The five steps in teaching an employee new skills are preparation, explanation, showing, observation and supervision.

The quotation reduces effective workplace training to a simple, sequential method: get ready to teach (preparation), clarify the task and its purpose (explanation), demonstrate it (showing), watch the learner attempt it (observation), and then provide ongoing guidance and accountability (supervision). Its significance lies in treating skill transfer as a managed process rather than a one-time instruction—emphasizing demonstration and feedback loops. The five-step structure also implies that training is both cognitive (understanding) and behavioral (practice under watch), and that performance is stabilized only when supervision reinforces standards after initial learning.