| 1. How do I know if training is the solution to the problems I see in my company? | In general, problems in a company are caused by 1 of 3 things:
- A wrong process that causes time to be wasted or information to be lost or work to be done inaccurately.
- Wrong tools for automating the processes that cause time to be wasted or information to be lost or work to be done inaccurately.
- Misunderstanding of how to use the process, the information or the tools to get the job done with competence and confidence.
Only "c." is a reason to train. |
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| 2. What is the difference between engaging the services of a "curriculum designer" and engaging the services of a "content expert"? | "Curriculum Designers" are training experts who will use your ideas and content to create a skill development program that addresses many learning styles. They will make sure your information is delivered in a way that engages the learners and moves learners to demonstrate the new skills they have been taught. "Content Experts" know the best practices, skills and methods that your staff should be able to demonstrate. They provide the information that a curriculum designer uses. |
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| 3. How do I decide which type of trainer is best for my situation? | Training providers fall into 2 categories:"Content Experts" and "Curriculum Designers". The first decision you must make is whether or not you have people on staff who can demonstrate the "model behaviors" you want your staff to perform. If not, you must look to a content expert who can customize existing or proven behavioral models that your staff can learn and use. |
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| 4. What is meant by the term "customized training"? | "Customized" and "tailored" are terms used to describe training programs or lessons that have already been written and tested and are now adjusted to include language and situations that your staff faces. The advantage to "customized" training is that the behavioral models are based on research and experience so there is evidence they are effective. In addition, customized training lessons can be adapted fairly quickly and delivered using a pre-determined amount of your staff's time. |
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| 5. What is meant by the term "custom-developed" training? | "Custom-developed" training involves an analysis of your company's current behaviors, desired behaviors, image, goals and current situation. This information is part of a needs analysis conducted by 1 or more curriculum designers. Once this analysis is completed, behavioral models (also known as competencies) are designed and tested to be sure they meet your needs. Then, a curriculum is developed to teach these behaviors. The advantage of "custom-developed" training is that staff feels confident the ideas and materials are right for them and this can make it easier to gain cooperation during the learning process. |
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| 6. How do I know which is better for my situation "customized training" or "custom-developed" training? | "Custom-developed" is ideal for a product, process or situation that is so unusual or unique that it will be difficult to find something available to customize. These situations are pretty rare but may exist in your company. If "customized" is available from a "content expert" who is also a "curriculum designer", this may be your best course of action because it will be less expensive to your budget and your staff's time. |
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| 7. What's the difference between "skill development" and "training"? | These terms are both used to describe the process of improving or changing the process or behaviors of adult learners. Sometimes "training" describes the classroom or computer-based lesson while "skill development" includes the on-the-job learning that really cements the skills. More often, "skill development" is a euphemism. |
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| 8. What actions must be taken in order to ensure any training will have an impact and the outcome we require? | The steps to plan, design, deliver and implement training should include:
- List of Competencies- These are the skills that the employee must possess in order to be effective in his/her job. Whether you are training existing staff on a new product or process, or new hires on the basics of their work, there are specific things that must be demonstrated. These are "competencies". You can determine these in-house or engage a consultant or training expert to help you create this list.
- Gap Analysis - Does the staff have the required competencies? This evaluation can be completed using a written survey of a sampling of staff at each level of experience and accomplishments. In addition, managers who know the staff closely should complete an analysis with their opinions of the staff's competencies. Thirdly, you can have a consultant or trainer monitor, observe, and interview staff. The results of these 3 evaluations should be a clear picture of the missing skills.
- Curriculum Design - Draw up an outline of the training topics needed to create the competencies. This requires someone who is a content expert and a curriculum designer or a team of the 2.
- Delivery method - Determine delivery mechanisms including instructor-led classroom workshops, computer based training that is self-paced or instructor led, or web-based training that is instructor-led. Many companies blend 2 delivery types.
- Implementation Strategy - Create a 60-day plan for coaching the learners after they complete the training so the skills are applied to their daily activities right away.
- Coach Tools - Develop tools for the coaches and provide instruction on how to coach these lessons and these learners. Coaches will need to be masters of this content in order to be highly effective.
- Measurements or Metrics - Determine the measurements you will use to decide if/when the training has been successful.
- Pilot - Deliver a "pilot" of the training and measure the results. Choose "pilot" team members who can become advocates to ensure the right level of "buy in" and enthusiasm from your staff.
- Rewrite - Make adjustments to the content as needed.
- Announcement - Prepare the staff for the launch of the training and the coaching that will follow so they know what they will gain and what they are expected to do.
- Roll-out - Launch the training and implementation and provide motivation for the learners to work hard at developing these new skills.
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| 9. What steps should I go through to choose a company to provide training to my staff? | These are some simple steps to selecting the individual or company that will get you where you want to go:
- Look for a referral. Someone you know has probably worked with 1 or more professionals whom they would recommend. If you do not have a referral, look to organizations you think highly of to suggest someone who can be a good resource. The willingness to be a resource can be a very important attribute when you are starting from the beginning with the process of deciding on training solutions.
- Interview as many as 3 different firms to be sure you understand your options for services, time frame and costs. As you meet with them, look for people who you feel you can work with. For example, you might prefer someone whose grasp of the situation you describe feels "on target", and/or someone who is flexible enough to collaborate while taking ownership of the outcome at the same time.
- Decide what services you want performed by the vendor and what actions you prefer to take in-house. For example, do you want the "content expert" or the "curriculum designer"? Do you like the customizable content and activities this training company has shown you, or do you want someone in your company to explain the current methodologies and let the outsource turn it into effective adult learning? Maybe you want a blend of both and your vendor must be willing to collaborate.
- Check references with questions focused on the skills and behaviors you really want your vendor to possess. That might mean ability to meet deadlines, or good sense of humor, impact of the training, integrity, opinion of fairness (or value) of the investment.
- Negotiate the engagement with a start and an end date as well as fees and payment terms that seem fair to everyone. A lot of effort will go into making the training initiative successful so be sure all parties believe they are entering into a working relationship that will be pleasant, productive and honest. Some agreements can even be tied to outcome such as your staff''s ability to perform certain tasks by a deadline.
- Create a project plan (or include it as part of the training provider's work) with a step-by-step view of the activities, dates, participants and results that are expected along the way.
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| 10. Should I look for someone with experience in my industry or doesn't it matter? | There are 2 schools of thought on this and neither is wrong. You need to decide which is best for you. Industry experience allows you to learn what your competitors are doing if you do not already know. Reputable consultants never share proprietary information but the function of an industry expert is to share insights gained through experience and that experience will always be with someone who does what you do and in the same (or a similar) market space. It is safe to assume, the next competitor this vendor works with will learn a bit from his/her experience with you as well. Another thing an industry expert should bring is "best practices" currently in use in businesses like yours. This is very useful when you want to do exactly what the competition is doing, and not useful at all if your goal is to set yourself above the competition. The second school of thought says that you should look for fresh ideas that your industry has yet to adopt. The idea is that you can be better that everyone else if you find a new model and begin to use it before your competitors get wind of it. |
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| 11. Is it ever useful to buy just a ½ day or 1 day training class, or must we really invest in a whole curriculum? | Yes, a small amount of training can bring about a lot of positive results. For example, you can choose 1 or 2 competencies to focus on for the quarter or even for the year. Teach just those skills and implement the lessons with a contest or a bonus program that will motivate staff to make the new learning permanent. Add intensive coaching and you have real improvement without and enormous investment. |
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| 12. What's the difference between computer-based training (cbt) and web-based training (wbt)? | Computer-based training (cbt) is a powerful way for people to learn at their own pace. Learners work at a PC on a software-based lesson that they access using a CD, the Internet or your Intranet (this is your choice). Lessons are created to include information to be read, visuals to illustrate the ideas and brief activities to ensure the learners understand the content before moving forward. In general, and dependent upon how fast they read, every 2 minutes or so, learners will be faced with a multiple choice question, a crossword puzzle, a match game or some sort of exercise. At the end, there is often a competency exam that is scored by the software and learners who pass with a score of 80% or better are considered "certified" on this content. In contrast, web-based training (wbt) is not self-paced. An instructor, who can be seen and heard or just heard, leads the class. Learners can work at individual PCs from anywhere in the world and use a method as simple as dialing a telephone number to gain access to the conversation going on among participants. Learners get their questions answered and are called on to answer questions as though they are in a classroom, but without having to travel to the location. |
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| 13. How much time does it take to create cbt, wbt or classroom training? | Typically, curriculum designers create classroom or instructor-led training from the ground up at a pace of about 40 hours for every 1 hour of classroom time. Customized content can be developed using about 20 hours for every 1 hour of classroom training by a content expert who is also a curriculum designer. This is because s/he is already an expert on the objectives of the lessons and how to deliver it. CBT can require a larger team unless you engage the services of someone who is a content expert, curriculum designer and programmer. These professionals are becoming more prevalent and will spend about 40-80 hours to create a CBT lesson that can be completed in less than 1 hour. Most companies creating CBT will use at least 3 people to design, develop and program a lesson for you. With 3 people, expect 80-200 hours to be spent creating a powerful cbt program. Finally, wbt, requires the creation or adaptation of a presentation that is very visually stimulating and fast-paced. This is because the instructor does not have the ability to see who is engaged and who is not. So, the lesson must be as exciting as a video game yet cause verbal interaction so the trainer knows everyone is learning. 80-100 hours can go into the development of each hour of wbt. And of course, if the content is customized rather than custom-developed, the time required to create it and the costs associated with creating it will be much lower. |
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| 14. How long must I wait to see results of my training efforts? | Because people learn in different ways and at different speeds, you will see results anywhere from 1 day after training to 3 months. If you provide developmental coaching and feedback beginning the day after the training and consistently for 2 months, you will see wonderful results with all levels of team members within this time frame. |
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| 15. What do I do about the people who just refuse to try to take what we taught them and use it? | At any given time, you may have as much as 10% of your workforce who will refuse to develop themselves. These people have their own reasons for wanting to stay where they are and management needs to assess those reasons on a per case basis. Reasons may include those that you can resolve such as a lack of understanding of the content, a lack of understanding of how to implement the new skills, or lack of understanding of the consequences of not mastering the new skills. Other reasons may be beyond your control such as lack of interest or lack of aptitude. It is up to management to determine whether or not to retain employees who cannot or will not meet new standards as they are set. If you have more than 10%, someone should take a look at hiring practices and other internal factors to determine if training was the right thing to offer to these people at this time. |