So, you’re in charge of onboarding and training docs—again. Maybe you’re trying to wrangle a bunch of Google Docs, or your company’s “knowledge base” is actually a graveyard of PDFs nobody opens. Either way, the new hires are lost, your team’s tired of repeating themselves, and you need a better way to make useful training materials that don’t get ignored.
You’ve probably heard of Tome. It promises slick, bite-sized “narrative docs” that look like slides, but act more like living documents. The pitch: it’s faster, more visual, and (supposedly) easier to keep up-to-date than traditional docs or bloated decks.
Let’s cut through the hype. Here’s how Tome actually fits into internal training—and how to use it so your docs don’t suck.
Why Even Bother with Tome for Training Docs?
Before you jump into another tool, ask yourself: what’s broken with your current onboarding docs? Here’s what most teams struggle with:
- Nobody reads the docs. Walls of text put people to sleep.
- Stuff’s out of date. That “Welcome to Our App!” guide references features you killed last year.
- It’s scattered. Docs, Slides, PDFs, Slack threads…good luck finding the latest info.
- New hires get overwhelmed. A firehose of info isn’t training—it’s torture.
Tome isn’t a magic bullet, but it does help with:
- Making info digestible. Each “page” is focused and interactive (kind of like a slide, but easier to update).
- Quick updates. It’s faster to swap in a new step or screenshot than with Slides or Word.
- Simple sharing. One link per doc, always up-to-date.
- Visuals first. Embedding video, GIFs, and images is dead simple.
If you want more engaging, living documentation for onboarding—without building a full wiki—Tome’s worth a look.
Step 1: Map Out What New Hires Actually Need
Don’t start with the tool. Start with the people. Talk to managers and recent hires. What do folks keep asking about in their first month? Where do they get stuck? What’s genuinely useful vs. nice-to-have?
Focus on: - Core processes (e.g., how to request time off, run a report, file a bug) - Tools and logins (what they need, where to find it) - Key contacts - Basic “how we do things around here”
Skip (or link out): - Company history slides nobody reads - Org charts that change every month - Anything you’re not willing to update regularly
Pro Tip: Write down the top 10-15 questions your new hires actually ask. If it’s not on that list, reconsider making a doc about it.
Step 2: Organize Your Training Flow as Bite-Sized “Stories”
Tome’s strength is breaking big topics into focused, visual pages. So instead of dumping everything into one doc, map your training out as a handful of mini-guides or “stories.” Each should cover one thing, not everything.
Examples: - “How to Set Up Your Work Email” - “Requesting Time Off in BambooHR” - “Filing a Support Ticket (with screenshots)” - “Who to Ask for What: Your First Week”
Keep each Tome to 5-10 pages max. If it’s longer, split it up.
Pro Tip: If you can’t explain a process in 8 slides or less, you’re probably overcomplicating it—or you need to break it into smaller steps.
Step 3: Build Your First Tome—Keep It Stupid Simple
Here’s where you actually use Tome. Open it up and create a new story.
Basic structure for each Tome: 1. Intro page: What’s this guide for? Who should read it? 2. Step-by-step: Each page covers one step or idea. Use headings, images, and short sentences. 3. Screenshots or video: Show, don’t tell. Use Loom or QuickTime for quick clips. 4. Links to more info: Don’t rewrite the manual—link to it. 5. FAQs or troubleshooting: What will go wrong? Save people the pain. 6. Date last updated: Add this somewhere. Outdated training is worse than none.
Tips for making a Tome that doesn’t suck: - Don’t just copy-paste from your old docs. Rewrite for clarity and brevity. - Use real screenshots, not mockups. If the UI changes every month, note that clearly. - Keep text short. Nobody wants to read a novel on “How to Set Up Slack.” - Test it. Ask a recent hire to use your Tome and tell you what’s confusing.
What to ignore: Fancy transitions, embedded GIFs for everything, and writing like you’re pitching to investors. Focus on what’s actually helpful.
Step 4: Share Smarter, Not Harder
Tome gives you a shareable link for every doc. That’s nice, but it isn’t magic—people still need to know where to find it.
Best practices: - Pin key Tomes in your onboarding checklist, Notion, or Slack channel. - Bundle links: Create a “Start Here” Tome that links out to all the others. - Send reminders to managers: “Here’s the updated training guide—please send to your new folks.”
Pro Tip: Don’t rely on email alone. If your links live in Slack, Notion, or your HR system, people are more likely to find them when they need them.
Step 5: Keep Docs Alive (Without Losing Your Mind)
Any training doc is only as good as its last update. Tome makes edits pretty painless, but you still need a process.
How to keep things fresh: - Set a quarterly calendar invite to review and update key Tomes. - Ask new hires for feedback after their first week—what was missing, outdated, or unclear? - Empower team leads to suggest edits or flag what’s wrong.
What not to do: Don’t try to update everything the second something changes. Focus on the most-used guides, and batch your updates if possible.
What Works (and What Doesn’t) with Tome
What works: - Super quick to create and update docs—much less hassle than Slides or Word. - Easy to embed images, videos, and interactive elements without wrestling with formatting. - Keeps things tidy with a single link per doc; no more “which version is this?” confusion.
What doesn’t: - Search is basic. If you have hundreds of Tomes, finding stuff gets tricky. - Not great for deep technical documentation—use a real wiki for that. - Collaboration is decent, but if you need heavy version control or approvals, it’s not a full replacement for Confluence or Notion.
Ignore the hype: Tome is not going to “transform your onboarding experience overnight.” It’s just a faster, friendlier way to make and share training docs. That’s it.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
At the end of the day, new hires don’t care about how slick your training docs look—they care about finding clear answers, fast. Tome can help you get there, but only if you keep things simple, focus on what actually helps, and iterate based on real feedback.
Don’t aim for perfect. Start with your top five real-world onboarding pain points, make a Tome for each, and improve from there. Your new hires—and your future self—will thank you.