Training is now vital

Every passing day brings about the importance of learning. Super achievers from every walk of life stress the importance of it, from Bill Gates to Oprah Winfrey to Tony Robbins to just about everyone who understands that the race for quality has no finish line as Peter Drucker has astutely observed.

 

To train effectively, trainers need to understand the intricacies of training, which is something which we are looking at addressing here.

Training Needs Analysis

The most vital step to be taken to ensure commencement of training is the Training Needs Analysis. This addresses the following questions

-        What is the need for the training?

-        Has something changed which now makes the training necessary?

-        What skills or competencies need to be further added?

-        Can a training program address these issues?

Primary questions to be addressed while planning a TNA

-        What do we want to achieve?

-        What do we want to know and why?

-        What information exists with us?

-        What information do we need to collect?

-        What sources will we use?

-        What methods will we use?

-        How will we use the data?

Dimensions of learning

Learning takes place along three dimensions

-        Cognitive

-        Psychomotor

-        Affective

These are also commonly known as

-        Knowledge

-        Skills

-        Attitude

 

Powerful questions

The crux of learning is not in the answers. That is a dependent variable. It is in questions. They are independent and are in our hands.

The most powerful questions are:

-        Who is the training being delivered to?

-        Why is it being delivered?

-        What are the key outcomes?

-        When should the program be conducted?

-        How should it be conducted

Important considerations and pre preparation measures

-        Book the training at a time when most of the participants will be available

-        Avoid training that takes up the entire week. People need to be able to devote time to the training

-        Always ensure sufficient breaks and energizers

 

Important principles to keep in mind

-        Learning is a holistic process. Therefore both the body and mind are involved

-        There is co creation involved in learning. It is not unidirectional

-        The greater the audience participation, the greater the learning

-        The more the work done, the greater the learning

-        Positive feelings improve the learning process

 

How can learning be embedded into the minds of the participants?

-        Ensure that there is active participation all the time

-        Make it a point to address all queries till there is complete satisfaction

-        Allow time for the participants to reflect on what they have learned

-        Repeat the learning

-        Allow time for participants to apply their learnings

 

It is clear from the above that even after training takes place, there is need for a follow up and even for a refresher. It is necessary for training to pass through all the stages of Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation. This means

-        Reaction

-        Learning

-        Behaviour

-        Impact

When we go through all this, we are truly able to do justice to the training. The learning needs to be continuously reiterated to the participants and the learning needs to be made as experiential as we can, to maximize interest levels, and through that the learning itself

How important is the marketing of training programs?

This is of course very important. Unless it is known what a training program contains, it will be very difficult to get a buy in for the program. It is very important to follow all the right steps for this. The subject of marketing training programs can be done justice to only in a piece fully devoted to it

In conclusion

There is no denying the enormously important role that training plays. That makes it all the more important for the programs to be well planned and the trainers to be well trained.