning often starts with just helping out, and why that’s more than enough.

In many SMEs, training doesn’t begin with a formal plan or a defined role. It begins with someone who knows how things work and takes the time to explain them well. For our team, that person was me.

I work across operations, systems, people, and delivery. When our internal training needed shaping, it made sense that I’d take the lead; not because I had a background in learning, but because I understood the content and how our people actually used it.

When Training Just Means Showing People How Things Work

The content already existed. We had walk-throughs, screen shares, internal notes, and helpful colleagues. But it was informal, scattered across folders and inboxes. Everyone was trying to do the right thing, but the experience varied depending on who was doing the showing, and when.

It became clear we needed something better. Not bigger. Not more sophisticated. Just better organised and easier to use.

The Questions That Made It Real

At some point, I found myself asking the same three questions again and again:

• Where do we put everything so it’s easy to find?
• How do we help people move through the learning journey without constantly following up?
• How do we keep delivery consistent, even when we’re busy?

I wasn’t looking for a complicated learning management system. I just wanted to make things easier for the next person. Easier to access. Easier to follow. Easier to repeat.

How I Started Making Progress

The first step was getting clearer about what people actually needed. I stopped trying to document everything all at once and instead focused on mapping a simple learning journey. I asked questions. I listened. I paid attention to the parts people got stuck on and the parts they picked up easily. I started by keeping things short and plain-spoken. No over-producing. No unnecessary polish. Just useful content in a format people could return to. That clarity made all the difference. But the real turning point came when someone asked, “Can you record that so we can share it?”

From Informal Training to Intentional Learning

That request changed everything. It meant I wasn’t just helping; I was building something others could reuse, even when I wasn’t there.

It didn’t need to be over-engineered. But it did need to be findable, repeatable, and clear. That’s when I started looking for a way to organise what we already had and give our team a consistent place to come back to.

To begin, I used what I had. I built the first version of our training journey in an Excel spreadsheet. One tab listed the key learning topics. Another is linked to shared folders, recordings, and quick-reference guides.

It wasn’t sophisticated, but it brought structure. It showed the flow of learning across the first week, the first month, and beyond. And most importantly, it gave people the confidence to move through it without having to ask every time.

Where That Led

Those early questions didn’t go away. They became the reason we eventually built something more structured. Our training wasn’t broken. It simply needed a better home. That is where the next blog in this miniseries picks up. What happens when your practical training outgrows your spreadsheets, and you need a system that can scale with you?

Reflection Questions

• What part of your work do people regularly ask you to explain?
• What content or processes have you already created that could be reused?
• What would a first learning path look like for someone joining your team?
• What small change could you make to improve how your team accesses and uses training?

Want to make your informal training more structured (without overhauling everything)? Let’s talk through what you already have and how to build from it, simply.

Talk to us → Book a free 20-minute chat

Blog Contributors: Before they ever had the title, Sue Mills (Director, Training and Client Aftercare) and Mel Constantinou (Account Manager, Zoho Campaigns Expert) have both stepped into training roles from lived experience. Sue leads the design and delivery of client learning, building training that’s clear, practical, and genuinely useful. Mel brings the perspective of someone who’s used Zoho in the real world and now supports others to adopt it confidently. Together, they shape learning that fits how teams actually work, not how training usually looks on paper.

These articles have been authored by the experts at Creative Analysis. They draw upon client voices, themes, and lived experiences gathered over the past decade, reflecting successful digital transformation through proven methodologies. They represent collective insight rather than any single individual’s views and aim to share insider knowledge to support your journey towards successful digital change.