Know Your Audience

Public speakers, sales people, and marketers live by the mantra of “know your audience.” And so taking a page from their book, when it comes to designing and/or delivering training, know your audience. I’m not talking about making assumptions based on stereotypes, (an approach fraught with pitfalls at best and dangerous at worst). I’m suggesting that it is important to put some effort in to know and understand your audience … the learner. Success in training hinges on helping the learner to make the necessary connections and in experiencing those “A-ha” moments.

What  is it helpful to know about, and why?

Background

Who are they (as individuals and as a group)? Where have they come from? What is their working history? This is where knowing a history and understanding the culture of the organization is also extremely helpful.

Competencies

What does their competency map look like? (more on competency maps in another post) This should include competencies directly related to the work environment … and those that are not; the lived experiences that learners bring to the organization shouldn’t be overlooked.

Education

What is the educational background of each individual and the group as a whole? When building and/or delivering programs, it is important to work with learners … not around, below, or beyond them.

And how do find out about backgrounds, competencies, and education?

Ask

Enough said.

Survey

If the organization is large, learners are dispersed, or time is a limiting factor, consider using a survey tool to collect some of this information for you. Online tools like SurveyMonkey will allow you design, distribute, collect, and analyze data for no charge (there are limitations of course, but have a look).

Assessments

In some cases, pre-course assessments are important to ensure that the learner is being matched up with the correct course level, or if you are designing a program, that you are designing it to the right level. Web based survey tools can also be used for this, as can paper based instruments.

If you are aware of any other online tools that can be used for surveys and assessments, please feel free to share.