PARTNER for Training Success: TRAIN delivery, context, and learner needs
The fourth step in the PARTNER* model is TRAIN: Deliver the training; know the context and required delivery method (classroom, e-learning, experiential, on-the-job, mentorship, coaching, etc.); always consider the needs of the learner.
Be Learner Centred
The concept of Androgogy, the principles of adult learning, was brought to life in the latter part of the 20th century by Stanley Knowles. He advanced that adult learners:
- need to know why they are learning something; they must believe it will have a personal benefit
- have lifetime experiences that should be tapped and built upon
- learn best from hands-on, problem solving approaches to learning
- will expect to apply new knowledge and skills immediately, which will aid retention
In the world of corporate training and development, we deal with adult learners every day. One of the challenges that we deal with is creating the win-win in the organization-learner relationship. Too frequently we focus on the needs of the organization and forget about the needs of the learner. An example of this could be a mandatory training session on health and safety. We focus on meeting the objective of “putting” every employee through the program, not necessarily on the employee as learner.
I posted what I thought was a great quote by D. Blocher on twitter; “Learning is not a spectator sport.” While it comes from the academic world, I believe that it is applicable across all learning milieus.
When you are preparing to deliver content, whether through the classroom, e-learning, experiential, on-the-job, mentorship, or coaching avenues, always consider how the learner is going to interact and if the approach being used meets the learning needs of each learner. Understand your learners and you will be well on your way to creating a learning environment that meets their needs.
The Checklist
Why not include “the” checklist? If you are a professional or seasoned facilitator, this list, while certainly not comprehensive, addresses many of the fundamental do’s and don’ts of working with learners in group settings:
- Do admit mistakes
- Do be enthusiastic and cheerful
- Do begin and end on time
- Do exercise time control throughout the training session
- Do greet learners and introduce yourself
- Do learn names
- Do provide positive reinforcement
- Do speak clearly
- Don’t compete with learners
- Don’t involve yourself in small groups
- Don’t say “start” and “stop”
* The PARTNER model (Picture, Analysis, Ready, Train, Nurture, Evaluate, and Revisit) looks at each step in the development, design, delivery, and follow-up process and breaks it down into a simple to follow template.
This is post 5 of the PARTNER Model … view the others by following these links:
- PARTNER for Training Success
- Look at the big PICTURE
- ANALYSIS of Needs, Wants, and Identifying Gaps
- READY objectives, design, and delivery approach
- TRAIN delivery, context, and learner needs
PARTNER for Training Success: ANALYSIS of Needs, Wants, and Identifying Gaps
The second step in the PARTNER* model is ANALYSIS: Determine the needs and wants of the different stakeholders. Identify the gaps and prepare to address them.
When following the PARTNER* model, the first step (PICTURE) should have answered the “where” questions … “where is the organization going?”, and “where does the organization want to be?” It is not unlike planning a trip and pulling out the map to pin point a destination. ANALYSIS then is like determining where we are currently located on the map.
So what steps or considerations are involved in analyzing the needs and wants of the organization? And how will you identify the gaps? Be sure to consider the following:
Who – When you begin analyzing needs and wants, determine up front who you will be including in the process. Joseph Schwab, an educator who developed a program design approach based on curriculum deliberations, believed that the lead curriculum-making specialist should have input from all concerned parties. In the world of corporate learning and development, that would mean subject matter experts, learners, trainer-facilitators, organizational leader(s), and human resource representatives. He did caution subject matter experts will frequently want to control the curriculum making process or will discount input from others, so a strong and focused curriculum lead is required. Schwab’s approach is sound and ensures that all involved parties have a voice.
Unique Issues – Having completed the PICTURE step, you should be aware of the organization’s unique challenges that arise from issues like culture or geography. In the ANALYSIS stage, you must also consider and be aware of unique skill or process issues and constraints. Are there health and safety issues, legal constraints, or ethical considerations? What role does the learner take in relation to these? How about the organization’s leadership?
Competency Maps – Have competency maps been developed for the different internal roles? A competency map is an outline, or listing of skills and traits required to successfully fulfill the requirements of a particular position. If competency maps are available, great! Review them to ensure that they are current and reflective of the positions that exist. If competency maps are not available, consider completing them as part of the ANALYSIS process.
Questions – Through this entire process, you will be asking yourself (and possibly others) questions. Be sure to keep a running list of those questions somewhere where you can refer to it. Review the list and determine which questions are important in helping to determine where the organization currently is (remember the map analogy above?).
Methods/Media – Reach out and engage with individuals at all levels within the organization that will be effected by and involved with any training initiatives. There are a variety of ways to do this:
- Paper surveys
- One-on-one interviews
- On-line surveys, using tools like Survey Monkey
- 360 or modified 360 feedback instruments
- Exit interviews
- Roundtables
- Focus groups
One note of caution … it is often tempting to take as gospel the anecdotal input provided by the organizational leadership, and make decisions based on only their input. Leadership team input is only one part of a thorough analysis or needs assessment step.
Roll Out – When preparing to undertake a needs assessment, consider how to position it. Depending on its purpose, consider having a senior member from the leadership team provide an introduction of the process to all those who will be participating. This could be a simple as an e-mail/memo or voicemail blast, or it could be as elaborate as an all-hands meeting. Attaching as much credibility to this process will help to ensure that you get the information needed to help make the necessary recommendations.
Evaluation – The final step in the ANALYSIS process is to collect, document, and present your findings (even if you are only presenting those finding to yourself). This is where you will be able to confidently say, “this is where we are, and this is where we want to (or need to) be.” In some cases you may learn that the organization and its people are where they need to be, or are very close to it; in other cases it will be quite obvious that a significant gap exists. From here, we will move on to the READY stage in the PARTNER* model and begin the process of determining how to get from “here to there”.
* The PARTNER model (Picture, Analysis, Ready, Train, Nurture, Evaluate, and Revisit) looks at each step in the development, design, delivery, and follow-up process and breaks it down into a simple to follow template.
This is post 3 of the PARTNER Model … view the others by following these links:
- PARTNER for Training Success
- Look at the big PICTURE
- ANALYSIS of Needs, Wants, and Identifying Gaps
- READY objectives, design, and delivery approach
- TRAIN delivery, context, and learner needs
Let E-learners Have a Role in Choosing their E-learning Courses
Malcolm Knowles, one of the recognized founders of modern adult learning theory, states that adults must believe that their learning will have a personal benefit. Organizations typically have set goals and objectives that are at the forefront of all business planning. These two fundamentals do not need to be mutually exclusive. Within the context of the organization’s objectives, learners should have input into the process of determining what e-learning courses they will take. They can be determined through a process of consultation between organizational learning leaders and e-learners themselves.
Now I’m not suggesting that e-learners should have carte-blanche when it comes to making e-learning course selections, but rather that learners should be actively involved in the process of negotiating what courses to take, outside of those required as a matter of principle or prerequisite. Learners should be involved in the process of designing their curriculum to know that their learning will have personal benefit (for more on this perspective, see the December 24, 2009 entry: Let the Learner Play a Role in your Program Design).
The outcome of this process will be determined through those consultations and could take the form of roundtable discussions, surveys, one-on-one interviews, or a combination of two or all three approaches. The more that the organization embraces and respects the learner’s needs, the more success any corporate learning initiative will have.
This is post 7 of 7 of the E-learning Success Model … view the others by following these links:
- A Model for E-learning Success
- Understand the E-learner
- Onsite E-learning Champions
- In-Class Orientation for E-learners
- Support from the E-learner’s Manager
- Provided time to E-learners during Work Hours
- Let E-learners Have a Role in Choosing their E-learning Courses
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.
“This is the training that we need” ~ The Boss
Let me paint a scenario that is unfortunately all too familiar in organizations around the world. The department lead or organizational “boss” sits you down and pontificates about what he or she believes the organization needs. You hear statements like, “we need to do this … or that”, and you are expected to politely nod or contribute to the conversation by agreeing and expanding on the points mentioned. Frequently this type of unfocused meandering leads to the conclusion that certain training interventions should to take place. For example, the conversation might lead to the conclusion that all front line managers require a time management training session because they seem to be having such a difficult time handling all of their work and completing assignments when required. So the decision is made to arrange for a time management course to be delivered to all front line managers.
When the course is completed and all those front line managers that were told they had to attend return to work, the “boss” can’t understand why the training intervention was so ineffective. Additionally, he or she can’t understand why the management team seems to have resented the opportunity to improve their time management skills so they could better handle the demands of their job in a more efficient manner and actually be able to get more done in less time.
I’m not suggesting that time management shouldn’t have been considered, but did anyone actually consider talking with the front line managers? How about stepping back and critically looking at the situation by examining work flow and work load issues and how they play out across the organization? The statement “can’t see the forest for the trees” is one way to explain this apparent disconnect. A true organizational leader must be willing to let some control go before getting caught up in thinking that he or she knows what’s best for “my people”.
Training gone bad
Misaligned learning objectives are frequently one of the key factors in company learning programs not being successful. Questions to ask include, “were the objectives miscommunicated?”, “was the wrong ‘course’ delivered?”, “did the learners tell you what they felt they needed?” And the list should go on. Frequently what the learner and what the facilitator, (or organization) intend to have happen are two different things. This can easily be the case if the needs of the learner are overlooked because someone in the organization felt that “what they need to learn is …”, and off they go to ensure that their vision of what’s required is what is indeed delivered.
Is there a way around this common problem? Of course there is. Listen to and match up the needs of learners with the needs of the organization. Ensure that there is congruence and a genuine desire on the part of both the organization and the learner to accomplish a clearly defined objective. Ok, I hear you asking, just how are you supposed to do that? Well, that discussion and many like it will be the focus of the PARTNER program. Shall we continue?
