Tips for Turning Training Needs into Actionable Skills

In the world of HR, training needs assessments are akin to treasure hunts. Employees and managers often express desires for improvement, but these wishes can be broad and lack the detail needed to design effective training programs. This is where you, the HR Pro, step in! Here's how to translate those training wants and needs into actionable skills and competencies.

Let's take a practical view, when you meet the employees or managers to understand their training needs/requirements, training requests often sound like this:

• Employee: "I want to be more confident presenting."
• Manager: "The team needs to be better at managing their time."

While these statements highlight a desire for growth, they lack specifics. Here's how to break them down:

1. Ask Clarifying Questions:

• What specific situations make you feel unconfident presenting?
• What aspects of time management are most challenging for the team?

2. Identify Underlying Issues:

• Does the presentation anxiety stem from public speaking or crafting the content?
• Are time management struggles due to poor organization or unclear priorities?

3. Focus on Observable Behaviors:

• Can you describe what "confident presenting" looks like in action?
• What specific time management skills would improve the team's performance?

As an HRBP /HR Generalist, it is important to share Actionable skills with L&D Team so that they can design effective training programs.

Translating Needs into Skills and Competencies

Once you have a clearer picture, you can translate those desires into specific skills and competencies to target in your training.

• Employee: "Present with clear structure, strong visuals, and handle questions effectively." (Skills: Public speaking, content organization, Q&A techniques)
• Manager: "Effectively prioritize tasks, utilize time management tools, and delegate effectively." (Competencies: Task prioritization, time management techniques, delegation skills)

This approach works for a variety of training needs:

• "We need a more customer-centric team." translates to "Actively listen to customer concerns, identify needs, and provide solutions that exceed expectations." (Skills: Active listening, needs identification, solution-oriented communication)
• "The sales team wants to close more deals." translates to "Develop strong objection handling techniques, effectively showcase product benefits, and close deals with confidence." (Skills: Objection handling, product knowledge, closing techniques)

?Here are some more examples of how to convert expressed needs/wants into actionable skills

?By turning broad desires into specific, actionable skills and competencies, you can design targeted training programs that truly make a difference. Remember, the more specific you are, the more effective your training will be. So, the next time you hear a training need, grab your shovel and start digging for the training gold beneath the surface!

Our efforts is to share some practical tips for these basic HR skills, If you want to understand some specific Topics, you can comment on this post, we will be happy to share more practical insights

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