Why training matters

Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In South Africa, it's crucial that we get people development right, and the fact that companies are pouring money into their training efforts is a good thing. The bad thing is that they typically get a frighteningly low return on their money, the full extent of which can cause panic stations throughout the HR department, and elicit a stiff rebuke from training companies too!

Here are a few truths about training:

1. People don't learn anything by doing it once, and most training is of the once-off variety.
   
2. People don't learn by being told "what" to do, they learn by learning "how" to do it.
   
3. Everyone learns differently, so one programme for everyone is doomed from the start.
   

Of the people you send on training, what evidence is there of demonstrable skills that they've learned? Do you check? Do you monitor? My guess is that your answer is: not that well, if at all. And that's because the underlying construct is that if someone's not doing well, the standard response is: "Send them on training!"

Well, let's talk about how to do it better, how to make it last, how to make sure it works for everyone - and essentially, how to get bang for your training buck.

Here's what good training looks like:

• It is spread out over a period that allows the skill taught to develop over time, for tools and approaches to be tried and tested, for people to fail or forget, and conversely to be reminded and supported.
  
• Each individual - through coaching or mentoring - is supported in their own unique digestion process, with the understanding that each person will learn content differently.
  
• The sponsoring manager explains the context and reason for the training up front, and then loops back into the process in its final stage to get some feedback and a sense of how well the training worked.

The good news is that this is not hard to do and it might in fact cost less through tailored training. (Publicly offered training programs are notoriously over-priced, in my opinion.) What is required is a training provider with an understanding of how people learn and how to embed skills more deeply so that they stick.

The next time you engage with your training partner, make sure that they are not operating out of the old model of 'training', that they have a good understanding of how behaviour change actually takes place, and that they can illustrate examples of how behaviours have shifted in a sustainable way as a result of their work.

My advice is to save your training money until you've found the right provider, and once you have, invest generously and see your ROI skyrocket.