Keeping Momentum After a Learning & Development Workshop

You’re back in the office after attending a learning and development workshop. You had a great experience, energy levels are up, lots of actions and ideas, you gained insightful self-awareness and learning, you formed strong connections with fellow participants and now you are back at your desk and even with all your best intentions, your actions are getting pushed further down your priority list. As the days go by, the actions go further down and you now risk falling in to the trap of having had a great time but experiencing no change.

What can you do to keep the learning and energy alive?

6 Practical Steps to Keep Momentum

Write and Action an Action Plan

Obvious but crucial. What are you going to do? How are you going to do it? What/who could get in your way? What/who will enable you to succeed? When will you see results? But don’t overcomplicate it! Keep it simple. And then do it.

Share Your Insight

Pull your own team together or get with your boss or other colleagues and tell them about the workshop, tell them what you learnt, tell them what you are going to do differently, tell them how this will benefit them and the wider business and tell them what you need from them to help you succeed. Do this within 3 days of coming back to work. There is mutual gain for you and your audience.

Buddy Up

Buddy Up with one of the participants who attended the workshop, send each other your respective action plans, commit to meet/talk within 3 weeks of the workshop and discuss what you’ve done, what have you not done and why, and what are you going to do next. Do this on a 6-weekly basis to keep momentum.

Journal Your Progress

Keep a journal of your progress. Be diligent in this. Find time once a week – maybe during your commute or a lunch break. Journaling gives you a “live” view of your progress. You’ll have new thoughts and insights as your brain processes the activities and events of the workshop – don’t lose these valuable insights, write them down.

Put Learning and Development on the Agenda

Make the learnings and actions an agenda item for your team meetings, make them a priority, give them visibility, make them part of your business language.

Re-Connect

Be pro-active and bring the group of participants back together 6 months later in whatever capacity you can – video, phone or in person. You don't need your workshop facilitator to do this for you. Review your collective and individual progress, explore blockers and enablers, chart the next path, celebrate success and have fun.

Your organisation has invested in you and put you on the workshop. It's up to you to take the learning and make the changes happen.

Benita Mayhead

Coaching and Development

www.benitamayhead.com