Measuring The Success of Training

   The Training Dream Vs Reality

The success of any training relies more on what follows the training than the training itself.  Some of those who atend training workshops will take the learning concepts and behaviours covered and apply and develop it back in the workplace. Some organisations will have set up an approach and follow-up processes linked to their appraisal processes, others may have a less rogorous monitoring process.

Thus the approach to training can be an expectation of the training automatically resolving the training needs - the application of the new skills, learning and behaviours back into tyhe workplace can be overlooked.  We call this The Training Dream.

The Reality is significantly different.  As you can see from these links, the cost effectiveness of training can be reduced significantly by not developing some form of follow-up process.

   Measuring the Success

At Actors mean Business, we see that measurement of training success relies upon:

1. The clear identification of required behaviours prior to the training taking place.
2. Agreement of the required training input (workshop based).

 

3. Agreement of the follow-up support and the processes involved (workshop and/or remote).

 

4. Identification and application of measurement activities and actions - e.g.:
• Appraisal (e.g. 360 degrees)
• Customer/colleague feedbackTrainee's own considered opinions
• Performance ratings

 

5. Consistent focus on required behaviours - anti-regression tactics such as:
• Driving Learning & Behaviours into the Workplace Programme.

 

6. Use of coaching - for example Actors Mean Business use three types of coaching:

• Directive/Directorial Coaching - The explanation and use of specific techniques that people can learn, apply and adapt.
• Facilitative Coaching - The use of facilitation to allow the person to discover strategies and tactics that work well for them (rather than using generalised ones that don't fit well).  This is generally used where the coachee is not taking full control of their own change process.
• Supportive Coaching - Where the coachee is in greater control of their own change process and needs occassional reassurance and support.