Dear Trainers -engagement isn't the goal
Daniel Ord
I help and inspire people around the world through professional training in Contact Centers, Customer Service & Customer Experience
EVERYWHERE YOU GO TRAINERS AND THE PEOPLE THAT EMPLOY THEM TALK ABOUT ENGAGEMENT.? BUT ENGAGEMENT ISN'T THE GOAL.? HERE’S WHY…
Engagement. It’s a word that you’ll hear Trainers, would be Trainers and Clients looking for Trainers all use.
Engage our people.
But when we’re talking about training, I think sometimes the bus stops too soon.
Engagement isn’t the goal.??It’s not the final destination.
Sure, it’s an integral part of the journey. It’s important.
But it’s not the goal.
?
Changing business results is the goal of (most) training
If it’s Customer Service training, then decide what your goal is.? Should repeat calls go down? Should Customer satisfaction go up?? Should Employee Attrition go down?
If it’s Contact Center management training, should Service Level improve? Should quality processes be strengthened? Should metrics be redesigned?
If it’s Customer Experience Management training, should we help people pass a certification exam?? Should new listening posts be identified?? Should new rituals be embedded into culture?
One of my best work moments in recent memory was when I watched a global Service Director share business results with their Management Team who had flown in to attend a workshop.
How X measurement had gone up, how Y measurement had gone down, and how the work of the people in that room had specifically contributed to that success.
It was so clear and so inspiring. Even I had a lump in my throat.
He did bring up engagement as well when he introduced me to the Team.
He told the group, “And believe me you’ll have fun these next few days with Dan.? I know because I was in his course before.”
And that was fine too.? It was a lovely compliment.
Engagement matters.??It’s just not the goal.
?
Don’t think about engagement as the final destination. Engagement is expected.
If you as a Trainer struggle to bring a group of people to life then get to work on addressing that. Because the opportunity you've been given to deliver business results will be negatively impacted.
No matter how good or valid your content is.
On the other hand, if you think that getting a room of people hyped up and excited without any meaningful change in behaviour and outcomes is ok, well that’s a different problem.
We’ve all seen those trainings where lots of people jump up and down. A few may even cry.
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But the following week everyone is back at work doing everything exactly the same way they did before.
I’ve always called that hoo-ha training.
Nothing’s changed.
Some training programs, such as CPR, may not have a specific business result in mind – but they're considered important too.?
It’s good to recognize when that’s the case.
?
Engagement matters. But it’s expected.
If you’re a concert pianist, you can play with feeling.? If you’re a great lawyer, you can articulate the merits of your case.
If you're a star chef you can prepare delicious meals.
And if you’re a professional Trainer, you can engage groups of people.??
It’s expected. It's part of the job.
It's a wonderful opportunity to be asked to train. Just remember that your end goal is one of impact.?
To change those business results and help your organization or your Client's organization do better.
Because that’s what really matters.
?
Thank you for reading!
I appreciate the time you took to read this today!
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Daniel Ord