15 Questions to Help You Improve Your Existing Training Programs

By Seth N. Leibler, President & CEO, and Ann W. Parkman, Executive Vice President

Companies often continue training programs well beyond the point of usefulness or out of habit. In many cases, the original business need has changed or has been met, but the training goes on as originally designed. This is not only a very expensive practice, it tends to erode the training department's reputation for providing good return on investment.

There are many questions you can ask to evaluate existing training courses to determine if they are still needed and to ensure that they are accomplishing their intended business objectives.Below are 15 of the most important ones that will enable you to not only evaluate current courses quickly but, assuming a training need still exists, to identify ways to improve their effectiveness and efficiency.

Training Needs
Because training is such a costly intervention, you first need to make sure that it is absolutely needed. Training can only solve (or prevent) performance problems that are due to a lack of skill. It will have no impact on problems caused by such factors as motivational or environmental obstacles. Consequently, you need to be certain that there is some evidence that a job-relevant skill deficiency exists for each training course you are evaluating. Ask yourself the following:

1. Is there a discrepancy between what people are doing and what they should be doing?
2. Is the cause due to a lack of motivation or other obstacle (such as a lack of time, equipment, supplies, etc.) in their environment? If not, then ...
3. .Is the cause due to a lack of skill?

Objectives
Research shows that learning improves when there are objectives that specifically state what the learners will be able to do as a result of training. After all, it's only fair to let learners know exactly what is expected of them, how their performance will be evaluated, and what constitutes successful learning.But effective and efficient training requires more than broad-based objectives like "Learn how to fix a malfunctioning centrifugal pump." To be useful, objectives must be based on how well employees must be able to perform their jobs, and the performance specified in the objectives must match the performance expected on the job. Using the above example, a performance-based objective would read more like "Given tools, references, and a malfunctioning centrifugal pump, be able to clear the malfunction within fifteen minutes."

4. Does the course have objectives? If so, then ...
5. Are the objectives stated in performance terms?
6. Were the objectives derived from the job you need someone to be able to do?
7. Is each learner given the objectives at the beginning of the course?

Practice
We all know that people "learn by doing." But in many courses, the focus is on what the instructor is doing rather than on what the learner is doing. If practice is included, it's often placed at the end of a lesson to "use up" any extra time that may be available. However, to ensure that learners master the skills they are being taught, training should devote at least 50% of the time to practice and feedback, even if this means sacrificing some content to do it. If you need to trim down your content, target any instruction that is not going to be used in a practice session -- chances are you can reserve this content for a handout that can be used for later reference.

8. Does each learner have an opportunity to practice each skill being taught?
9. Is immediate, constructive feedback available after practice?
10. Can each learner practice until he or she has accomplished each performance objective?
11. Is at least half of the course time devoted to practice and feedback?

Assessing Performance
The thought of tests is usually punishing to most learners. But in a training environment, tests -- or assessments of performance -- ought to be regarded by learners as a positive experience, a chance to show competence and be recognized for it. This "seal of approval" can go a long way toward making learners feel confident in their new skills. That confidence, in turn, will increase the likelihood that they will put these new skills to work back on the job.

To be effective, the performance to be assessed must be the same as that described in the performance objectives -- there should be no "surprises" for the learner. Ideally, learners should receive immediate feedback on their test performance. If performance doesn't meet the criteria in the objectives, then the instructor should diagnose the weakness and provide appropriate and constructive assistance. If performance does meet the criteria, then learners should receive positive recognition or reward.

12. Is each learner required to demonstrate competence in each skill?
13. When test performance is judged to be less than competent, is assistance provided without embarrassing the learner?

Instructor Behavior
No matter how well designed a course is, inappropriate instructor behavior can diminish the learning that occurs. Good instructors will encourage learners to ask questions or comment about the subject matter being learned. They make learners feel that their questions are valued, even if the questions need to be responded to more completely at another time in order to avoid disrupting the class. And they refrain from disparaging comments made at a learner's expense (such as "Congratulations, you finally got it!") that could cause the class to want to avoid further contact with the instructor. Good instructors also show their enthusiasm for the training they are conducting. Their enthusiasm for the subject becomes infectious, leading learners to feel more positive about the training and to expend the effort required to master the skills being taught.

14. Does the instructor behave positively toward learners rather than belittle or insult them?
15. Does the instructor show enthusiasm toward the subject?

The greatest single investment in training is the cost of lost productivity while employees attend training. Therefore, instruction that provides job-critical skills in the shortest period of time will help you ensure that training returns full value to your organization.

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