Get the Most from Your Training Dollars

03/05/07

Training doesn’t cost; it pays. Although most HR people would agree with that statement, how well your training pays actually depends on the fore thought and preparation you put into it. The following suggestions will help you get more bang for your training buck starting today.

1. Choose Trainees Wisely
Some managers believe the “best” candidates for training are whichever employees they can afford to part with for a while. That approach virtually guarantees the training will be a waste of time and money.

To pick the best candidates for any training session, ask yourself, “Which of my people stands to gain the most from this experience?” Answer that question by reviewing recent performance evaluations, career development plans, and impressions you’ve formed by working with them day to day.

If your choice seems to be a toss-up between two equally deserving people, break the tie by asking:

Which person has voiced the most interest in mastering or improving the skills this training session covers? Reward those who have spoken up.

Which one has shown the most enthusiasm, ambition, and motivation to advance? Those qualities deserve to be acknowledged.

Which person’s productivity or performance is most likely to benefit the group’s performance as a whole after the training? If one person’s weak skills are handicapping the whole group, provide training ASAP.

2. Set the Stage
Give attendees all relevant materials, including program brochures, an agenda, and job related documents or other information they’ll need to get the most from each training session.

Knowing the topics to be covered in advance also helps employees to arrive mentally prepared, develop meaningful questions beforehand, and plan to attend those sessions that will complement their personal and professional growth.

Also clarify the benefits you want them to get from the experience and why you chose them instead of their peers. Be upbeat about their attendance. You can’t expect them to feel excited unless you’re enthusiastic, too.

Arrange for any necessary equipment, such as a pocket tape recorder or a laptop computer, to record important information, work handson exercises, or summarize what they learned at the end of each day.

3. Require Feedback
Ask attendees to condense the most important information they got from each session in a memo or report, along with suggestions for applying the material in their own work or departments.

Knowing that you expect this should motivate them to pay attention, take notes, ask questions, relate training materials and techniques to their specific jobs, and bring back literature both for their own use and to share with others.

Besides the summary report, you might ask attendees to distribute tips, checklists, or other helpful handouts to coworkers who didn’t attend and to discuss their experience in a group meeting. This would broaden the training’s value base to include everyone in your department and improve the cost/benefit ratio accordingly.

Also, ask attendees how they’d rate the training in light of the skills or abilities they needed to improve. Was the information too elementary? Too advanced? Did the trainers emphasize theory over application or fail to relate the information to practical workplace issues and concerns? These questions can help you decide whether to send more staff members in the future or opt for a different program or training provider.

4. Verify That Performance Improved
Improvement is, of course, training’s litmus test. What tangible evidence do you see that the employee’s skills or productivity actually improved after the experience? If they did, you’ve verified that your training dollars paid off and that the benefits did, in fact, outweigh the cost