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Hosting a training for your staff

How to lead a successful Hilight training for your staff — from setting the tone to building momentum, with tips, timing, and ready-to-use resources.

Hosting a Hilight training is one of the most important steps you can take to set the tone for a strong rollout — and it doesn’t need to be complicated.

A short, intentional session can go a long way in helping your team understand both the why and the how behind Hilight. It’s your chance to introduce the purpose, show how easy it is to use, and kick off your school’s recognition culture in a way that feels positive, connected, and doable.

If you haven’t already, check out our guide to Setting the Tone for Your Rollout — it’s a powerful first step before hosting your training.

 

1. Why the Training Matters

Carving out a small bit of time to introduce Hilight clearly and intentionally helps make sure your staff knows not just why it matters — but also how to use it. That small investment up front ensures the system truly feels easy, intuitive, and meaningful from day one.

This is your opportunity to:

  • Share your vision for recognition in your school or department

  • Show your team how simple Hilight is to use

  • Reinforce the values and culture you want to build together

  • Get everyone started with confidence and clarity

  • Get everyone sending Hilights at the same time and create instant momentum

2. When and How to Host Your Training

You know your staff and your schedule best, so feel free to make this training your own. Here are a few helpful guidelines to make it smooth and successful:

Timing
We recommend hosting your training before staff receive their Hilight Welcome Emails and are able to log in. This way, they’ll understand the purpose, know what kinds of Hilights you hope they’ll send, and be aware that Hilights are visible to the full school team — all in a positive, supportive way.

Suggested timeline:

  • Send a heads-up  / hype-up email to your staff (here’s a template)

  • Host your training 1–3 days before staff receive their Welcome Emails

  • Staff Welcome Emails typically go out 3–7 days after the heads-up email

Format
Aim for 15–30 minutes, but even 10 minutes can be impactful. If possible:

  • Have a screen available to show slides or a short training video

  • Encourage staff to bring their devices so they can log in and send their first Hilight during the session

Tone
Keep the session light, clear, and encouraging. Your tone sets the stage for how staff will feel about using Hilight — warm, meaningful, and doable.

Who to Include
Invite as many of your staff as possible! Invite teachers, paraprofessionals, office staff, custodians, cafeteria teams, nurses, counselors, and others.
If each department is represented, even just one person from a department, it helps recognition reach across roles and gives everyone a shared starting point.

 

3. What to Cover During the Training

Here’s a simple flow you can follow:

  • Start with the “why”
    Share why you’re launching Hilight and what you hope it helps build in your school or department. (Use your own words or read through our resource on Setting the tone for your Hilight roll-out.)
  • Show how it works
    Walk through what Hilight looks like! You can use any and all of the resources below that best fit your needs:
  • Demonstrate sending a Hilight
    Send one (or a few!) live! Let your team see just how quick and easy it is.
  • Invite questions and practice
    Encourage staff to send at least one Hilight before they leave the training. It’s a great way to build confidence and start the momentum.
  • Set expectations for when to use Hilight
    Let your team know when they’ll be given time to use Hilight, for example, at the start of team meetings, during PLCs, or on Friday afternoons during announcements. Remind them they’ll receive email reminders from Hilight to help keep the habit going without adding one more thing to remember.

 

4. Tips from Other Schools

Here’s what’s worked well for other leaders:

  • Keep it short, positive, and customize it to your school’s culture and personality

  • Show a few example Hilights — or send your own as a model

  • Use real stories or your own humor to make it personal and meaningful
    (One of our highest-using schools themed their whole training around “The Office” — and it worked!)

  • Reinforce that it only takes 30 seconds to brighten someone’s day

  • Invite staff to focus on sharing the "small wins" so they can be seen and celebrated, but also learned from

 

5. After the Training: Keep the Momentum Going

Once your team is up and running, keep the energy going by making recognition part of your weekly rhythm:

  • Build in 1–3 minutes during PLCs, announcements, or staff meetings. Check out our resource on Starting every meeting with 2 minutes on Hilight.

  • Have staff review their bulletin boards and data dashboards during team meetings to reflect on the positive data

  • Hang up flyers in high-traffic staff areas to keep Hilight top of mind

  • Set a personal calendar reminder to send Hilights each week

  • Let your staff know you’re in it with them — and keep sharing Hilights!

 

Need a hand leading the training?
We’re happy to co-host your training, review your slides, or troubleshoot anything with you. Just reach out anytime at support@hilightedu.com. We’re here to help!