Why is most training not effective for very long? There is a lot of time and effort put into training, but does behavior really change because of training? Or is it because of something else?
As performance improvement tools go, training can be extremely effective. But unless it is used on the job, it can be a big waste of time and money.
I learned early in my consulting career that good training is like teaching your kids to cut meat. When done correctly, children learn to be self sufficient. The alternatives to teaching them this practice is either cutting the kid’s meat yourself or watching them eat like a barbarian.
A few years ago, my wife and I were talking about the training that I just conducted for a client. She asked me how the training went. I told her it was magical. The participants in the course were:
- Engaged
- Laughing
- Asking great questions
- And taking notes!
“Wow,” she said. “What happens when you leave?” she asked.
“Umm, well, they go back to work.” I eloquently stated.
“Really? Do they put what you taught to use?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.” I replied “Honestly, I am a consultant and I can’t control what the client does when I leave.”
“Oh, that seems like a waste of time then.” My not-so-subtle wife infused.
What is the real impact?
“What? How could she say such a thing?” I thought. I was stunned and hurt. But I wondered if that were true. Was my fun, engaging, and active training just a waste of time and money? Did all of my hard work go for naught? Were my clients guilty of training for the sake of doing it with little thought to the follow through?
So, I decided to run a test. I would call some of the participants in my class in a couple of weeks and see if my magic wand had worked.
Exactly two weeks from the end of my class, I called each person that attended. The results were less than stellar.
Of the 22 people attending:
- 13 (59%) had not looked at any of the material. They had not done any of the post class work, etc. None of their leaders asked them about the training. (But all of them thought I was great though…)
- 2 (9%) did not remember what we worked on, but remember the funny story I told about my father and the parking garage. None of their leaders asked them about the training.
- 3 (14%) said that they tried some of their new knowledge once at work and never tried it again. They liked me during the course, but don’t think I gave them practical solutions. None of their leaders asked them about the training.
- 4 (18%) had implemented most of the learning and were excited with the results. They liked me, but thought my jokes were old and tired. Their managers inquired about the training, asked them to share their post training work and made it a topic during their status conversations.
I learned 3 things from these follow-up phone calls to my clients:
- People like me
- Training is great when people put it into action
- People only put it into action consistently over time when prompted by their leader.
I thought that sounded ridiculously simple and therefore believed that could not be the answer. Of course, that night my wife proved that it was.
What could I do differently?
When this training happened a few years ago, my daughter was not very good using a fork and knife. She struggled particularly with cutting. For some reason she thought it was easier to push down with a knife than saw back and forth. She would struggle mightily. Then when finally frustrated with her attempts, she would ask her mom to cut it.
My wife took half the dinner time to show Alex how to use a knife properly to cut her meat. Over the next couple of days, she had my daughter practice cutting with her knife. She would talk about how to use her knife while praising her for her efforts and successes. By the end of the third day, my daughter was a knife-wielding pro.
The meat cutting training did not end with her simply knowing the skill. My wife worked with Alex every day to drive the learning lessons home. Although it took her extra time for a couple of days, we never had to cut Alex’s meat again. My wife showed me that training is only the beginning. Follow through enables real lasting learning.
Since then, all of the training I deliver does not end with the class itself. It ends when the participant’s leader has made the learning a priority. It is up to the participant to take in the lessons and bring back the knowledge. It is up to the leader to help the participant put that learning to use every day until there is a change in behavior or skill.
When your team gets training, are you making sure that training is acted on? What steps are you taking to make sure that there is follow through after training? Do you encourage people to use knowledge from recent training? How do you make sure that training is being put to use? Please share your experiences. I’d love to hear your feedback!
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Anil Saxena is President of cube214 Consulting.
He can be reached at [email protected]
Image Source: ploughbasted.co.uk, independentvisions.org
I currently make it a point to do a pre-training email and touch base with managers prior to the learning event, outlining the many benefits of having them reinforce the learning to the participants once the participants come back from training. I also let them know that I like to “inspect what I expect” which is to say that I will be following up with the partcipants with a survey to get their feedback on whether they used the skill, asking if their manager provided positive feedback or observed that they were using the new skill. I always make sure that I communicate that I do this not to be “on their case” but that my role as a trainer is to ensure that both the managers and the participants have the tools to succeed. If I phrased it that I was only concerned that the participants learning the material, I would have less buyin from the managers. But when I communicate that I am the managers support system, concerned about their success, it becomes easier to get their cooperation. Not always an easy thing, as managers often are so time-compressed that a coaching style is not “top of mind” but it does make the trainer seem less like a rule enforcer when they understand that you are their advocate as well/
Great article! I’m putting a few of the ideas to work in my family training today. I’ve resisted taking the time before but when I add up all of the talking and frustration — it’s much simpler to take the time upfront.
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.