| Why is it that month after month, year after year, | | | | is, no one likes to listen to a monotone or a boring |
| despite dozens of soft-skills and computer training | | | | presentation; your instructor needs to be dynamic, |
| courses, employees don't seem competent on the | | | | interesting, engaging, and succinct, or again, your dollars |
| job? If this describes you or your company, you are | | | | and sense ratio will fall. |
| not alone. In the 16 years I have been training, I have | | | | 4. Lack of Lab Time During Training Sessions |
| heard this complaint many times (usually from the | | | | The very word "lab," when discussed in conjunction |
| students themselves!), the result being employees who | | | | with computer training, sounds so flabby, boring, and |
| are not able to handle core competencies on the job | | | | unproductive. It's hard to imagine a more boring |
| despite training investments of time and money. | | | | scenario: a bunch of people quietly muddling through an |
| While I normally like to provide statistics in my articles, | | | | exercise or two while the instructor just "lounges." |
| truth to tell, I had trouble finding any statistics on this | | | | What a waste of training dollars and time! Right? |
| subject--searches turned up companies offering | | | | Wrong! |
| training, but not articles on the subject of training | | | | It is not possible for an instructor to actually teach a |
| efficiency. It seems many are eager to provide the | | | | student anything. The best the instructor can do is |
| training, but few are willing to back up their results. | | | | present the material as clearly, and engagingly, as |
| Despite this glaring deficiency, we can still glean some | | | | possible, and the student must assimilate the |
| valuable concepts from a thoughtful look at the topic. | | | | information and teach themselves. |
| So let's take a look at 6 things that go wrong with | | | | What? Don't believe me? When was the last time you |
| training, why, and how to fix them so you can begin to | | | | successfully taught a stone to operate a computer? I |
| obtain the results you are paying for. | | | | guarantee you, no matter how dynamic, interesting, |
| 1. Training Not Job-Specific | | | | factual, concise, and efficient an instructor you find, you |
| The number one reason employees are not able to | | | | will not be able to teach a stone to do anything (well, |
| translate their training into tangible business results is | | | | other than fall, which they already do exceedingly well!). |
| that the training is not job-specific. Think back to when | | | | Point is, no matter how good the presentation, the |
| you were a kid in school, learning math skills that you | | | | employees have to process the data, understand it, |
| could never in a million years imagine needing. This is | | | | and make it theirs, and the only time this really begins |
| exactly how your employees feel in training courses | | | | to occur is while they are trying to use the program |
| that are not designed specifically for their job tasks. | | | | without help. |
| While it may be pedagogically correct to teach | | | | Think of a lab like training wheels on a bicycle. It's a |
| employees all 93 ways to navigate a program, and to | | | | whole lot easier to learn to ride a bike when you try it |
| systematically cover each area of computer software | | | | out on your own, with a little help from the training |
| or soft-skills competencies, they do not work well for | | | | wheels when you need it, than starting right in on trying |
| translating training into results. Why? The simple | | | | to ride a two-wheeler all alone! |
| answer is: boredom and job-skills density. | | | | Yet this is exactly what many training sessions are like, |
| Employees do not have the attention span to wade | | | | and why they are not effective. Imagine simply telling a |
| through several hours of concepts to finally get to the | | | | child, "start pedaling, keep the handlebars pointed |
| 1 or 2 actually useful ideas from the training session. | | | | straight ahead, and pull this lever to stop." That's the |
| That is why the number one thing you can do to | | | | upshot of so many training sessions. This is why labs |
| increase your "dollars and sense ratio" is to tailor the | | | | are extremely important to the overall success of a |
| training courses to your employees' job tasks. | | | | training session. |
| I realize this is easier said than done. Because, for | | | | Now, let me be clear. |
| starters, it purposefully leaves large holes in the | | | | I am not suggesting that the whole class suddenly grind |
| employees' knowledge sets relating to a software | | | | to a halt in the middle of a training session, and take |
| application or soft-skill. But times have changed. Used | | | | 30-45 minutes to do a lab on a single concept. Labs |
| to be, you could learn all there was to know about a | | | | can be smoothly, subtly, integrated into a training |
| software program in a few weeks, and even become | | | | session, as easily as offering 4-5 minutes here and |
| fairly proficient at virtually everything in a few days. | | | | there for students to try out a concept on their own, |
| Now, it is simply not feasible for employees to master | | | | take notes, or replicate a previous exercise. |
| every aspect of a program. | | | | For your next training session, insist on labs throughout, |
| Think about it. A company like Microsoft has spent | | | | to reinforce and solidify key concepts. |
| millions and millions of dollars developing a program like | | | | 6. Overly-Long Training Sessions |
| Word. This has also taken hundreds--possibly | | | | Everyone wants to get the most bang for the buck, |
| thousands--of people, from designers to programmers | | | | so scheduling the longest possible training sessions for |
| to marketers, almost two decades of growing the | | | | the money seems to make the most sense. The |
| program in every conceivable way. Should we really | | | | longer students are in the classroom, the more they'll |
| expect an employee to master a program like this in a | | | | learn, right? Well, yes--to a point. |
| day or two? Does it make any sense at all? | | | | Think back to the last super long movie you watched. |
| Think of software as a language. Each program is its | | | | Think, "The Green Mile" or even "Gone with the Wind." |
| own language, although thanks to common operating | | | | These are seminal, classic works, and anyone |
| systems such as Mac and Windows, and shared | | | | watching them wants to be there, right? Yet how |
| standards, there are some common words. Because | | | | many of you have rented a long movie and broken it |
| of the overwhelming complexity of a language, it | | | | up over at least a couple of nights? (Come on now, be |
| makes more and more sense to learn the specifics of | | | | honest!) |
| what you need to accomplish, rather than to learn | | | | If you're like most people, even with material you |
| endless trivia and details that ultimately will not matter | | | | actively are enjoying, there is a limit to how much you |
| and, worse, dilute the whole experience to the point of | | | | want and are able to absorb at once, and this is |
| uselessness. | | | | especially true in your corporate training sessions. |
| Let me put it this way. | | | | Having taught many a course that lasted 7-8 hours, I |
| Imagine you were in a foreign country, and you | | | | can tell you that students turn off after about 5 hours. |
| wanted to find a bathroom. You certainly wouldn't | | | | Oh, they'll sit there politely while the instructor barrels |
| enroll in a language course to meet this rather urgent | | | | ahead, but the glassy-eyes and slow moments indicate |
| need! Yet this is exactly what many training sessions | | | | their lack of involvement (and I'm a dynamic teacher!). |
| accomplish for employees: nothing. And the urgent | | | | My conclusion is that training sessions are better kept |
| business needs go unmet, or worse, get "looked up in | | | | to shorter lengths overall, such as a maximum of 5-6 |
| a hurry" and employees often resort to unorthodox | | | | hours. Better still, allow at least 1-2 breaks in the |
| and poorly implemented solutions to avoid a crisis. | | | | morning and afternoon, or schedule training as half-day |
| This translates to hodge-podge solutions that often | | | | sessions over several days. Nothing beats a fresh |
| need to be fixed over and over again, and even | | | | student, a fresh teacher, and plenty of time--spread |
| redone from scratch the right way. Is this ringing true | | | | out over time--for a successful training result. |
| for you or your organization? | | | | 6. Lack of Follow-Up and Follow-Through |
| Therefore, always take the time and even extra | | | | Any successful learning involves feedback: knowing if |
| expense to ensure your training sessions are | | | | you are on the right track, and if not, taking action to |
| customized to your employees and their job tasks. | | | | get back on track. Yet this key aspect of feedback, |
| Exercises should be similar to actual job requirements, | | | | which I am calling follow-up and follow-through, is rarely |
| and even use actual or sample company files in the | | | | if ever implemented. |
| classroom. | | | | In all of the 16 years I have been training, not once |
| Any training company will be willing to offer this for | | | | have I been called back for a follow-up session to |
| you, but you must ask for it, and often pay extra for | | | | reinforce concepts, offer lab time, or simply entertain |
| such customization. But again, consider the alternative | | | | questions students may have. Yet without follow-up |
| of wasting training dollars and suddenly this "luxury" | | | | and follow-through, your training sessions will be hit and |
| becomes a necessity. | | | | miss at best. |
| 2. "Hands-OFF" Training Sessions | | | | What I am saying is, you need to communicate with |
| I have been called upon to deliver training sessions in | | | | your employees and colleagues about recent training, |
| which I simply present the software to a group as a | | | | discover if their needs have been met, and if not, find a |
| presentation, with little to no actual student involvement. | | | | way to meet their needs. Maybe it's just a matter of |
| I call this a "hands-off" training session, and in my mind | | | | purchasing a reference book, or having the trainer |
| this is usually a waste of everyone's time and money. | | | | back for general questions, or to consult on a particular |
| Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, is quoted to | | | | job-related issue. |
| have said (paraphrased), "People turn on their PCs to | | | | An easy way to accomplish this is to use surveys for |
| turn on their minds; they turn on their TVs to turn off | | | | your training sessions. One client I know uses a |
| their minds." | | | | company called SurveyMonkey to accomplish this; it |
| When you have a trainer demonstrating the software | | | | makes it easy to create and send out surveys |
| for your employees, the employees naturally tend to | | | | electronically. You can also use paper surveys that |
| turn off, like watching a movie or a TV show. It is | | | | you design, but if you have a lot of training, the |
| much harder to concentrate when asked to simply sit | | | | tabulating of the data can be quite work-intensive. |
| and watch a presentation, than when you are | | | | However you choose to do it, take the time to survey |
| expected to actually follow along and replicate what | | | | students following the course to discover if they got |
| the instructor is doing. | | | | what they needed from the session, how well they felt |
| Therefore, from this point on, I would suggest never | | | | the instructor met their needs, and what could be done |
| holding training sessions that are simply demonstrations. | | | | to improve a future session. |
| Even if it costs more to rent a room and laptops for | | | | Even better than just a survey following the class is a |
| the employees, again you have to keep in mind why | | | | survey preceding the course, called a pre-survey. You |
| you are holding the training in the first place. If it is | | | | can use pre/post surveys to really zero in on the |
| simply to placate management that all employees | | | | effectiveness of your training efforts, and ultimately |
| have been through a training session on a software | | | | improve your dollars to sense ratio dramatically. |
| program, and accountability for employees to | | | | Conclusion |
| understand and utilize the information is not necessary, | | | | In this article we have touched on some of the key |
| then by all means, hold these types of sessions. | | | | elements you need to consider when trying to |
| But if you require hard-hitting, powerful, effective | | | | translate your training efforts into real-world results. |
| training for your employees, steer clear of this type of | | | | We discussed the power of : |
| training session. This, too, will greatly even out your | | | | |
| dollars and sense ratio. | | | | 1. Customized training |
| 3. Instructors are not "Entertraining" | | | | 2. Hands-on training |
| We all like to be entertained. When we are bored, we | | | | 3. Instructor "entertrainment" |
| turn off our brains; this is a fundamental law of being | | | | 4. Labs during sessions |
| human. Of course you can scare people into paying | | | | 5. Shorter training sessions, and |
| attention for a period of time, but other than that, you | | | | 6. The importance of follow-up and follow-through with |
| need to engage their minds and entertain them while | | | | pre- and post-course surveys |
| you train them. I call this "Entertraining." | | | | I hope you use the techniques to make your next |
| Of course, I'm not suggesting you hire an actual | | | | training session much more powerful than the last, and |
| comedian for your next training session (unless you | | | | have your employees raving about the quality and |
| think it's funny), but you do want an instructor who not | | | | effectiveness of your training sessions. Until next time, |
| only knows the material well, but who can also present | | | | we'll solve our problems Bit by Bit! |
| it in an entertaining and humorous way. The bottom line | | | | |