5 Tactics to Improve Technical Training Outcomes

Key strategies to boost learner comprehension, engagement, and retention

Tactic #1: Show—and tell

Illustrate technical concepts to aid understanding

Picture this: You’re staring at a black-and-white illustration in a training manual, trying to figure out which way a mechanical part is supposed to rotate. There’s an arrow—but where does it start? Is that a shadow or another component?

There’s no question that visuals support learning. In fact, studies show that combining visuals with text can boost retention by up to 55 percent.

But not all visuals are equally effective. Static images and text often fail to clearly show motion, sequence, or spatial relationships. Interactive visuals, on the other hand, allow learners to manipulate, explore, and engage with content—bridging the gap between concept and comprehension.

On the next pages, explore how to use e-learning to create dynamic “show and tell” experiences that bring technical concepts to life and boost learning comprehension and retention.

6 effective online technical training visual aids

There are multiple ways to use interactive online training to demonstrate technical concepts. Check out these examples of effective digital formats and sample use cases.

Digital format	Sample use case
Video demos or tutorials	Videos clearly demonstrate technical instructions, procedures, or concepts in action—whether teaching how to operate machinery or navigate new products.
Screencasts	Perfect for software training, recorded screencasts walk employees through user interfaces, functions, and workflows so learners can follow along with ease.
Animated GIFs	This quick, scrappy file helps illustrate short, repeatable processes like control panel sequences or step-by-step assembly tasks.
360° images and 3D models	Let learners virtually rotate, zoom in, and explore equipment, environments, or processes from every angle. This method is ideal for hands-on fields like manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare.
Labeled graphics	Visually highlight and deconstruct key components, functions, or workflows of larger systems to make complex structures, products, or equipment easier to understand.
Photographs and screenshots, illustrations, or icons	Quick-reference images or icons can simplify tool, part, symbol, and feature recognition.

Explore examples

Get inspired by the following examples. Click on each video to expand and play.

Screenshots. In this example course, simple UI screenshots help illustrate how to use Articulate’s feedback and collaboration tool, Review.

Video demo. This interactive video template pauses at key moments and prompts employees to answer assessment questions via pop-up interactions.

Animated GIF. Animations aid understanding of who has the right-of-way at roundabouts in this driver's education sample course.

Tactic #2: Break it down

Make materials easier to understand and remember with short and frequent training

Learners are like sponges: blast them with a firehose of information, and they’ll quickly stop absorbing it. But drip information slowly over time, and they’ll retain and build upon what they've learned.

To combat information overload, introduce new concepts in bite-sized modules and reinforce learning with spaced repetition—a strategy that improves knowledge retention by repeating information in varied formats over time.

Continue to the next page to explore e-learning examples that show shorter, spaced learning techniques.

What’s the best way to digest a hearty meal? In small bites spaced over time. The same goes for robust training topics—small courses over time improve the learning experience.

How to make dense training more digestible

1. Use a structured learning path

Learning paths break training into a series of shorter, focused courses. So, instead of one mega HVAC technician training assignment, you might create multiple courses and focus each on a key topic like fundamentals, installation, troubleshooting, and repairs.

This organized path approach helps learners digest information in sequential chunks. Each chunk offers opportunities to apply their knowledge and facilitates deeper understanding and long-term retention.

2. Create interactive process guides and checklists

Digital process guides and checklists distill complex tasks into simple, step-by-step action items so it’s easier for learners to apply key takeaways. Use these tools to reinforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) or guide employees through on-demand troubleshooting steps and workflows.

In this example, learners use an interactive checklist on their work tablets to identify and mark worksite safety hazards. Click to expand.

3. Incorporate regular review or refresher modules

Brains are like hard drives—without regular backups, important data gets lost.

That’s why microlearning refreshers are essential. Strategically-timed mini-modules help reinforce key concepts, track learner progress, and connect new ideas to what employees already know.

Get creative and mix up your microlearning formats. Think short video recaps, quizzes, animated graphics, or scenario-based challenges. Variety keeps learners engaged, accommodates different learning styles, and helps key information stick.

Click on the video to preview a microlearning training refresher template.

Microlearning best practices

Keep lessons short—5–10 minutes is best.
Stay laser-focused on one topic or skill.
Try media, animations, and interactive elements to boost engagement and retention.
Use mobile-friendly course software so employees can reference materials anytime, anywhere.

Learn more

Tactic #3: Ground theory in context

Make training relatable with real-world examples

Before learners can apply a technical concept, they need to understand why it matters. Without real-world context, training can feel abstract and disconnected from their roles. That’s where storytelling and relatable scenarios come in.

Contextualized learning—rooting instruction in everyday experiences or job-relevant stories—helps set the stage for deeper understanding and application. Here’s why it works:

Boost engagement. People remember stories better than abstract concepts.
Improve problem-solving. Examining real-world applications builds decision-making and critical-thinking skills.
Enhance learning and retention. Employees learn best when they understand the material’s relevance to their roles and daily tasks.

Nurture learning by rooting technical concepts in real-world contexts.

Explore examples

Real or hypothetical stories, examples, case studies, and analogies can make technical concepts easier to grasp.

Choose examples that align with employees’ daily experiences. The more relevant the scenario, the more impactful it will be.

Check out a few examples in the following table.

Topic	Example
Software tutorial	Offer job-specific task context while you walk through features or solve common problems. For instance, an employee who uses a warehouse management system might need to update inventory levels. How do they do that? What happens if they input incorrect data?
Technical product specs	Frame technical specs around real user needs and impact. In medical device sales training, for example, explain why certain features matter for patient care and healthcare providers.
Technical term definitions	Use an analogy to make a technical term relatable. For example, you might compare an API to a telephone operator. An API request is like dialing a number, and the API connects you to the other party. Once connected you can interact with each other while the operator (API) ensures everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.

Tactic #4: Build virtual practice activities

Give employees a safe place to apply their skills

The best way to master a skill is to practice it, but in many workplace settings, real-world drills aren’t always practical. Safety risks, expensive equipment, and customer-facing environments can make hands-on learning difficult to provide. That’s where virtual practice activities come in.

By simulating real scenarios in a safe, controlled environment, employees can build confidence, sharpen decision-making skills, and apply their knowledge without real-world consequences.

Over the next pages, get inspired with creative ways to better prepare employees for high-stakes situations with hands-on online learning.

Do you want your pilot’s first flight to be with you onboard? Probably not. Simulations prepare employees for real-world success—before the stakes are high.

Use cases and best practices

Example use cases

Simulate operating machinery or equipment without risk of damage or injury.
Replicate hands-on software or system use outside of live environments.
Test employees’ ability to troubleshoot common problems before handling real customers, products, teams, or systems.

Types of activities

Simulations or 360° images
Branching role-play scenarios
Sorting or matching activities
Multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions

Best practices

✅ Incorporate real-world visuals, sounds, and conditions to make simulations as immersive and true-to-life as possible.

✅ Let learners experience the positive or negative results of their decisions and actions.

✅ Provide immediate feedback to reinforce or redirect behaviors.

Interactive e-learning content lends itself particularly well for pharmacy and medical sciences, where the stakes are incredibly high. With prescription errors, mistakes can be deadly. Students need ways to practice their skills in a low-risk environment, and interactive e-learning provides that opportunity.

Dr. Barbara Hadley, Biochemistry Lecturer, Griffith University

Explore examples

Get inspired by the following examples. Click on each video to expand and play.

360° image exploration. Learners explore a 360° image of a doctor’s office and identify areas to tidy up before their next appointment.

View project

Fill-in-the-blank question. Employees practice writing in their company’s style and get immediate feedback.

View project

Role-play sceneario. Police officer trainees must navigate a real-world situation that requires them to interpret powers of entry and seizure laws.

View project

Tactic #5: Simplify technical language

Make technical concepts clear and accessible

Technical training doesn’t have to be complicated. Industry jargon and complex explanations can lead to misunderstandings and poor engagement.

The solution? Simplify the technical manual to help employees learn complex topics. Clear, concise content lightens the cognitive load and contributes to better comprehension and faster learning with fewer mistakes.

The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”

Albert Einstein

Remove obstacles to understanding by simplifying technical jargon into employees’ everyday language.

Explore examples

Get inspired by the following examples. Click on each video to expand and play.

1

Create digital flashcards and collapsible glossaries. Let learners explore key terms at their own pace. In this example, a digital glossary with expandable definitions aids understanding of key banking industry terms and acronyms.

2

Simplify text with AI support. AI tools make it quick and easy to transform technical jargon into plain language. Prompt AI to shorten text, simplify explanations, or make the tone more conversational to increase engagement.