Make sure you get the greatest impact from your training investment by asking a few questions when you’re scoping out trainers…
Does the room have a window?
Arrange a great venue – whether it’s your facility or one organised by your trainer. You can’t inspire people in a dungeon (believe us, we’ve tried), and these are the sort of details your trainer needs to consider. So is there enough space? Natural light? Break-out spaces for discussion? It all makes a difference to how receptive people are on the day.
Do I have to sit still?
No-one wants to be trapped in their seat for hours at a time. So are your people getting droned at for hours on end? Will they have to endure a 200-strong PowerPoint deck? Or will they be standing, sitting, moving, walking, talking and getting involved. If nothing else, it stops the after-lunch lull sending the group to sleep.
When does the training finish?
The wrong answer is ’5 o’clock’. The right answer is ‘when everyone’s turned what they’ve learnt into new habits’. Ongoing support might be more expensive, but it’s the only way to consolidate the skills that people have learnt once the training session has finished. The form of support will vary with the training: it might be as simple as dropping attendees a reminder postcard after a month, or it might be phone coaching or a specific intranet microsite. Whichever you prefer.
So when you’re choosing a training provider, make sure to ask them the right questions. There are plenty more, but these three are a good start.
Tags: training
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