Make sure your investment in training lasts.Investing in training is one of the wisest decisions that a small business owner can make. Dedicating time and money to developing employees can deliver benefits for years to come. To get the greatest return on that investment, though, employers must play an active role in the training process. They have more responsibility for its success than they might think.
Before: Fully Discuss Needs and Expectations
Before you choose a training or development program for your employees, meet with them to have a full and focused discussion covering the following topics:
» Why you are investing in them and how important it is to your business and their future
» The specific, work-related outcomes you expect from the training or development
» What the employee wants out of the opportunity and how it fits into their long-term development plan
» What you expect from them in terms of attendance, engagement an follow-up reports
Let your employees know that you will meet with them within a few days of their return to discuss both what they learned and how they will apply it on the job.
Selecting: Choose With Care
Studies consistently conclude that our brains retain a significantly higher percentage when actively engaged in the learning experience. Search for training and development opportunities that have active elements, such as hands-on exercises, case-based discussions or project simulations.
Additionally, find an opportunity that has takeaway resources than can be immediately used upon return. For example, many quality training and development programs include job aids, diagrams, templates or models. Avoid programs that are exclusively presentations to a large audience with little or no engagement between presenters and participants.
Online training and development programs tend to be reasonably priced, but choose only the ones that include the high-quality engagement that is necessary for knowledge retention and application. Not all online programs have that element. Additionally, employees can easily be distracted when participating in webinars and online seminars. When was the last time you gave your undivided attention to a webinar or online seminar? Odds are high that you were interrupted by urgent phone calls, employee visits or emails.
After: Put it to Work
Within several days after the training or development opportunity, meet with your employees so they can share their notes and materials with you. Discuss what they learned and how it can and should be applied at work.
The most important thing you can do to cement the learning is to immediately prepare a work assignment that will apply the training or development. If it was a computer or application-based training, have them do a specific, significant task or project using the recently acquired tools. Expect a small learning curve and be as supportive as possible. If the learning event was more developmental in nature, provide them with a specific project or leadership role that allows them to apply their new skills.
