June 2010 Newsletter
Hi,
Do you want to be able to maximise the success of your organisation’s staff development training programmes?
This month we will be exploring how to achieve this by looking at the significance of post-training follow-up. We will explore the various forms of follow-up that can be used and how the success of your training sessions can be measured.
What is follow-up and who should be involved?
Follow-up describes all post-course contact. It normally relates to the communication between the training provider and the attendees, or the training provider and the sponsor. It is critical to the success of an initiative and is as important as the training itself. It also helps ensure that your organisation gets the best value for money, increasing your return on investment.
Whilst there is no standard form that follow-up has to follow, an effective follow-up phase will generally include:
• Getting feedback from attendees
• An assessment of the results
• The key points that should be highlighted for the sponsor
• Tweaking course content after the initial delivery if necessary
• A determination of what, if any, retraining is needed
Follow-up is essential to get the most out of training programmes, without it they will often only produce short-term results. It is an important part of achieving long-term success and depends on the ongoing involvement of managers, attendees and the training company.
Measuring Staff Contentment
Firstly we will look at the levels of staff contentment after the training because it is important that those who attended the training felt that it addressed their needs for it to be successful. For example, this aspect could measured by comparing the attendees’ levels of job satisfaction before and after the training course. This would be best done through an anonymous survey so that staff feel more comfortable rating their levels of satisfaction.
Measuring the results is important as it lets you know if it was a successful course to run for your organisation, and if it has had a positive impact on the attendees.
If staff feel they have gained from the course and that the company is investing in them they will feel more motivated. For example, it has been shown that when staff feel they are valued by their company and their personal development is being invested in they are far less likely to look for new employment. [Everett, 2010].
Measuring Performance
Another aspect of follow-up involves measuring the performance results of the training. For example if you delivered Customer Service training it would be valuable to see if there are less customer complaints. This type of follow-up is normally run by the organisation to measure the direct results of the training. As training is undertaken because of a perceived need, measuring the fulfilment of this need allows the sponsor to assess the success of the training.
It is also very useful for the sponsor to follow-up with the trainer as they may have valuable insights. This could be as simple as arranging a conference call a day or so after the training to discuss how the training went. This is particularly true if the external training company is new to working with the organisation.
Follow-up Reminders
Another important stage that follow-up can help with is the extent to which the new skills are taken on board by participants. Follow-up reminders sent to the participants can be used to help cement learning and change behaviours. This is different from the previous types of follow-up discussed as it is a continuation of the learning process.
This type of follow-up helps the participants to recap the information that they learnt and to encourage them to use it. This may also include a reminder email or letter to reiterate the main developmental points of the training.
This is useful as post-training course material helps delegates to internalise the information that they have learnt. This in turn increases the amount that people will put into practice and thus the amount their work will improve due to their new skills.
Wrapping It Up
Follow-up boosts the potential staff development training has to increase the return on investment. By measuring the extent that the training objectives were met both in terms of staff satisfaction and improved performance results, the success of the training can be seen. This process allows the organisation and training company to make any necessary changes to the training programme, and to respond to the changing needs of the organisation. The second type of follow-up, reminders of course content, help to cement ideas for the participants and therefore maximise the success of the course.
If you are interested in finding out how you:unlimited can help you expand your influence and enhance the performance of you staff give us a ring on 020 7407 0044 or mail edward@you-unltd.co.uk
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