Training and Development

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Training and Development

News, articles and tips on how to design, develop and deliver successful learning programs using best-practice principles and methods.

  • Creating a Training Program Communication Plan

    Creating a Training Program Communication Plan

    by Leslie Allan on October 21, 2022

    Constructing a program communication plan with your key stakeholders keeps everyone engaged with the future success. Why a Communication Plan? Employee engagement and satisfaction surveys consistently report poor communications as a leading cause of employee disenchantment. The lack of quality communication is also a major reason for project failure. If your training program is a key component of an organizational change or improvement initiative, getting the communications right will save you a lot of heartache further down the track. A large program will involve multiple stakeholders over a considerable period of time. People who need to be involved may span…Read More »

  • Transfer of Training – The PRACTICE Approach™

    Transfer of Training – The PRACTICE Approach™

    by Leslie Allan on October 12, 2022

    Getting learners to apply their learning in their workplaces is the biggest challenge facing trainers. The Problem of Training Transfer “Transfer of training”, as it relates to workplace training, refers to the use put by training participants of the skills and knowledge they learned to their actual work practices. (Note that it is sometimes referred to as “transfer of learning”.) Why is this considered so important for managers and training professionals? Consider the following two workplace training scenarios. John, the Executive Director, caught a number of employees smoking in the lunchroom in spite of the company’s no-smoking policy. He instructed…Read More »

  • Managing Training Initiatives as a Project

    Managing Training Initiatives as a Project

    by Leslie Allan on October 7, 2022

    Improve the chances of the success of your next training program design and rollout by managing it as a project. Coordinating Program Activities Training a group of employees for a specific purpose consumes considerable amounts of the organization’s resources. Time and money is spent determining the need, designing the program (or choosing a training vendor) and purchasing materials. Managers spend time organizing schedules and training participants take time out to attend the training. It’s in everyone’s interests that the organization’s resources are not spent in vain. Savvy managers and trainers realize that successful training programs involve much more than participants…Read More »

  • Writing Learning Objectives

    Writing Learning Objectives

    by Leslie Allan on August 18, 2022

    Improve the effectiveness of your training programs by writing clear learning objectives. Why Write Learning Objectives? Why go to the bother of writing learning objectives for your training program? I see many programs that simply wear participants out by being “nine miles long and one inch thick” with little opportunity to engage learners and practice skills and in the end serving no useful purpose for the organization paying for the program. These programs have a heavy emphasis on what needs to be “taught” with little regard to what participants will need to be able to do when they get back…Read More »

  • Setting SMART Objectives

    Setting SMART Objectives

    by Leslie Allan on August 12, 2022

    Get your learning and change programs off to the best start by defining and agreeing SMART objectives with stakeholders. Define SMART Objectives Whether your organization is about to embark on a major learning initiative or a change program, well designed and effective projects begin with clearly stated business goals. As a program leader, you will need to meet with the key stakeholders to thrash out the desired objectives of your training or change program. Target as your primary meeting outcome a clear definition of what it is your organization wants to achieve with the help of the learning or change…Read More »

  • Changing Learner Behavior

    Changing Learner Behavior

    by Leslie Allan on August 8, 2022

    Design your training programs in a way that guarantees learners will behave differently back on the job. Learner Behavior On-The-Job Many trainers focus on what their program participants need to know. Outstanding trainers think deeply about how their training participants will translate knowledge into action on the job. Without changing on-the-job behavior, training programs are simply glorified amusement sessions or, even worse, boredom enhancers. Effective training begins with proper design. You have analyzed your organization’s training needs and are now ready to write the program participants’ learning outcomes. It is at this point that it helps to clarify exactly what…Read More »

  • Performance Objectives in Instructional Design

    Performance Objectives in Instructional Design

    by Leslie Allan on July 31, 2022

    Using performance-based objectives in your training program design ensures a firm link with workplace performance. Why Performance Objectives? A critically important task in instructional design is writing learning outcomes in a way that makes clear the required performance of the learner following the training. Focusing on performance objectives directly ties the learning to the actual on-the-job behavior necessary for achieving the organization’s goals. Just as importantly, performance-based objectives clarify for the learner where they need to concentrate their learning efforts and makes it easy for assessors to test learners on what is really important. Your first step is to identify…Read More »

  • Managing Medium to Large Training Projects

    Managing Medium to Large Training Projects

    by Leslie Allan on July 6, 2022

    Large training projects are embedded within multifaceted change initiatives and so require more complex project management. Projects and Complex Change Some training programs impact a limited number of people and systems within an organization. Developing and delivering these kinds of programs is best treated as a small training project with a simple governance structure, streamlined processes and minimal documentation requirements. On the other hand, some training programs play a critical role in moving the organization forward. These kinds of programs are embedded within a more complex change or improvement initiative. These larger initiatives typically aim to bring about change to…Read More »

  • Managing Small Training Projects

    Managing Small Training Projects

    by Leslie Allan on July 4, 2022

    Smart training project managers adapt their project management systems, processes and tools to suit the size of the project. Applying Project Management Methods Organizations reap significant benefits when they treat the design and rollout of important training programs in a disciplined way. Whether the organization is designing and delivering a leadership development program or sourcing a vendor to deliver a course on innovation and creativity, there are a variety of interrelated tasks that need to be undertaken by key people for the program to be a success. It pays to treat the training initiative as a project, using established project…Read More »

  • Evaluating Training Effectiveness

    Evaluating Training Effectiveness

    by Leslie Allan on March 28, 2022

    How do you know when your training program has created a real impact for your people and your business? Why Measure Training Effectiveness? Measuring the effectiveness of training programs consumes valuable time and resources. As we know all too well, these things are in short supply in organizations today. Why should we bother? Many training programs fail to deliver the expected organizational benefits. Having a well-structured measuring system in place can help you determine where the problem lies. On a positive note, being able to demonstrate a real and significant benefit to your organization from the training you provide can…Read More »