Effective Training - 5 Common Mistakes
In the current economic difficulties we are seeing more and more organisations attempting to deliver training in-house, often delivered by non-specialist training staff.
Whilst outsourcing training is a great idea, attempting to offer training yourself can be disastrous, especially if it's not an area you are familiar with.
But there are some common pitfalls and mistakes that if avoided can make the whole experience more successful.
1.
Knowing the subject isn't enough.
It's easy to think that because you know a lot about a particular subject you can train individuals in it.
Sometimes this is true, but experts don't necessarily make good facilitators, we have all been on courses with clearly knowledgeable trainers who unfortunately bored us to tears.
Make sure you know about training theory as well as your subject.
2.
People remember three things from training..
..
A wise man once told me that people remember three things from training courses:
Make sure you research your venue thoroughly; it really can make all the difference to how people evaluate, remember and use your training course.
3.
Training involves more than PowerPoint I can read, thank you? Poor trainers often read verbatim from endless slides, I don't know about you but I've been reading since I was about 5.
Nothing turns people off like trainers who don't bring anything to the training apart from a laptop; the point of the trainer is in-depth expert knowledge and ability to engage their audience.
Please offer something else than just the slides! 4.
What's the point? I have lost count of the training courses I have witnessed that do not have a clear understanding of their intended outcomes.
If you don't know what you want the participants to get out of it, what chance do they have? 5.
Trainer knows best Another top reason for in-effective poor training is a lack of involvement from those to be trained.
Poor trainers often design a course in isolation then ignore delegate feedback and questions during delivery, sticking rigidly to a pre-prepared programme.
There is no better way to turn off your audience.
Whilst there can be no doubt that training is an essential part of any organisations success, it has to be well thought out, effectively planned and competently delivered.
Poor training can have disastrous results for both the public and private sector.
It can lead to key information not being absorbed by staff, decrease in staff moral and can result in increased costs to put things right.
Before delegating training to a member of staff with a day job, make sure they are able to deliver an effective training programme.
It can really be a false economy trying to do it on the cheap.
Whilst outsourcing training is a great idea, attempting to offer training yourself can be disastrous, especially if it's not an area you are familiar with.
But there are some common pitfalls and mistakes that if avoided can make the whole experience more successful.
1.
Knowing the subject isn't enough.
It's easy to think that because you know a lot about a particular subject you can train individuals in it.
Sometimes this is true, but experts don't necessarily make good facilitators, we have all been on courses with clearly knowledgeable trainers who unfortunately bored us to tears.
Make sure you know about training theory as well as your subject.
2.
People remember three things from training..
..
A wise man once told me that people remember three things from training courses:
- How easy it was to park
- The lunch
- The temperature of the room
Make sure you research your venue thoroughly; it really can make all the difference to how people evaluate, remember and use your training course.
3.
Training involves more than PowerPoint I can read, thank you? Poor trainers often read verbatim from endless slides, I don't know about you but I've been reading since I was about 5.
Nothing turns people off like trainers who don't bring anything to the training apart from a laptop; the point of the trainer is in-depth expert knowledge and ability to engage their audience.
Please offer something else than just the slides! 4.
What's the point? I have lost count of the training courses I have witnessed that do not have a clear understanding of their intended outcomes.
If you don't know what you want the participants to get out of it, what chance do they have? 5.
Trainer knows best Another top reason for in-effective poor training is a lack of involvement from those to be trained.
Poor trainers often design a course in isolation then ignore delegate feedback and questions during delivery, sticking rigidly to a pre-prepared programme.
There is no better way to turn off your audience.
Whilst there can be no doubt that training is an essential part of any organisations success, it has to be well thought out, effectively planned and competently delivered.
Poor training can have disastrous results for both the public and private sector.
It can lead to key information not being absorbed by staff, decrease in staff moral and can result in increased costs to put things right.
Before delegating training to a member of staff with a day job, make sure they are able to deliver an effective training programme.
It can really be a false economy trying to do it on the cheap.