Needs Assessment

Training programs should not be developed based on perceived needs. While the stakeholder may be confident that the training need they are approaching you with is legitimate, you still must validate the claim through some form of needs assessment. Often times people close to the problem only see it for what it is worth and unfortunately fail to look at the problem in a much broader context.

Objectives

Every training program must have a clear set of objectives that are measurable and observable. This not only lets you know that the training you are delivering is working in the selected target audience, it also demonstrates value. Without objectives, once again, you are only doing training for the sake of training.

Evaluation

In relation to objectives, evaluation is the opportunity to learn more about the training you developed and delivered. Donald Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Evaluation Model measures the learner’s reaction to the training, knowledge gained from the training, changes in learner behavior and results. The information you gain from applying evaluation methods after you deliver training will help you further refine the training and make improvements where needed.

Other Important Tips

In addition to the previously mentioned elements to effective training, here are some other important tips:

• Be sure to put the training you are delivering into proper context for the target audience. Tell them why the training they are being asked to participate in is important. Explain how it will relate to their work and if you can, provide appropriate rewards, recognition and incentives for training completion.
• Foster leadership in the organization by training managers first. They can serve as examples by modeling certain behaviors and attitudes to motivate co-workers and team members to participate in training.

Conclusion

Above all, it is especially important to make sure there is a true training need before you commit to designing, developing and delivering training. Training is an expensive proposition and the training need that some in your organization thought needed to be addressed, may only turn out to be a performance problem that could be remedied through a non-instructional intervention such as replacement of tools and equipment or changes in processes.

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Harold Jarche discusses how we should re-think the way people learn in the workplace in his post Network Learning: Working Smarter. I like the term “Network Learning” because it demonstrates how learning is no longer a one to one interaction between instructor or subject mater expert and learner (employee). Mr. Jarche’s post is far too in-depth to analyze here, but I highly recommend it and you should take the time to learn how he sees learning in today’s business climate, how learners filter information to find what they are looking for and how they link with communities to find information and validate their findings.

We’re moving away from the more formal context of learning such as classes, online courses and self-study courses, and moving more toward informal learning events where the learner seeks information in context to their situation. Even in formalized learning environments powered by technology, such as a learning management system (LMS), it is the desire of the learners to break away from the structured environment and connect with other learners. Twitter has been one social media platform that has enabled free-flowing, just-in-time interaction between learners. This phenomenon, known as social presence in learning, is discussed in greater detail on a previous post.

Training and adult learning has benefited from advances in technology, but  the success of learning in the workplace rests in how well we interact with one another, not the technology we use. It is only a means to an end. Going social with our learning will enable us to find “who knows what” and connect with them. If you think about it, if we accelerate learning through social presence and social networks, we’re all teachers as we educate, guide and mentor others.

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While for some, the estimated cost alone of the getaway may be a bit extreme for a government agency, it’s the objectives that appear to be lacking. This blog has never set out to be political by any means, but I become overly concerned when federal tax dollars (yours and mine) are spent on workplace performance improvement interventions by the government that fail to address the root cause to performance issues.

The survey, conducted by the Partnership for Public Service, ranked morale and employee satisfaction at the U.S. Forest Service near the bottom of all federal agencies. The retreat that was prompted by the survey results promises to address a wide range of topics including working conditions, safety and leadership. While it is admirable that the agency is willing to take on the issue of morale, the shotgun approach to finding solutions will only confuse the situation and cause more unnecessary stress.

When I choose to tackle a morale issue in an organization, it’s best to first take a targeted approach. If data from your assessment shows issues in a morale stemming from a particular policy, a function or specific leadership – start there. With this approach you can create a cascading effect where other issues impacting morale, for example, may eventually resolve themselves. Organizations with their many leaders and functions within are usually not islands unto themselves. When something occurs in one part of the company or organization, it usually impacts other areas. A positive change in one area may build upon itself and influence other areas.

In fairness to Mr. Guzman and Ms. Rowley the article in the Post Register provides little to no specifics on how morale will be improved. I do not know Ms. Rowley and I’m not able to speak to her ability as a trainer and professional speaker. I do, however, question the need for a retreat for a majority of the employees and leadership at this point in time, especially the need for a motivational speaker. Perhaps the leadership needs to start with themselves in this matter? What is important to take away from this news item is that interventions to improve workplace performance, whether a knowledge and skills gap in employees or overall employee morale, cannot be applied unless the root cause to the issue is identified and addressed. Start there and then work throughout the rest of the organization for positive results.

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All the technology at our fingertips was supposed to make work and life much easier, but it has lead to communication overload that in and of itself has created a barrier to workplace performance. It’s time to cut the clutter. As we come to a close this year and head into 2011 shouldn’t we take some time to simplify business communications in the workplace? Here are some places to start simplifying:

• Meetings – How many do we have to have? How many actually accomplish what they were originally scheduled for? Declare war on meetings and insist that all meetings have a start and end time along with an agenda and clear objectives.
• E-mail Distribution Lists – Reign in its use and reconsider before sending out information whether or not everyone needs to know about something. When it comes down to it, only a few need to know and they can forward on the information at their discretion.
• Processes and Groups – Stop adding people to the mix. It only creates more noise and more confusion when more people are added to processes and groups. It confuses the situation by adding another layer of complexity and reduces overall productivity.
• Collaboration and Communication Tools- If your teams are using them, great! However, you should set clear ground rules for their use. Sometimes folks circumvent processes around collaboration and communication tools to get their work done faster. Unfortunately, when they do this it overrides controls that are in place that maintain a sense of order and consistency.

Of course, there are some things involving communications in business and organizations that must never be simplified if they involve safety or critical support, for example. However, the more complicated we make things the less productive we become.

The increase in communication over the last couple decades has been both a blessing and a curse. While we are more accessible to information, our peers and our customers, the volume and frequency of communication has sadly become nothing more than noise. It’s time to make our own personal stand. Cut through that noise and improve how we communicate for better workplace performance.

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• More on Knowledge Management
• Reusable Learning Object Strategies
• The Difference Between LMS and LCMS
• Make the Best of What’s Around
• SCORM in a Nutshell

Happy holidays. See you in 2011!

Related articles

• The Futureof SCORM (downes.ca)
• Introduction to SCORM, Part I (downes.ca)
• Tips for Developing a Knowledge Management Strategy (brighthub.com)
• Best platforms to host corporate training? (edugeek.net)

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