So you’re shopping for training… or maybe not. Are sure you found the right place? Either way, I’m happy you’re here because I hope what I share will help you avoid frustration, save money, and maybe even save face while you’re vetting training vendors.
I’m not bashful, I think Dale Carnegie Training is great. But regardless of what you’re aiming for, new soft skills, hard skills, or maybe job-specific competencies, there are three key factors needed to make any training experience a positive and impactful experience. Lose one of any three of these elements and you might not get the ROI you’re looking for:
Relevance – One of the most common barriers to impactful training experiences has less to do with the facilitator and the content and has more to do with the learner and the context. Your team or employee may have no clue what they’re getting into; they might have a pamphlet, a trainer bio, and their fingers crossed, hoping that the coffee is good. Otherwise, most participants tend to step into training uncertain about what it is they’ve signed up for. Introducing pitfall #1 of failed training investments: it’s not relevant.
If you’re talking with a training company, ask about how they tailor for relevance. Will they go beyond basic industry research? Do they get to know their participants beforehand? Do they offer assessments and what kind of work do they do to increase the learner’s awareness? For training to be well received by the participants, your trainer needs to show that they really understand their world, their challenges, and their goals. Bottom line, if participants can’t picture how training will help them be better, they won’t be motivated to engage.
Experiential Learning – If you’re looking for performance change, you need behavior change, and for that you need to go deep. By deep, I don’t mean that training needs more content or more knowledge transfer; for training to be impactful, it needs to be real and it needs to be hands-on. Your team members need the chance to practice and to take risks that might feel out of character.
If the training partner you’re vetting doesn’t emphasize an experiential learning element, or “learning by doing,” you can be certain you won’t see the change you’re hoping for. As Confucius said, “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.”
Sustainment focus – You’ve seen it and maybe you’ve even experienced it. The facilitator knocked it out of the park, the snacks were top shelf, and you walked out of the training feeling like you were ready to conquer the world. Fast forward six months… and where did it all go? The most common villain in the story of failed training investments is a lack of mindfulness and planning around sustainment.
I get it. You just spent 3 days in training. Your inbox is terrifying and maybe you have a fire to put out. Chances are, you’re going to be swept back into your daily grind. Incorporating new skills and habits into your familiar day-to-day can be a real challenge. And it’s also the reason you took training to begin with.
When you’re researching training, ask how your vendor will partner with you to maximize adoption and sustainment. Will they co-create a sustainment strategy with you? Do they have resources, templates, or guides they can share? Do they plan for follow-up touch points or design accountability groups? Or will the only sustainment option they offer be… more training?
Good training is ultimately holistic training. It contextualizes, challenges, engages, sticks with people, and helps them move closer to their goals. It helps people feel more confident, more capable, and rewarded for going deep.
Don’t just spend your training dollars, make a training investment. And to get the ROI you’re hoping for, make sure it’s relevant, interactive, and sustainment-focused.
