Scaffolding - Part 2

Start with what employees already know

A lot of training fails because it starts too far away from anything the learner recognizes.

Scaffolding works because it takes something familiar and builds outward from it. You’re not asking someone to understand a completely new concept from scratch, you’re just asking them to stretch what they already know a little further.

In small businesses especially, people are never starting from zero. They’ve done *something* before. They have past jobs, cultural influences, random life experiences. The trick is to use that and build off of it.

If you’re teaching inventory management, don’t open with dashboards and systems. Start with something they already do: “How do you know when you’re running out of something at home?”

Most people already have a system, even if they don't realize it:

You notice it’s low → You restock → You try not to overdo it.

Cool. That’s your foundation.

Then add a layer:

“Running low” → Reorder points

“Restocking” → Purchase orders

“Not overdoing it” → Avoiding excess inventory

Suddenly this “new” skill isn’t new. It’s just a more structured version of something they already do.

Once people recognize the pattern, the resistance drops way down. It’s not “I don’t get this,” it’s "Oh, this is like that other thing!"

Now they’re not building from scratch, you've helped them adapt something that already exists in their head.

It also makes learning feel less intimidating. people are a lot more willing to engage when they already feel competent.

Here are a couple easy ways to use this:

• Ask “what does this remind you of?” before you explain anything, and use their answer to form your training for the task

• Use examples from *their* day-to-day, not generic ones

• Hold off on jargon until the idea clicks

• Check your assumptions about what people do/don’t already know (that means ask them and listen to their answers!)

The takeaway: new information sticks better when it has something to attach to, so don’t start from zero, start from what’s already there.