When training or delegating, follow these three principles from Ikea’s furniture instructions.
When it comes to giving instructions, what could be more basic than building a bookshelf? You get a hammer, a few pieces of wood, some nails, and voila! Usually, it’s not so simple, even when we’re just trying to build a shelf. The challenge of giving instructions is even more pronounced when we delegate complex tasks to our team members.
Perhaps we can learn about teaching multi-step processes from seeing how Ikea teaches customers to build its products. While some deride the company for its quality, others delight in its sleek, inexpensive products. No matter what one thinks of the brand, we can learn from how they teach customers to face the daunting process of building the furniture they buy. Here are three things Ikea gets right and how we can learn from them.
- Preparing for Success
My husband is a do-it-yourselfer. He’s got a whole shed full of every imaginable implement. When he sets out to build his bookshelf or desk, he’s got all the tools in hand. But what if (heaven forbid) I had to build my furniture myself? I would have no idea whether I needed a screwdriver or a corkscrew. That’s where Ikea’s genius lies. At the top of their instruction sheet, they show pictures of every item you will need. Hammer? Check. Level? Check. Phillips screwdriver. Ditto check. I will not be caught in the middle of the construction job lacking a key utensil.
Similarly, when asking others to work on a project, equip them for success. If they need references, share them at the beginning of their work. If there are software tools, apps, or other resources that will help them achieve their tasks, make an easily accessible list for them to draw from.
- Taking it One Step at a Time
Every illustration on the Ikea instructions contains just one image. Maybe it has dots showing you that yes, folks, that screw goes right into that hole, but it still takes you through just one step. For most of us, following Ikea instructions is a little scary – we want to be taken by the hand and walked through the process one step at a time.
In the same way, when working on a project, it pays to share only the next indicated action in the process. If everyone knows the general game plan, for example, that you are drafting a proposal or writing a report, then you don’t need to go into excruciating detail along the way. Tell the person the next piece of data you need or the next action to take. If you are the manager, it’s your responsibility to manage the big picture – and to share required actions one step at a time
- Pointing out Pitfalls
In the instructions for building the Kallax bookshelf, there are several places where an incorrect action has been marked with a large X. Position the screw sideways? X. Make it vertical instead. Ikea doesn’t shout. It simply says X: Don’t do it. Occasionally, the instructions resort to more dramatic means. In showing how to erect the bookshelf, it shows a hapless individual trying to climb up the front of the bookcase and falling backward. No, the pictures show us, two nice gender-neutral Swedish people must work cooperatively to affix the bookcase to the wall. Mission accomplished.
In business communication, your readers need to know where they might go wrong. For example, you would warn employees to back up their data before installing a software update. But you don’t need to belabor the point. Note that the Ikea instructions did not label the falling-bookcase-climber “wrong.” They simply showed that if he climbed the front of the bookcase, he would fall.
Ikea instructions use no words because they are meant to be understood by people worldwide. Perhaps there was a time when they printed all their manuals in Swedish, but that was when they were a small company. As they became a global behemoth, they had to universalize their communication.
As our influence grows, we too need to become understandable to a broader audience. By giving our readers the information they need to succeed, taking them step by step through projects, and warning them about what to avoid, we build more than bookcases and desks.