Visme vs Articulate 360: Your Detailed Comparison Guide for 2025
Providing training programs for employees is a profitable business investment.
When done right, it can boost employee productivity, enhance employee satisfaction and ultimately improve your bottom line. In fact Companies with engaged employees are also 21% more productive, which is equivalent to making $60,500 in profit instead of $50,000.
However, ineffective training programs drain your company’s resources and ultimately hinder your ability to reach your goals.
To save you from wasting resources on ineffective training programs, here’s how to create a successful training program that educates and engages your employees. We’ve also included templates to help you create effective training programs.
A training program is a structured and systematic approach to developing and improving the knowledge, skills, and competencies of individuals or groups in a specific area. It's a key component of an organization's overall training and development efforts.
Think of it as a classroom tailored to the workplace, where lessons focus on the tools, behaviors or processes needed for a job. These programs can include hands-on practice, lectures or online courses.
A well-structured training program is vital for both employees and the company. By investing in training programs, organizations can increase efficiency, build confidence and achieve success.
In simple terms, training programs are “what” you need to teach while training plans are “how” you will teach it.
But this is not enough for you if you are serious about training your employees, right? So, let’s dig deeper to understand the difference between training programs and training plans.
Training programs are the foundation—more like the big picture of what you want your team to learn.
Whether mastering new software, understanding company values, or learning leadership skills, the training program is your guide to what must be covered. They define the skills, knowledge or behaviors that your employees need to acquire.
Training plans are the roadmap. They spell out how you'll teach the necessary skills or knowledge. This includes the schedule, the methods (like workshops or online tutorials), and even who'll be doing the teaching.
It's your step-by-step guide to turning the "what" into reality.
Here’s a detailed comparison of these two, focusing on critical aspects that’ll help you implement training in your organization.
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
Training isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Different employees have different training needs. The right training program can transform a new hire into a professional.
However, you’ll need it to meet the specific needs, roles and goals of the individual and organization.
Let’s explore the seven types of training programs you can choose for your organization. And you can visit our library to find all the training program templates you need throughout the process.
When a new employee joins your company, their ability to adapt quickly to the work environment is paramount. That's where onboarding training plays a crucial role. It doesn't just familiarize new hires with the technical aspects of their job; it also engages them in your company's culture, values, benefits and policies.
To streamline the onboarding process, many companies use detailed onboarding checklists. These lists guide new hires through all the essential steps they must complete before working on their roles.
Visme provides professionally designed onboarding checklist templates that you can use to onboard new employees in any position.
Additionally, Visme can be the go-to tool for streamlining your company's onboarding processes.
Use various onboarding templates such as training manuals, job aids, presentations, and ID cards to ensure a smooth and efficient introduction to your company's culture and expectations.
Read this comprehensive guide to learn how Visme can help you with every aspect of your onboarding process.
Technical training focuses on teaching the practical skills to use technology, machinery or specific tools required for a particular job or field. Understanding and using relevant technology empowers employees to perform their roles more effectively.
Technical training is applicable in industries like information technology, manufacturing and engineering where technical know-how is essential. This could include learning a new programming language, operating specialized machinery or understanding a software application. In this instance you might want to create a dichotomous key for technical training or troubleshooting.
Adherence to laws and safety standards is non-negotiable in industries like healthcare, construction and finance. Compliance and safety training focuses on understanding legal regulations and implementing specific workplace rules, guidelines and safety procedures.
The essence of this training is to foster a culture of responsibility and ethics, protecting employees and the business from potential legal ramifications. It's vital for companies aiming to mitigate risks and align with industry standards.
Here's a training course presentation template on workplace safety and health education. Use it to teach your employees mandatory health and safety practices.
Soft skills training is fundamental for many businesses, as it helps employees develop various interpersonal skills and personality traits. It focuses on understanding the nuances of body language, building trust, promoting empathy and enhancing problem-solving abilities.
This training also addresses areas like managing stress, creativity, adaptability and encouraging positive attitudes among team members.
In the long run, soft skills training can significantly boost overall productivity and employee satisfaction, contributing to your organization’s overall employee development plan.
Here's a workshop presentation template you can use to conduct workshops on public speaking.
Leadership and management training helps those who lead or manage others in a business. It's not just about telling people what to do; it's about inspiring them, building a positive team spirit, making wise choices and setting an example. This training teaches essential skills like how to manage projects and how to communicate well with others.
For people new to being in charge, it helps them learn how to go from being part of the team to leading it. For those who have been leaders for a while, it provides fresh ideas and ways to keep up with changes in how to lead.
Succession planning is one of the best ways to identify and prepare individuals within your organization to replace leadership and executive roles. Use this succession planning evaluation form to identify those individuals in your organization.
This type of training enhances the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to sell products or services effectively.
Sales training doesn't just focus on basic selling techniques but dives into understanding customer needs, building relationships, handling objections and confidently closing deals. It also covers areas like
Great customer service is a ticket to happier customers, glowing recommendations and a thriving business.
Customer service training transforms ordinary employees into customer service heroes through role-playing exercises, interactive sessions and real-life scenarios. They learn not just how to handle complaints but how to turn them into opportunities.
Many companies claim to prioritize their customers, but only some truly deliver on that promise. Visme is one such company recognized for genuinely putting its customers first.
Creative Director, Polly Brewster shared her experience with Visme:
"I have to give a huge thank you to the Visme team which has been immensely responsive and supportive since day one. The professional and working relationship we have with Visme has been amazing. Anytime we have an issue, the response has been great. Any time that there's something new, an update or a rollout, I feel like you are informed and taken care of well"
Here’s a fishbone diagram template that you can use to find the root cause of poor customer satisfaction in your organization.
A training program may include a hundred different components, but our goal is to help you create a training program that educates and engages learners.
So, focus on these ingredients that help you create a really good training program.
Before developing a training program, lay a solid foundation by conducting a comprehensive needs assessment. It’ll help you identify your workforce's current skills, knowledge and competencies and the gaps that need to be filled.
All the other aspects of your training program will depend mainly on this information, from developing training materials to selecting delivery methods. You can conduct polls, surveys or have in-person conversations with your employees to assess their training needs. Once you're done with your TNA, you'll need a training matrix to compliment it.
Learning objectives are specific goals you want the learners to reach through the training. Consider what you found in the assessment to determine what they should learn.
Do they need to understand new software? Or develop leadership skills? Identify what will help them succeed in their roles.
These objectives should be specific so you can measure progress. They must also align with the gaps you've found and your organization's overall goals.
Training content refers to the materials, resources and information you'll use to educate the learners on specific topics.
These materials can take many forms, such as presentations, documents, case studies, demos, assessments and more.
Ensure that the content covers the required skills and engages the learners for maximum knowledge retention.
Learn about seven training content examples that you can use to educate your learners. Additionally, here’s an infographic to help you understand the anatomy of good training content.
There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to teaching methods. The approach that works for one group of learners may not work for another.
For example, a hands-on approach might be more suitable for a technical course, while group discussions could be the preferred method for developing soft skills like communication.
Include different teaching methods such as lectures, discussions and workshops to suit the needs of all participants.
Assessments, aligned with real job tasks, objectively measure progress and success. Timely feedback, whether positive or constructive, helps recognize achievements and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Conduct regular assessments and provide feedback to create a supportive learning environment that fosters continuous growth and development.
Finally, create a well-structured yet adaptable schedule to cater to your learners’ diverse needs and availabilities. Give them a balance between a planned timeline and the flexibility to adjust when necessary.
For example, if you're planning a two-day training program for 20 participants, offer them the option of attending on either day or both. Allow them to choose the date that works best for them so they can maximize their learning experience.
Now that you know the types of training programs and what should be included, let’s move forward with the process of creating training programs.
To make it more manageable, we’ll divide the process into three parts: preparing the program, developing the training materials and executing the training.
When it comes to creating an interactive learning experience, Visme is the ultimate solution. But don’t just take our word for it, read this case study “How an Instructional Technologist Uses Visme” and learn why.
Evaluate and identify the skills, knowledge and abilities to determine the gap between the employees' current and desired competencies.
It will help you identify the proper training topics and determine whether existing resources are sufficient to meet your needs. A needs assessment can also make it easier to sell the idea of a training program to management or other stakeholders in your organization.
You can use various methods to conduct this assessment, such as interviews with employees or managers, surveys and focus groups.
To facilitate this process, Vimse offers a specialized training needs assessment worksheet template. Customize it to conduct the assessment efficiently and effectively.
What do you want to achieve through your training program? What are the specific outcomes you want your team to reach by the end of their training? Is it proficiency in a particular skill or enhancing their overall performance?
Find answers to these questions to set specific training goals that also help you bridge the gap you found while assessing training needs. Also, ensure that your employees’ individual goals align with your organization.
Once you have identified the goals for your training program, make sure that they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound).
Need help creating SMART goals? Read our comprehensive guide to creating SMART goals and use these 17 goal-setting templates & worksheets to create one.
Resource allocation involves more than just setting a budget. It's about ensuring that every aspect of your training program, from content creation to delivery, is adequately funded and supported.
Here's how you can approach it:
Creating a training plan is the best way to complete this part. If you need more help preparing the program, read our comprehensive guide on how to create a training plan.
Once you have identified the goals, needs and allocated resources, it’s time to move to the creation stage of the process.
There is a wide variety of training methods, such as on-the-job training, classroom training, elearning and much more. However, the best training method is the one that suits your team's learning styles, time and budget.
For instance, if your team is new to the industry and has no prior experience with training, classroom training may be the best option. On the other hand, if they are already working in their respective fields, then online training may be more beneficial.
Below are some of the most common types of training programs:
Choosing the suitable training method is essential because it determines which training materials you will develop, ensuring they align with the selected approach.
This is the most important part of the process because your training program is only as good as your training materials.
These materials act as the foundation upon which you'll build the entire learning experience, and you must align them to the specific needs and objectives of the program.
Here are some of the tips that you should consider when developing your training materials:
Did you know that 65% of humans are visual learners? This means we absorb and remember information better when presented alongside visuals.
To enhance the effectiveness of your training materials, try incorporating these elements:
Visme offers a wide range of graphics, such as icons, illustrations, 3D animated graphics, stock images and videos. Utilize these visual aids to create engaging training materials.
Also, if you are looking for a unique graphic, Visme’s AI image generator is your go-to tool. The tool lets you turn your text into high-quality visuals, including images, paintings, icons, illustrations and more.
Designing training materials from scratch can be a time-consuming process. Instead, look for templates that can help speed up the design process. Templates provide a foundation upon which you can add your own unique content and make changes as needed.
Create your training materials using Visme and get access to a wide range of training templates such as presentations, training manuals, employee handbooks, worksheets, booklets and more.
Here’s an infographic that explains the step-by-step process of creating training materials.
With Visme's AI writer, creating personalized and professional training materials becomes even more efficient. This advanced tool helps you craft content that resonates with your audience, taking the guesswork out of writing.
Just prompt the tool about what you want to write; it will generate high-quality content, matching the tone and style in seconds.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ve covered how to create effective training materials and provided useful templates to get you started.
Use different types of content like text, pictures, videos and audio to reach all kinds of learners. A video might explain something better than words; images can illustrate key points and make the material more visually appealing.
This also helps make sure that everyone, including people with disabilities or special learning, can understand what you are teaching.
If you want to make your training even better, think about using different teaching methods that fit different learning styles. The VARK (visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetics) model is one of the most effective ways to help you teach all types of learners.
This article on multimodal learning strategies contains insights on how to apply the VARK model to your training program.
Training programs often include complex concepts that may be difficult to grasp. To make the material easier to understand, break it down into smaller chunks and explain each one in simple language.
Use Visme's visual storytelling tools like flowcharts, process diagrams, and timelines to simplify complex concepts or processes and make them easier for learners to understand.
Additionally, Visme comes with 30+ data widgets and 20+ charts and graphs that you can use to present complex data in a visually appealing manner.
Getting your learners involved in the learning process will make them more likely to retain what they've learned. And the best way to involve them is to create interactive content that lets them practice what they've learned.
Use Visme's interactive tools like quizzes, polls and surveys to help your learners apply the concepts you're teaching them.
Also, use Visme's advanced features like clickable buttons, hover effects and animations to add a fun element to your content and keep learners engaged.
Watch this video below to learn more about adding interactivity to your training materials.
Now it's time to bring your training program live. As we have already discussed, myriad training program methods are available, and you can use many of them simultaneously.
But, despite the many options available, these can be categorized into two broad categories:
In-person training refers to learning experiences that occur in a physical setting rather than online. It's often the best choice for activities that need hands-on practice, building teamwork, or situations where quick, face-to-face communication is key.
By utilizing printed materials, whiteboards, presentation screens and direct face-to-face communication, this method fosters engagement and allows for immediate feedback.
It's an ideal choice for building relationships, practicing physical skills, or when the nuance of personal interaction adds value to the learning process.
Studies show that online learning takes 40% to 60% lesser time for employees and students than traditional training.
But it comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to engaging remote participants. That's why the use of learning management systems (LMS) is on the rise.
An LMS allows you to create a central hub where you can store, access and share all your training content. Users access their training from their computer or mobile device.
This is where Visme's advanced features come into play. You can export all the training content in SCORM and xAPI format to easily upload them into your LMS software. Additionally, you can enhance the learning experience through Visme's presentation recording software.
With the asynchronous presentation feature, trainers or content creators can record their presentations directly using their device camera and microphone.
The final and perhaps most important part of creating an effective training course is monitoring how it's being used. It will help you identify areas where users struggle and need more training. You can then take that feedback and make the necessary adjustments to improve your training program.
Visme offers analytics reports to measure the effectiveness of your training material, including views, unique visits, activity, completion, date/time, total time spent on the project and more.
Here’s a video tutorial that you can watch to learn more about creating a training program.
Training programs are valuable assets that help you build a more engaged workforce. When employees feel like they're learning something new, their work becomes more enjoyable and fulfilling.
However, creating a successful training program is a challenging task. Take advantage of Visme to create engaging employee training programs easily. It comes with a suite of tools, templates and features customized explicitly for training and development.
From dynamic visuals to interactive modules, Visme empowers you to design a training program that imparts knowledge and engages employees in a memorable learning journey.
Connect with our sales team to streamline your training and development efforts.
Efficiently create, deliver and manage your training programs with Visme.
Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.
Try Visme for free
