When I first worked in the cultural sector, work training had a bad reputation. It brought to mind images of PowerPoint sessions, slow days, bad snacks, and bored staff counting the minutes until they could leave. I never saw it as being as important as hiring good people in the first place and delivering good marketing.
Eventually I realised great training is better than both of these. At Tayl, we’ve worked with a wide range of museums, heritage sites and tourist attractions, and we’ve seen training that’s both essential and enjoyable.
How? By ensuring your business treats each module as an opportunity for creativity that’s on brand, accessible, and catered to your audience. Here’s a breakdown of the different training types and how to improve how you deliver them.
1. Compliance and Health/Safety Training
Why it Matters:
Compliance training covers everything from fire safety to data protection. In busy cultural attractions, staff sometimes view these sessions as a necessary evil, especially when they lack direct relevance to day-to-day scenarios.
Strategies to Keep it Engaging:
- Bite-Sized Modules: Short, focused online lessons with an LMS such as Tayl (often called microlearning) break down complex regulations into manageable segments. This approach increases retention and fits more easily into hectic schedules.
- Real World Scenarios: Demonstrating how compliance rules apply to practical tasks—such as handling lost children or ensuring wheelchair-accessible routes—helps staff see the value of the training.
- Interactive Elements: Brief quizzes, scenario-based exercises, or quick knowledge checks encourage greater participation and keep focus levels high.
- Accessible Anywhere: Ensure your staff can do the training when they’re sitting down, standing up, or whenever they’re on the move.
Key Takeaway: Present mandatory information in small, practical segments so that staff can understand how rules impact daily operations.
2. Customer Service and Front of House Training
Why it Matters:
I once worked in marketing for a large tour operator. My job was easy, because our front of house teams created the first and last impression for visitors who recommended us far and wide. Getting their training right can be cheaper and more effective than any ad campaign.
Strategies to Keep it Engaging:
- Role Play and In-House Workshops: Practising visitor interactions or complaint scenarios allows staff to build confidence and improve their communication skills.
- Microlearning Refreshers: Periodic, online refresher sessions on topics like upselling memberships or handling ticket discrepancies help maintain consistent service standards.
- Peer-to-Peer Feedback: Front of house teams often learn best from each other’s experiences. Encouraging staff discussions—either in person or via brief online forums—fosters a supportive learning culture.
Key Takeaway: Combine practical, face-to-face workshops with concise digital lessons to keep service quality consistently high.
3. Onboarding and Orientation
Why it Matters:
New starters need a strong foundation of knowledge about both the role and the venue’s ethos. Effective onboarding can spark genuine engagement with an organisation’s mission from day one.
Strategies to Keep it Engaging:
- Guided Walk Throughs: Pair online introductions with a physical tour of key branding and staff-only places. This helps newcomers form immediate, tangible connections to what they learn digitally.
- Interactive Content: Short videos, staff interviews, and quizzes about the venue’s highlights and history within your LMS can help newcomers feel informed and excited about their work environment.
- Mentor or “Buddy” System: Assigning new hires a more experienced colleague ensures they have a go-to resource for questions, easing the transition and promoting teamwork.
Key Takeaway: Blending digital resources with in-person experiences immerses new staff in the culture and day-to-day realities of the attraction.
4. Specialised Skill-Building and Development
Why it Matters:
Museums and heritage sites often require staff to develop niche expertise, such as conservation techniques, collection curation, or advanced visitor analytics. Tailored professional development ensures these skills stay current.
Strategies to Keep it Engaging:
- Modular Learning Paths: Providing a library of focused, role-specific modules lets staff pick and choose what’s most relevant. A curator may explore digital archiving, while an education officer dives into programme design.
- Expert-Led Workshops: Inviting specialists—restoration professionals, accessibility consultants, or exhibit designers—to host sessions can inspire deeper learning. Pre-reading or follow-up digital materials strengthen retention.
- Cross-Department Collaboration: Encouraging staff from different departments to share their skills leads to new perspectives. Front-of-house staff could demonstrate visitor engagement tactics, while archivists reveal behind-the-scenes processes.
Key Takeaway: Offer flexible, specialised training opportunities to foster professional growth and inter-departmental knowledge exchange.
Making It Happen: Practical Tips for Success
- Keep It Concise
Long-winded presentations often overwhelm. Short, targeted sessions are more likely to capture attention and aid recall. - Blend Digital and In-Person
Online modules efficiently cover core knowledge, while workshops or peer discussions reinforce real-world application. - Use Real Life Examples
Demonstrating how rules or skills apply to everyday tasks shows staff the immediate relevance of what they’re learning. - Promote Ongoing Learning
Training isn’t just a one-off exercise. Regular updates, refreshers, and new content keep staff engaged and up to date. - Acknowledge Achievements
Small gestures—like highlighting those who complete modules or providing positive feedback—can cultivate a culture where staff genuinely value training.
Coming from a marketing background, I once believed shiny campaigns and bigger budgets were the key to a winning brand. After spending time in the cultural sector, it became clear that well-trained, confident staff can outshine any billboard or glossy ad. When employees truly understand the organisation’s purpose and feel equipped to handle everything from compliance to customer interactions, visitors walk away with a memorable experience—and they tell others about it.
That sort of genuine word-of-mouth enthusiasm often means more for a venue’s reputation (and bottom line) than all the paid ads in the world. By building training into the core of everyday operations—through short, relevant modules and practical, on-site learning—cultural institutions transform mandatory sessions into a vital driver of brand success.
Tayl’s training and compliance platform helps your team excel. Trusted by companies across the UK, it offers enterprise-level features at an affordable price.
Choose from 100+ ready-made courses (GDPR, Fire Safety, Neurodiversity and more) or build your own with AI, quizzes, videos, and interactive features. Track staff progress with learning pathways, e-signed documents, and automated assignments.
From national catering groups to boutique hotel chains and rising tour operators, Tayl simplifies training for businesses of all sizes. Try it free at tayl.net or get in touch at hello@tayl.net.
