When it comes to training implementation, there are many factors to consider. Ultimately, any method is a good choice if it is the right choice for your team. Training implementation should be considered early in design strategy, as implementation is largely driven by objectives and training design.
In today’s consumable training world some of this comes down to logistics, like how feasible it is to bring the team together for live training, for instance. Delivery methods are less important than the end result itself. Whatever choices you make should be selected to best meet the learning objectives for the group and individuals.
To ensure that performance change occurs, we highly recommend that learning is introduced in small increments with time between sessions for learners to apply skills on the job and receive performance coaching.
All Impact Sales instructional designers and facilitators are seasoned, working practitioners bringing relevant and practical experience to your training session. They are all certified or hold degrees in adult education and instructional design and are hand-selected for their expertise. Whether you employ our trainers or use our materials to facilitate your own sessions, our design process ensures that facilitators demonstrate their unique styles while maintaining the integrity of the program.
A Blended Learning Approach Yields the Best Results
Deciding the Right Blend for You and Your Team – The perfect blend is what works for your team and your organization. The following check list represents individual components. We can help you choose the right mix for your team. We facilitate or you facilitate with our in-depth train the trainer options.
Here are some guidelines – Consider all that apply to your situation to help you determine the best blend for you and your team.
Assessment and Measurement
Know what you want to measure and why. Develop an evaluation strategy before you build your program to ensure that your training will meet the desired outcomes:
It is important to know whether or not the training groups has learned what they are supposed to.
Measure knowledge before and after to be able to assess true learning gains.
It is important that managers have input on the training needs of the group.
Consider using management background surveys or 360 type evaluation.
It is important that participants are using the new skills and knowledge on the job
Consider transfer and application exercises where learners site specific examples of how they applied the skills.
Provide guidelines for managers to conduct in-field coaching and evaluation.
The program needs to be measurable
In-Person Synchronous Training
These are live face to face training sessions such as workshops or breakout sessions at conferences. It is great to get together in person, make sure that your training time is efficient and effective. Live training sessions bring the opportunity for fertile collaboration and skill building. We can help you use the time wisely!
It is important that internal experts impart technical knowledge to the group.
Avoid lecture. One technical presentation after another is death by Power Point. We can help you develop creative ways for experts to interact with participants in meaningful ways. Consider tech fairs and other ways for participants to interact with the technology.
It is important that my group build rapport with each other. We have limited time to pack a lot in.
Consider holding introductory meetings via online chats or other discussion boards prior to the session. Use live training sessions to build rapport with groups and then hold short bursts of continuing education by online meetings and social collaboration.
We have limited time to cover a lot.
Forget about “covering” – set your learning objectives and make your session as experiential as possible. It is more important to make an impact than cover material. Consider games, simulations, explanation and collaboration in groups. Build pre-session learning experiences (like asynchronous e-learning) to provide foundation for everyone to hit the ground running. Then spend a bit of time
We need to make sure that the session produces long-term results.
Quite frankly, one live training session won’t produce long-term behavioral change without a sustainable plan. Consider monthly web coaching sessions or informational meetings, online collaboration and self- development plans and assessment.
Online Synchronous Learning
These are online facilitator led sessions. Much more than webinars, online learning sessions that we create are used to impart knowledge as well as for continuing education and coaching. They offer flexibility and are great for nuggets of knowledge and collaboration.
We want to train our people in a live setting but cannot bring them all together at once.
Online facilitator led training is a great option and requires careful planning in terms of learning design and technology. Facilitating an online session is much different than a live training session. Build in thoughtful interactions. Pre-work is important to get learners thinking about content and contributions beforehand.
How can I get my people to interact in online meetings?
You have to build it in. While open-ended questions work in face to face sessions, not so much in online. Prepare your audience in advance and have them come ready to answer specific questions you will ask. Use the time for collaborating and sharing best practices.
I would like to invite guest experts to our online meetings.
Brief them in advance. Think of this as a talk show with interaction from the audience. Pose questions, take questions from the audience. Be a facilitator!
How much time is ideal for online training.
No more than an hour. If you have more to cover, come back another time. Have learners prepare in advance and come ready. Leave with assignments to aid in discussion for future calls.
Asynchronous e-Learning
These are interactive modules where the learner interacts with the software created to replicate live classroom experiences. The key is interaction. E-Learning should be an active experience, not a passive one.
We have a lot of content, so we think it will work well to have it in an e-learning format.
Dumping information or slides into a program is not good e-learning design. To replicate the classroom experience, you need to build in opportunities for reflection, practice and feedback.
We cannot bring our people together at once.
E-learning is a great option if crafted correctly. Use e-learning as the main knowledge transfer and then build in opportunities for teams to collaborate via learning boards or social media and online coaching.
We have a need for independent learning. Our team ranges from veteran to beginner.
E-learning is great for this. Ideally, e-learning should let the learner explore at will and practice inherent to each individual’s needs. This design approach appeals to all levels.
We have a live training session coming up and want everyone to be on the same page prior to start.
Use e-learning as pre-work to synchronous live or online training sessions. This is a great way to build foundational knowledge and skills and hit the ground running!
Social Collaboration
Social collaboration and learning utilizes online tools such as chat, circles and other deliberate methods for engaging learners in discussion, assignments and other online collaboration and sharing.
How do we make learners feel connected if our main learning is delivered via online methods?
Discussion boards and collaboration sites are wonderful tools for encouraging interaction. Post questions and encourage participants to do the same.
What is the best online learning board or chat room?
That really all depends on the software. There are so many options from built in chats in an LMS to creating your own SharePoint Circle or LinkedIn group. We will help you decide what forum will work best for your team.
I want to build in social elements, but what is the right mix?
Go back to your learning objectives. Technology is just a tool that is ever changing. Do whatever is right to meet the learning objectives. Think of social chats and discussions as opportunities for learners to think and interact as they would in small group discussions in the live classroom.
Should I introduce social elements into my classroom that are outside of my organization?
Why not? The whole learning world has opened up. Invite expert guests to your private chats. Encourage learners to join discussions in online professional groups and then share their experiences with the team.
On-Demand Learning
This used to simply be called independent or self-directed learning. On demand learning means that learners have the opportunity to access anything that they need in real time. With technology, we naturally do this by accessing You Tube when we need to learn how to do something, Google when we need to look up news, images or other information and so many other sources. When it comes to on-demand learning, it is more than just cutting the learner loose and letting them explore. There is some science to the methodology.
We like the idea of on-demand learning. How to get started?
While on the surface on demand learning may seem like a free for all, the architecture behind on-demand learning is deliberate. Create a structure and format in which learners will set objectives, pick resources deliberately to achieve goals and have check points on progress.
How can I establish check points?
Build opportunities for learners to document successes and share outcomes of utilizing their new found knowledge.
How can we ensure that knowledge is not just individually attained, but is shared organizationally?
Create a repository for learners to share key takeaways. Require learners to provide a summary of resources that they have used and rate resources for other team members.
How prescriptive should an on-demand curriculum be? When is it best utilized?
While the sky is the limit in terms of resources, learners still need guidance. We suggest creating a dynamic library of resources aligned to core competencies for each role. On-demand learning may be utilized as the main learning resource, or is terrific for continuing education and post curriculum reinforcement.
Coaching
Coaching and support should be built into your program throughout the curriculum and beyond. (see coaching, continuing education and support)
It is not feasible for managers to attend the same sessions as their team members.
It is not critical that they do. It is critical that they are involved in the process. Consider holding “Coach Forums” which are online meetings where you discuss concepts that their team members are exploring, behaviors they should be seeing and ways to coach and support.
I am not sure that my managers have the skills necessary to coach and train their team members.
Let’s do it together! We have found tremendous success blending coaching efforts. Let us do the heavy lifting and provide your managers with the tools they need to be effective both during training and beyond.
My managers need sales management and coaching skills.
We will infuse the necessary skills and behaviors into your coaching program. Assess managers on the skills and knowledge necessary to coach their team. We will build a curriculum to fill in the gaps. (link to sales and management coaching assessment)
My managers have a hands off attitude “send them to training and fix them”.
We find that most of the time it is because managers are busy and just want their people to perform optimally. By engaging managers in coaching nuggets and making the process easy for them, they will see that coaching is best delivered “on demand” rather than a single event that takes time away from other important tasks.
Are you interested in learning more? We’re here to help.
