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Basic
Training
Concepts
and questions to help you in your choices:
Training
that touches hearts as well as minds
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Strategies
to incline participants towards the purposes
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| Talk
about the sources for the program; explain why they are credible
and similar to participants. |
| Use
two-sided arguments to make points. In most cases, they are
more powerful than a litany that ignores multiple perspectives
on the topic. |
| Innoculate
learners so that they can anticipate the reactions and obstacles
they will encounter. Provide ways of responding and thinking
that maintain a positive view. |
| Use
role models and role plays. |
| Use
war stories to add authenticity and texture. |
| Active
participation by learners is important. Practice on real problems
and cases. |
| Structure
and encourage discussion. |
| Structure
and encourage reflection. |
| Provide
opportunities for individuals to experience success early in
their exposure. |
| Provide
continous, repeated exposure to the messages through contacts
with supervisors and reference materials, for example, not just
a singular class or video or web experience. |
| Use
takeaway materials, ongoing involvement with online communities,
and coaching to extend and reiterate the messages. |
| Use
extrinsic rewards for boring and repetitive tasks. |
Evaluating
the effectiveness of our efforts
TABLE
4.5: EVALUATION Q&A
What
I want to know.
|
How
I will find out.
|
| What
happened to people who participated in the training? |
I
could conduct in-depth studies with just a few attendees, observing,
interviewing, talking perhaps to customers and supervisors.
This will help me understand the intended and unintended effects
of the training. I could also email participants and ask directly.
|
| Should
I fix any components of the safety program? |
I
will identify strengths and weaknesses by comparing their post-test
scores with their pre-tests. I'll also wait a few months and
see if accidents on those pieces of equipment are reduced. |
| Did
participants enjoy it? |
I
will give attendees a "smile sheet" survey. If they
did not enjoy the program, I will conduct follow-up interviews
to find out why. |
| How
can I show management how much we're accomplishing? |
At
the get-go, ask sponsors what matters to them. What indications
and proof of impact will speak to them? What data, such as profits
and attrition rates, suggest effectiveness. I will ask participants'
supervisors about their satisfaction with the effort. What were
the issues and concerns that brought the sponsor to training
in the first place?
Communicate this information at every opportunity. |
| Should
I hire this vendor again? |
I
will review program objectives and exercises to make certain
that this vendor is teaching outcomes that our organization
endorses and seconds. I don't want to be surprised by what their
priority outcomes are.I will ask for and use pre and post-training
tests, surveys and interviews. |
| Did
they learn what they were supposed to? |
I
will give attendees pre-and post training tests to measure learning.
I will follow-up with observations some months later, to find
out if they are applying what they learned to their jobs. I
will interview supervisors and customers to determine their
satisfaction. |
| Should
we buy an online version of the program? |
I
will interview subject matter experts after they have reviewed
the program. I will observe intended users as they attempt to
use the program. I will seek out data from the e-learning vendors
regarding outcomes and communicate with others that have used
their programs. I will examine reviews at www.Lguide.com to
compare that program with others on the same topic. I will ask
the IT department to conduct a technology platform review, to
see if the program is compatible with our system, computers
and software. |
Talking
about training AND performance
TABLE
5.3: TALKING TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE
| Training
talk |
Performance
talk |
| "What
kind of training do you fancy?" |
"Training
looks like it would be very helpful here, especially for the
supervisors. I'd like to make sure to bring people together
to create opportunities for practice and feedback, since the
topic is tricky." |
| "How
many people do you want to cycle through the classes?" |
"I
used our online assessment and it appears that most of the skills
and knowledge gaps are amongst employees who have been with
us for more than a dozen years. That's 855 people. Shall we
start there?" |
| "We
can teach it in class or online. Which do you want?" |
"We
piloted with a group in Dusseldorf and it appears that they
very much liked the online offering, even better than the
class we compared it to. And it will save us some money that
I'd like to use to use to brief and involve supervisors and
for an incentive program. I'm going to talk to Mick in HR
about that."
"That
instructor always gets them all excited about it. Just want
to make sure that the excitement lasts and that we follow
up with additional messages from managers, execs and even
related policy changes."
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