Monday, March 10, 2008
- Blair Rorani
Was the last training programme your organisation delivered 'Win-Win'? Read on to find out why this matters.
Pretty much all training that organisation's deliver is fueled by the objectives of the organisation. This makes sense. However, there can be a problem if the learner's motivation for taking part in the training is neglected.
Frustration sets in
Learners can become frustrated if you don't make sure you get their buy-in before delivering the training. If you fail to do this, there is no commitment from the learner to learn. Trainers and HR departments also get frustrated when learners fail to show they learned anything during the training. Or even worse, that there was no measurable change in their behaviour in the months after the training took place.
Instead deliver Win-Win training
What you need to focus on is win-win training.
This is a simple, but often overlooked principle in a climate of tight deadlines and even tighter budgets. Before you set out to draft up your next lession plan or print off 20 copies of a workbook, spare a thought for the learners. Ask yourself:
- When the learners come to this class, why should they care?
- Why should they bother looking, listening and learning?
- What's in it for them?
If you're struggling to find the answers, just try asking some of them :) What you want to find out is: What are their goals? Where are they heading and why? What's the next step for them and where do they hope to be in six months or one year or five years?
And that is when the magic happens.
Make magic
Your job is not only to train knowledge and skills and behaviours, but to make that training stick. You do that by using the learner's motivation (their goals about where they what to be in the future) and tying that in to the purpose of your training. Basically you want to send the message, "I know you want to be here in six months. Doing this half-day training session on designing PowerPoint slides will help get you there because ..." And away you go.
Win-Win
The learner understands that he or she will win by attending and putting in the effort to learn. And in turn you and your organisation win because the learners will be much more likely to apply what they learn in their daily work. Try it and see.