Last week we wrote down the four types of questions relating to training design. They were:
- Understanding context
- Understanding the people
- Understanding the Challenge around the Problem
- Understanding the Results.
This week we’ll look at:
Understanding the People
Typically, we think of the people who are participating in training as “learners”. Humans who are having training targeted at them, for not necessarily the right reasons. Therefore, it’s imperative we target the right audience. The one size fits all approach has NEVER worked. When you target everyone, no one learns.
Questions to ask about the humans who are potential participants
- Who is the exact target audience?
- Why does this training matter to the people?
- Where/how will they be expected to use any training resources on the job?
- Do they have the needed knowledge prerequisites to make this training successful?
- How will this training help this particular group of people do their jobs better, faster and more effectively?
Understand the Challenge around the Problem
Many times we get a training request and we smile and nod, run off and produce a solution. The issue is we do not fully realise the scope of the problem and the effect the problem is having on the business. Do we know the barriers to success? Why isn’t good behaviour happening now?
Example: “We need more sales training to improve sales. They aren’t making the budget.”
That’s great … but the REAL question is … why aren’t sales people producing revenue according to the budget NOW? What are the REAL barriers to success? I guarantee it’s not all training related.
Answer these questions to uncover the Challenges
- What will good performance look like?
- Why aren’t people behaving as we need them to behave or performing at the levels required? (lack of motivation, missing knowledge, missing skills).
- What will success look like?
- What are the environmental issues surrounding the problem?
- What are the organisation issues preventing success?
- What is the process and procedure around the problem?
Know the Expected Results
Begin with the end in mind.
Know what success is supposed to look like BEFORE you start. Then understand the consequences of failure to the business. If you cannot get a straight answer here, do not proceed. You are setting yourself up for failure and the humans in your organisation for frustration.
These questions will help guide you
- What are the consequences if this problem isn’t solved?
- How do these consequences impact people?
- How do those consequences impact the business?
- Are the consequences big enough to warrant a training intervention?
- What are success indicators?
- What will be happening if training is successful?
- How will people start (or stop) behaving?
- What demonstrative skills will be observed[C1] ?
What will success look like to the business?
Not as a learning objective, but as a business result?
Let’s see where this is going:
Write these four types of questions down. Put them somewhere where you can see them. Better yet, somewhere other people can see them.
This will be your credo, your manifesto … make a promise that you will strive to ask better questions. By asking better questions you will be making better training for the humans in your organisation. They need you to help them, and it starts with not forcing them to participate in training that doesn’t matter.