| 1. Make sure that the initial training
needs analysis focuses first on what the learners will be required to do differently
back in the workplace, and base the training content and exercises on this end
objective. Many training programs concentrate solely on telling learners what
they need to know, trying vainly to fill their heads with unimportant and irrelevant
"infojunk". 2. Ensure that
the start of each training session alerts learners of the behavioral objectives
of the program - what the learners are expected to be able to do at the completion
of the training. Many session objectives that trainers write simply state what
the session will cover or what the learner is expected to know. Knowing or being
able to describe how someone should fish is not the same as being able to fish. 3.
Make the training very practical. Remember, the objective is for learners to behave
differently in the workplace. With possibly years spent working the old way, the
new way will not come easily. Learners will need generous amounts of time to discuss
and practice the new skills and will need lots of encouragement. Many actual training
programs concentrate solely on cramming the maximum amount of information into
the shortest possible class time, creating programs that are "nine miles
long and one inch deep". The training environment is also a great place to
inculcate the attitudes needed in the new workplace. However, this requires time
for the learners to raise and thrash out their concerns before the new paradigm
takes hold. Give your learners the time to make the journey from the old way of
thinking to the new. 4. With the pressure
to have employees spend less time away from their workplace in training, it is
just not possible to turn out fully equipped learners at the end of one hour or
one day or one week, except for the most basic of skills. In some cases, work
quality and efficiency will drop following training as learners stumble in their
first applications of the newly learned skills. Ensure that you build back-in-the-workplace
coaching into the training program and give employees the workplace support they
need to practice the new skills. A cost-effective means of doing this is to resource
and train internal employees as coaches. You can also encourage peer networking
through, for example, setting up user groups and organizing "brown paper
bag" talks. 5. Bring the training
room into the workplace through developing and installing on-the-job aids. These
include checklists, reminder cards, process and diagnostic flow charts and software
templates. 6. If you are serious about
imparting new skills and not just planning a "talk fest", assess your
participants during or at the end of the program. Make sure your assessments are
not "Mickey Mouse" and genuinely test for the skills being taught. Nothing
concentrates participant's minds more than them knowing that there are definite
expectations around their level of performance following the training. 7.
Ensure that learners' managers and supervisors actively support the program, either
through attending the program themselves or introducing the trainer at the start
of each training program (or better still, do both). 8.
Integrate the training with workplace practice by getting managers and supervisors
to brief learners before the program starts and to debrief each learner at the
conclusion of the program. The debriefing session should include a discussion
about how the learner plans to use the learning in their day-to-day work and what
resources the learner requires to be able to do this. 9.
To avoid the back to "business as usual" syndrome, align the organization's
reward systems with the expected behaviors. For people who actually use the new
skills back on the job, give them a gift voucher, bonus or an "Employee of
the Month" award. Or you could reward them with interesting and challenging
assignments or make sure they are next in line for a promotion. Planning to give
positive encouragement is much more effective than planning for punishment if
they don't change. 10. The final tip
is to conduct a post-course evaluation some time after the training to determine
the extent to which participants are using the skills. This is typically done
three to six months after the training has concluded. You can have an expert observe
the participants or survey participants' managers on the application of each new
skill. Let everyone know that you will be performing this evaluation from the
start. This helps to engage supervisors and managers and avoids surprises down
the track. | 
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