So you’ve booked an in-service professional development day training. The big question is whether your team is ready to learn what you want them to learn.
Chances are, they are not.
A 2010 McKinsey & Company survey reviewed that approximately 75 percent of training programs fail to measurably improve business performance. A lack of preparation is one of the biggest culprits.
This blog helps you to prepare your team so they can get the best out of the training and implement their learning long after the event.
Why are staff unprepared for training?
I frequently turn up to deliver an in-service training and ask ,what are you wanting to get out of the training today and here are the top three reasons responses:-
We were told to be here.
It’s part of my professional development.
I’m not sure.
Very rarely do staff attend because they’re trying to solve a specific problem. It’s very unusual if a team member has read the training descriptions and outcomes and planned out exactly what they hope to learn.
This causes concern, as learning is about fundamentally solving specific problems and it often means that staff feel uncertain and slightly anxious about what is expected of them.
It’s no wonder some staff lack motivation and focus at the start of in-service professional development days! For some they are asked to participate on a weekend day or in the evening after the centre closes. For others they are more engaged, but see it as a fun way to spend time with their colleagues and off the floor.
If you want your team to get the most out of your professional development days, you need to create an action plan.
How to create an action plan for In-Service Professional Development Days
A simple action plan can help you to maximise learning by ensuring that you are clear about the problem you want to solve and what you want your team to achieve as a result of participating in an in-service professional development training. A simple yet powerful tool to use is my one-page Training Planner.
Now if you’re thinking I don’t have a spare hour, think about how much money and time you are investing from your training budget for your team to participate. If you want to maximise your ROI this process should not be skipped.
Training Planner
Step 1. Identify The Purpose
It’s important for your team to know why they are participating in training. That’s pretty hard to explain if you can’t articulate this yourself. So, start by answering these three important questions:
What are the Expected Outcomes?
What is the Existing Performance?
What are the Cause(s) for the Gap?