In this two-part series, we will be outlining a basic plan for preparing and implementing a training and development program. We will assume that you already have goals set and just require a workable rollout schedule and strategic plan of attack to get things started. Our goal here is to give you the basics required to get your training underway and through to completion. Some details, of course, will depend on your specific situation and may require further evaluation, but overall, the plan you’ll see here will work for nearly every situation with some adjustments as needed.
To prepare a training program, you’ll need three things in place:
First, a list of identified training needs and a set of skills you wish every employee to have as well as those employees who will need more specific coaching to bring them up to speed to the rest of those in training. You should also identify specific skills that specific employees or groups of employees should gain from your training, as needed. These skills should then be prioritized according to how important they are and how they should be addressed chronologically. The employee who needs to be brought up to speed to match the others, for example, may need to be coached before group training begins and specific skills may be taught to others after group training has completed.
Second, management should be prepared and ready to support and utilize the new skill-sets employees have gained once training is complete. Not only should they be familiar with the skills and what they offer, but they should be ready to utilize them immediately in order to keep those skills fresh. Further, they should understand the nuances of what to expect from employees who now possess these added capabilities.
Third, trainers and managers should be familiar with not only these skills, but the assignments they can be matched with. They should also be aware of the added value these newly-skilled employees can bring and be prepared to address “task-based” versus “big picture” skills supervision. Daily task-based skills are important to the employees’ daily work, but understanding broader skills can mean more effectively utilizing those task-oriented skills.
Once these three things are well understood and plans have been set in place to ensure implementation once training begins, the task of organizing and conducting the training can move forward.
Trainers should remember that there are four things to always utilize when working with employees in skill-set training. Those are:
New ideas and skills should be thoroughly explained, but not in a purely academic manner. The most common mistake in training, especially sales and customer service training, is to over-focus on the academic “why’s” for the skills and ignore the practical, hands-on reasoning for the skills. If a skill cannot be effectively demonstrated as pragmatic for the trainee, that trainee is not likely to retain the skill, let alone master it.
During training, feedback should be immediate and concrete. This does not mean negative, but it does mean being clear. Effective feedback through positive reinforcement and immediate recognition of problem areas is extremely important to help the trainee gain skill mastery.
Skill mastery is essential and should be the primary goal of the overall training program. Trainees who cannot repeatedly and successfully demonstrate skill use during training, they will not be able to use them in the field.
Which brings us to skill retention. Skills should not only be taught and reinforced during training, but a follow on program of testing and refreshment should be conducted regularly to ensure that the skills master during training are retained for the long term.
In our next instalment, we’ll talk about the aftermath of your skill training, reinforcing some of what we’ve discussed here and adding new information about making training and employee development a part of your corporate culture.