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Crucial Factors for Effective Training
Instructional Design & Training Manager, MAS Solutions LLC.For training to be effective, there must be congruency between the level of competence and skills covered in training and the needs of the participant. Selecting the right program for the appropriate outcome expectations of the participants is a crucial determining factor for the effectiveness of the training.
Once this has been selected, there are many critical factors within the instructional design of the program. Most corporate training is based of the same model as traditional education. The focus is on linguistic and logical mathematical intelligences. The delivery is primarily lecture based with a focus on auditory learning styles. So if you learn best by listening to a lecturer, then this type of training may work for you.
Not surprisingly, most people do not learn this way. Learners perceive and process information in different preferred modes. These modes make up a person’s unique learning style. Learning style refers to the preferred mode with which a person observes, registers and recalls information. There are three primary learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic.
Usually, one learning style is predominant. The learner probably uses this mode the most, particularly when in a problem-solving or stressful situation. The secondary learning mode is that which the learner likely uses in everyday situations and conversations, in combination with his or her primary learning style. The tertiary learning mode may not be used as much as the other two, or at all in the learner’s normal conversation. In fact, it often remains at the unconscious level. If an individual can learn to communicate in all three modes, s/he can establish more rapport and trust with others whose primary systems differ from his or her own. Increased ability to communicate in all three modes leads to increased effectiveness in communication.
In addition to learning styles, training must address all intelligences. There are nine different intelligences and everyone has all of them. However, most training only focuses on the linguistic and logical mathematical intelligences. What about the other intelligences? Effective training also encompasses kinesthetic, interpersonal, musical, naturalist, intrapersonal, visual spatial and existential intelligences.
The most overlooked factor in traditional training is that of psychological objectives. These objectives are related to affective or behavioral goals. In fact, these are so absent in most training situations that they are offered as separate classes: e.g. customer service, customer satisfaction, presentation skills, group dynamics, communicative and leadership skills, to name just a few. Irrespective of the subject matter of the class, psychological objectives are always present and if not addressed in the training design and delivery, they still exist and will impact the class.
Another layer in training design and delivery is instructor modalities which run parallel to all other factors we have mentioned thus far. Traditional training spends most time with the instructor in ‘teacher’ mode, where the focus is on the instructor giving the information in a lecture format.
In the last decade, training swept to the other end of the spectrum where the instructor went to ‘facilitator mode’, putting the onus on participants to work in groups and be ‘insightful’ about the content of the training. But this is not effective in the extreme either because how can participants be insightful about material if they have not developed any competency or skill with the material first?
The middle of the spectrum is where the instructor is in trainer mode – working with participants to develop skills in the subject matter.
For training to be effective, all instructor modalities must be present. There needs to be a certain amount of time spent in teacher mode so that participants have the chance to get the knowledge under their belts; there needs to be a certain amount of time spent in trainer mode where the instructor helps participants to develop skills with the material. And there needs to be a certain amount of time where the instructor is in ‘facilitator’ mode and the participants work with the subject matter content and develop some level of insight about the material.
Moving between these different training modalities is a skill that even a lot of professional trainers do not address. Hence, results are ineffective.
For any training program, there are a whole series of design and delivery elements that must be incorporated in order for the training to be effective.
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