This month’s article is a deeper dive into last month’s article about preparation. In fact, preparation and training are kissing cousins. Training helps you prepare effectively.
Jim CastigliaLet’s begin by considering the type of training conducted in many organizations. Chet Holmes, author of The Ultimate Sales Machine — and for whom I once worked with — called the kind of training being done in many organizations, the “tribal method.” Information and procedures are passed from person to person through word of mouth and observation.
“There is no formal methodology, no classroom-style training, no training manuals, no role playing,” Holmes writes. “It’s simply one person sitting with another and observing what that person does. Just watch and learn.”
He goes on to state: “This is the worst kind of training you could have.”
Mandatory Training and Continuing Education
Observe how many professions today have mandatory training and continuing education requirements, a push that started in the early 1970s to address educational obsolescence. We’re talking about doctors, dentists, CPAs, nurses, lawyers, real estate brokers, teachers, and engineers, to name a few.
Most people wouldn’t choose to pursue continuing education on their own, which is why it has been mandated in many fields.
Make the time to fine-tune, polish, and perfect your skills and those of your employees and teammates. Training does NOT interfere with work. It sharpens the saw. (S. Covey) With training, everyone sings in harmony.
Training methods include (J. Eitington):
- Case study
- Conference/discussion method
- Lecture (with questions)
- Business games
- Movies/films/videos/YouTube/DVDs
- Programmed instruction
- Role playing
- TV lecture
Training objectives are:
- Knowledge acquisition
- Changing attitudes
- Problem-solving skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Knowledge retention
- Participant acceptance.
Methods Vary in Effectiveness
The training methods above vary in effectiveness. For example, role-playing receives high rankings across all six training objectives. Films received mediocre to low rankings on all training objectives. A TV lecture received low rankings across all six objectives.
Note that the methods with minimal effectiveness can be supported by and combined with other methods as part of an “instructional strategy.” For example, a video demonstrating a desired behavior or skill set can be role-played, critiqued with participant and instructor feedback, reinforced with positive feedback, and then role-played again for practice.
The next factor to consider is your “environmental constraints”: money, time, training staff availability, physical space and equipment, and class size.
Assessing the Need for Training
Here are six questions you can use to assess the training requirements of your company or department and whether training is taken seriously:
- All employees perform their roles with a high degree of excellence and consistency.
- Results are predictable because training and skills are consistent.
- Each supervisor would give a similar answer to each question posed in a training program or to an organizational problem.
- Each employee would give a similar answer for each question posed in a training program or to an organizational problem.
- Client treatment is consistent, regardless of who the client works with in your company or department.
- All staff members know what is considered good performance or attitude.
Here’s how training can help, specifically
- Training sets standards for employee performance. Employees know what’s expected.
- Training helps employees get to the next level of performance.
- Training saves time - you’re not addressing the same issues or problems over and over.
- Training makes money by increasing sales, service, relationships, and confidence.
- Training makes it easier to measure and reward employees for exceeding performance standards.
- Training is proactive. Without training, employees are forced to be reactive. Keep in mind that under pressure and in the heat of battle, you don’t want people guessing about what to do.
- Training decreases turnover and stress.
Developing a Training Plan
In closing, here are several questions to aid you in developing a training plan for your company or department:
- What kind of training will you provide? (Skills, attitudes, problem-solving, culture reinforcement, etc.)
- Who needs training?
- What’s the expected business impact?
- What’s the expected return on your training investment? (ROI)
- What kind of training will have high participant acceptance?
- When will training be conducted? (Regular, repeated training is best.)
- What methods will you use?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. You don’t have to decide on training initiatives all alone. If you value cutting through the fog, no-fluff insight, being challenged, direct truth, and energizing direction that can help you transform how you lead your company or department, text me at 949-338-7141, tell me about your situation, and let’s get to know each other. Thank you.
Jim Castiglia is the founder of Business Street Fighter Consulting, supporting entrepreneurial business owners in their desire to grow and maximize the value of their businesses. You can reach him by email at jvcastiglia@icloud.com or text him at 949.338.7141.
