Skip to main content

Training is (often) useless



In a meeting with a potential client about delivering an incompany communication workshop I got asked the following question:

"Isn't training just useless?" 

He explains: "We've done communication workshops before and nothing really changed. After a few weeks everybody just does what they always did" 

I get this question a lot. And I always answer honestly:

"Yes. Most training workshops by itself are often useless"

Fortunately I also have an explanation and solution to this.

Because there are three simple aspects that can make a training workshop useless or a waste of money.
If you tackle these aspects early in the process, the workshop will actually be a great return on the organisations investment and provide the changes sort by the organisation.

The first aspect lies with the participants.
The second aspect lies with management.
And the final aspect lies with the training workshop itself.

The Participants

Most training workshops end up in the category 'Well meant initiatives'. Participants don't end up putting the theory into practice. Sometimes that's because they weren't motivated to do the training workshop in the first place. Sometimes it's because they didn't have clear learning goals to begin with. But more often its because participants don't practice the new found skills and return to there old work habits. Just like learning anything new in life it requires practice and commitment.

Management

It's key that management is informed about one's learning goals and provides the opportunity to practice and support the new behavior. If this is not supported by management a training workshop can not just be useless but can even backfire. The employee may get frustrated and demotivated as a result.

The Training workshop

A lot of training workshops are designed to teach people tricks. They are typically non-confrontational and solely provide a lot of theory, examples and tips. Although its necessary to provide knowledge for skill development, a training workshop should contain more aspects to be truly effective.


So how does InterACT WA work?

InterACT WA always works with individual learning goals and will never deliver a workshop without having had a full intake with client and participants to determine a clear cause, outcome and goal for the training workshop. This will create insight into whether training is the right way to go.

All our training workshops are based on experimental learning and use role play actors. This means a lot of practice and a lot of feedback. This often continues with a follow up program after the training workshop with quick one on one coaching sessions in the working place with role play actors to keep the practice going.

Finally our workshops are impact full and confronting. No sitting back watching power point slides. Our programs go beyond providing theory and examples. We challenge old behaviors and dare to (respectfully) ask the hard questions.

All to accomplish what everyone wants in the end: A lasting change!

Find out more on www.interactwa.com.au


Popular posts from this blog

Practice makes you 60% better!

Be honest: when you have a challenging conversation ahead, how much time do you spend practising it? I mean really practising—sitting down, speaking out loud, positioning your hands as you want them, and using the appropriate tone of voice—as opposed to just thinking about how to approach it. I spent nearly ten years in sales, and I used to rehearse my negotiation skills in my car. While I was mentally preparing, I realized that wasn’t real practice. You truly need to say it out loud and act it out. Take it from someone who has spent a lot of time rehearsing like an actor. There are two forms of long-term memory to consider: 1. **Explicit Memory**: This type stores facts, events, people, places, and objects. 2. **Implicit Memory**: This retains perceptual and motor skills, such as riding a bike or typing on a keyboard. To recall explicit memories—like the script of your message—you need to consciously focus on the process of retrieval, which can be challenging. In contrast, implicit m...
Read more

Assessing Job Applicants using Actors

Nearly two third of major companies in Australia solely use psycho-metrics in the hiring process as an indicator or candidate competency. But more HR professionals and corporate recruiters are coming up with different ways to assess job applicants and get the best people on board. Using professional role play actors for role play interviews has recently been a famous choice to choose candidates in the field of Sales, Marketing, Management and Service.  It turns out to be a quick, effective and revealing way of testing candidates on their suitability for a specific position. This is not only because the scenarios reflect common work situations, but also because it allows a candidate to demonstrate their ability to perform under pressure.  While competencies may also be tested within a competency based interview , it is necessary that job applicants demonstrate them throughout the recruitment process, or you could suspect that they are merely saying that t...
Read more

How I Failed in Feedback...

Research is finally showing the link between free-flowing feedback and better business results. In workplaces where managers don’t give and receive feedback, employee engagement rates limp in at 29%. On the flip side, when feedback is regularly exchanged between managers and employees, engagement jumps to 79%. But let’s face it, we’re human — and we find it tough to engage in feedback. Many of us —including myself — get defensive when we hear it, or we assume nobody wants to hear it. So feedback gets chronically buried and put off. But it doesn’t have to.  In my experience, there is a simple principle that can play a key role in unlocking feedback: It’s not who you are, it’s what you do As a communication trainer and role play actor, I assume that everyone wants to, and can, get better. When I take this approach I find myself able to engage in discussions about areas for improvement with an optimistic and open heart. But even though I always try to take thi...
Read more