Training advice needed in work…help.

[u/KatandKittyontheRoad]

I’m training a new employee who has been on our team for 2 months. She’s mostly doing well and is eager and a bit impatient. One issue I notice is that she often misreads task instructions. If i or the other team lead training her asks her to look again, she’ll often double down on her I risk interpretation and keep re-explaining her original thought process. She also seems unable to shift directions with new information. My biggest concern is her reading comprehension sometimes and not being able to understand instructions. What do I do as a trainer?

[u/Skricha]

Could be self confidence. She’s scared you think she’s dumb and spiraling a bit. Especially if she is the type who thinks she’s a fast learner.
Negative feedback can start to compound and make some people freeze. I’d go super supportive, highlight correct moves and acknowledge why she thought something that was wrong. Being stuck on “how did I get so confused” can really inhibit forward movement.Sometimes I’ll say “oh you’re right I wonder if we could make step 6 clearer. I’m going to write that down to bring up next time to talk to so and so” sometimes step 6 really is super unclear!! A lot of those documents are written with some assumed knowledge!

[u/aspirationexperts → u/Skricha]

Yeah, it sounds like she's nervous that she'll be judged, (and from your intro, it sounds like she's doing well, in the main,) so really the best bet might be to really emphasise the supportive aspects and accentuate the positives so that she's less anxious to explain herself.

[u/Honest-Broccoli-1762]

You may want to flip the approach. Get her to read her instructions and ask her to summarise the key points or approach before she begins. And/or ask her how she likes to learn or has learned new things before - most people have a preferred approach. There are also potential hints of neuro divergent behaviour (but it's difficult to know from a single post, and while helpful to know it can be incredibly sensitive for some people to have it discussed so approach with care, empathy and caution.

[u/RedneckPaycheck → u/Honest-Broccoli-1762]

I would take this approach, and make sure she talks clearly through tasks/processes.

If she is incorrect, do not tell her the correct process/workflow - tell her it's incorrect and to re-read the instructions, re-summarize, and so on.

"This is incorrect" and "This is not acceptable work product, give it another try" are clear, actionable feedback. This is where I would start.

If she is having trouble, ask her to talk through what she doesnt understand. It doesn't sound like thats what's happening here - it sounds like either an attention deficit, retention deficit, or something similar. But it is not your job to diagnose/assess those.

[u/NiamhJP03]

Try having her repeat the instructions back in her own words before starting. It might quickly show weather the issue is comprehension, or simply rushing. Then you can correct it before the task begins.

[u/Famous-Call6538]

Have her write the task steps in her own words before starting. Not repeat back — actually write them out. The act of writing forces a different cognitive pass than reading or listening. If her written version doesn't match the instructions, you catch it before the error happens, not after.