Am I getting my money’s worth?

One key question for our seminar clients is, “Is paying for training experiences enough?”

Most often, the answer is clearly, “Yes”.  Despite all of the talk about ROI, buying an experience makes sense when we realize the benefits of training in general from an employee’s perspective. When organizations invest in training they get a lot from their employees even if they don’t change a thing based on what they learn. Employees appreciate the fact that the employer is willing to invest in their skills. They appreciate the break from the everyday. Employees value the opportunity to learn something that may help them to do their jobs better or more easily. Training is an additional benefit that can lead to higher morale.

As the 70-20-10 principle explains, formal training generally contributes to 10% of behavior changes at work. That’s it. 20% of work based behavior change comes from peer interaction and 70% from self learning. So back to the question, “What am I getting for my money?” In the best case, a training event offers a light at the end of the tunnel. It can point a way to lasting, improved skills and show participants a process for improving after the training event is done. On-sight, on-the-job training outside of the training room as well as coaching following the training event help training professionals to go beyond the training room 10%impact of most formal training.

Measuring Progress: Knowing what you want

Getting more for your money begins with knowing what you want to see after the training event is complete. Your outputs for the participants need to be verifiable and measurable. “I want them to work better together” doesn’t count. What will they do when they are working better together? The answer to that question is a good start of the process.

Is the training plan thinking based or doing based? If a training event is presentation heavy and practice light, it may lead to understanding without workplace application. Role plays, serious games and debriefing allow participants to see their needs in near workplace situations. When participants recognize their needs, they can practice and improve in the safe environment good training event should provide.

Is the trainer or the trainer’s company credible for the participants? A “who is this guy” approach by the participants will not make it easy for the trainer to give them the kinds of experiences that will lead to behavior change. Raising the credibility of the trainer will help participants to value the trainer and, most importantly, the training you are providing.

The bottom line is…

The bottom line answer to the question “What am I getting for my money?” is an experience that can serve as a catalyst for employee learning and workplace application. In combination with OTJ training and coaching you can extend the benefit of a trainer’s involvement. Ultimately, you are giving your employees another opportunity to improve themselves.

Let us know what you think about measuring progress in the comments area below.  Want to learn more about making the most of your training investment?  Download our short eBook here to read how.