Many organisations are investing in training fail to get the most from their investment. Staff are sent on courses without being sufficiently clear about why they are attending the course. Staff attend courses without setting clear learning objectives for the course. They come back from a course and are not debriefed and set longer term learning goals. Here are some ideas for getting the most from your investment in training.
Link Training To Organizational Objectives
What are your objectives and targets for the year? Training works best if linked to hard, measurable objectives. This could be (launching a new project, enrolling new members, growing existing resources, increasing distribution, enhancing media presence). In this way it is much easier to measure the overall effectiveness of the training.
Identify The Training Needs Of Your Team And Individuals
Assess the training needs of the team by relating its current performance to desired performance. In which areas is the team underperforming?
Pre-Brief The Team And Set Individual Learning Objectives
Prior to training taking place explain the reason for the training and set expectations together on the outcomes for the service. Talk to the team as a group and individually, set objectives for each devotee so they focus on their individual learning points during the training process.
Run The Training Programme. Set The Action Plans
Make sure the team comes back from training with personal action plans for following up the skills learned or revisited on the course. Discuss these with each team member and get team feedback on course effectiveness.
Monitor Performance
Monitor the performance of the team and individuals, following the course. Spend time with team members in the field and look for changes in behaviour. Give the appropriate feedback to encourage proper performance. Remind your staff of the training points they may have forgotten, or misunderstood.
Measure Results
Measure the results of the team and look for individual success stories. Look for further training opportunities, such as team meetings, or joint attendance of workshops. Encourage personal self-development by inducing devotees to read books, listen to tapes, consult experts, etc.