Get More From Your Training Investment
May 29, 2008
GET MORE FROM YOUR TRAINING INVESTMENT
By Gene Swindell
The Voice of Change™
As a training instructor in business topics, I have been asked by clients and potential clients how to get more results from their training investments. With 20-plus years experience, I’ve compiled some suggestions that can help you:
• Clearly define the purpose of the training and how it is supposed to impact your organization. Make sure you know what the training is supposed to improve and how it is supposed to improve it.
• Make sure that the training is a part of a strategic plan to improve performance, not just a “one time fix.”
• Involve some of the participants in the planning of the training. People take training more serious when they have a sense of ownership in the training.
• Correct organizational problems before you send people to training. Correcting organizational problems will usually correct at least 50% of the performance problems without any training.
• Clearly communicate with everyone about the training before it occurs. Do this in large group settings and in small groups or one on one. In the large group answer these questions: What are we doing; Why are we doing it; How are we going to do it; Who is going to be involved; How is this going to impact what we do each day. In the small group or one-on-one settings, review these questions to ensure that people understand what is being done and how it will impact them.
• Define expectations before the training. People need to know what is expected of them during and after the training.
• Follow-up after the training. Follow-up the training with small groups or individual sessions to discuss what people learned, what they are going to apply and how they plan to apply it. Leave with a game plan that you can review with each person or team over the next few months.
• Attend the training session. Don’t just send people to training sessions. Attend the class yourself and be a participant.
• Shift your evaluation of training from “did you like it or what did you learn” to “what are you going to do differently and how is this training helping us get better results.” Some companies place these completed forms in class attendees’ personal files to use in performance reviews, awarding bonuses, and promotions.
Training is a valuable part of your organization’s success. Make sure that you get the most from your training dollars. If you would like to know more about I can assist in offering training that gets results, call 770-926-1395 or visit www. geneswindell.com.
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Gene Swindell is an internationally known speaker/trainer/business consultant in the areas of leadership, change management, team building, customer service and communication. He is president of Creative Concepts International, Inc., in Atlanta, GA.
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