'Things to Consider Before (During) and After Training (Part 1… Before)'
Always share in my interactions with clients and other L&D professionals (sharing it with you for another time) that, a trainer’s job is not only to teach trainees. A trainer’s also responsibility is to teach trainees to know how to learn, as well as to give them the motivation at the same time to constantly want to learn.
So is very important to consider many things before creating a training program, during the training program and of course after… the training program.
In my experience and knowledge, you can use all the latest technologies you want, but unless employees can see how the training is beneficial, they will not be motivated to be a part of it. The instructor also is the most important key cause must be effective to connect, interact, engage and transmit the training program including meaningful content.
It is important to take a broad perspective when designing a training program using blended methods so it is important for the trainer to have a blended… mindset, culture, experience and knowledge.
The process for every training program is...
Pretraining – Involves preparing, motivating and energizing trainees to attend.
Learning – Preparing interaction to the physical environment to facilitate learning. (And changes might need to do during the training).
Post Training – Transfer of training or get to learners to apply what they have learned to their job towards to business results… using mentoring also methods.
The goals, topics, time frame, expectations and structure for the discussion should be communicated to the learners before the discussion begins for that must convince stakeholders and employees to be a part of the context and content of the training program
Information for every training program
- A brief statement of the course purpose. (Short, understandable and simple).
- Prerequisite skills needed for the course. (Teaming up with your stakeholders and employees).
- Learning objectives or competencies covered the course and supporting or enabling objective. (What, Why & How).
- The format of the content and expectations. (Create impactful KPIs!).
- Expectations might relate to the type of content will be presented and the structure of the content. (Always checking your assessments).
- Delivery method of the content (embrace blended method).
Delivery
Includes what the course will cover, how it will be delivered, an estimate of the training time and identification of any special conditions or issues that may affect the course. (Don’t forget one of organizations best friend, ROI!)
The lesson plan provides a table of contents for the training activity which helps ensure the training activities are consistent regardless the trainer.
Things also to consider before creating a training program
- · Training needs. ...
- · Adult learning principles. ...
- · Develop learning objectives for the individual and the business. ...
- · Seek out or design appropriate training. ...
- · Plan training. ...
- · Implement training program with employees and sign off. ...
- · Reviewing your training program
The majority of skilling efforts fail because they are set up to optimize for learning and development (L&D) costs instead of driving real business impact. Globally, more than $300 billion is spent on corporate education each year, according to an estimate from Allied Market Research. From our experience working with clients, the majority of corporate education initiatives demonstrate limited measurable impact.
Leaders should treat skilling as a business investment — an asset that will help produce profits over several years, with clearly defined business, people, and learning KPIs as a starting point for the program design.
Key point is to create a Training Needs Assessment
If you've analyzed the workplace performance problem and determined that training really is the right solution, then it's time to start your research for the training. That’s what the training needs assessment is for.
The basic training needs assessment is a four-step process. Those steps are:
- Identify a clear business goals that the training supports.
- Determine the tasks that workers need to perform so the company can reach its goals.
- Determine the training activities that will help the workers learn to perform the tasks.
- Determine the learning characteristics of the workers that will make the training more effective.
Identifying the business goals.
Don’t provide training if it’s not clear why you’re doing it, or if it doesn’t directly support a business goal. Business goals include things like increasing revenue, efficiency, workplace culture, minimizing conflict and sustainability.
Before you set up your program carry out a training audit. Work out what the company needs and what employees needs, connect both because if neither side can see any benefit then you won’t get anyone engaged - no matter how hard you try.
Look for inefficiencies in your workplace that could be improved with training and put together a vision of what training looks like for your business.
Using also coaching and mentoring methods to meet the needs of the organization and your trainees and provide personal, ongoing support cause is a great way to meet learners where they are.
It’s important to develop learning objectives because you must know exactly where want to go with the training. Learning objectives should define what the employees/team will understand and be able to do at the end of the training that they couldn’t do before. They are measurable steps employees will work toward to achieve an overall learning goals.
However, it’s vital that you define them not just for the individuals/team you wish to train, but for your company as a whole – how will the training impact on the company? What will each stage achieve for the business?
The advantages of this are numerous. It can save time and money (ROI please), because it further defines your goal and gives it structure. It will help you also design your training models, because if your objectives are specific you can start to build the learning materials around it.
In addition, whoever as a trainer you know why you are teaching these courses and how you should be taught. It also makes their teaching more effective because it is goal and objective-driven.
Remember that it’s important to design before you rush into the next stage and always focus primarily on the learning needs of the team. Create only training content and assessments that relate directly to your learning objectives and DO NOT FORGET adult learning principles
Design your training with blended content always including visual stimuli, verbal interaction and of course learning by doing as much is possible. Make them love practice!
Create your training program like it is a beautiful story with a cast of passionate people/team which will drives all to success!
