I recently decided to take it upon myself to really push Nintex in our company and spread the good word of what it is capable of. I realized that this would require training on Nintex, but also on SharePoint and process in general. Below is what my initial approach has been thus far!
SharePoint, and Workflows, and Forms, Oh My!
For some, SharePoint is exciting, but for others it is dreadful! Many users have a predisposition to it and use it for specific purposes. My first step is to discuss SharePoint at a high level and give them a broad view of its capabilities. This allows me to segway into workflows, forms, and process; all of which ties in Nintex. This also lets me understand the level of exposure to these areas and what I need to focus a bit more of or glaze over if needed.
Understanding SharePoint and Processes
I like to ask questions and get participation from my audience so it keeps them engaged and thinking. I generally ask the following to get it started:
- How much exposure to SharePoint do you have?
- Do you understand the difference between a site and a site collection?
- What about a page and a site?
- A library vs a list?
- What about workflows or processes?
- What about your customers (other business areas)?
This gets them really thinking about just how much they truly understand and how they can improve upon it. I also like to make logical connections; tell a story, or example to drive home your points. I typically talk about my morning routine with my 3 kids and if the process breaks in the morning, well...hungry kids, late to work, you know the drill! Again, this gets them thinking about processes in a different way and that everything has a process, and, again, lets me tie Nintex into the conversation nicely.
What is Nintex?
Talk about Nintex, seems simple, but really just talk about the company. What they are doing, what they have done, what they can do. One thing I always mention is "Workflow for Everyone", it really drives the idea home to users. Highlight the areas that most interest your company and how they can solve issues you are currently facing. For me, I am pushing mobile platform because we have half of our work force in the field. Giving them the ability to connect to processes in the field (big or small) is a win! I like to hit on product features for those I am training to ease them into it and assure them that they do not need to know code, or request additional software.
Showing off Nintex
Always have examples of what you are currently using Nintex for. This shows off the product and provides you a platform to stand on when demoing something. It could be something small to demonstrate functionality, or something complex to show off how easy Nintex is to use and step through. Either way, it gives your audience something to look at and see in action, and not just you talking to them! Also, I like to walk them through a "how to use Nintex" if time allows (or if another session is required), but this lends more towards specific training on the products.
Questions
Again, seems simple, but allow time for questions. I found that if you try the "ask anytime" approach, your timing is always off. Bake in 15 minutes at the end of any questions. I also like to have some questions for the audience as well to kick it off. I generally ask what they want to use Nintex for as well as what their customers have been asking for that we could do with Nintex.
So how do you approach training/teaching users about Nintex? Any "templates" that you use? I like to see how others handle sessions so let us know how we can all improve our own training!
Until next time!
