Reinforcing training: Getting Managers Involved
Reinforcing training: Getting Managers Involved
Failure to do so will lead to failed results. Why? Because the lessons, ideas and skills learned in training are of little value if managers and executives fail to reinforce the training on an ongoing basis. When this happens, most trainees either forget or ignore what they learned within a few hours or days, and the potential for meaningful results is lost.
Help others help themselves
Whose job is it to ensure that reinforcement takes place? This responsibility should not fall entirely on the management team. Rather, management should be able to look to the training department (or trainer) for guidance and support regarding how to establish learning objectives that will tie in with business goals during the training sessions themselves and, equally important, receive guidance from training professionals on how to continue to help those who report to them succeed after the training is complete.
To ensure that this happens, trainers should be sure to provide managers with several reinforcement tools for use after the training has ended, including (but certainly not limited to!), the following:
Meeting guides
Managers should plan to incorporate concepts and techniques from training into conversations as they meet with their reports on a regular basis. A guide created by the trainer or training department should provide mangers with an outline of the concepts and tips to be reinforced from the training, as well as potential activities they might use. A meeting guide also should suggest different formats for the meeting and meeting lengths and coaching objectives. The content should be based on elements such as the learning objectives from the training, business priorities, and areas where trainees still struggle.
Effective coaching techniques
While training professionals are practiced at effective coaching techniques, they should also be willing and able to share some of their secrets and knowledge with managers so that trainees can continue to thrive and develop post-training. This might include identifying challenges for a specific trainee so that a manager knows what to coach toward and training managers on how to "coach" rather than "tell."
Best Practices
Trainers should provide managers with advice on which best practices to reinforce from the training and how to identify which best practices to reinforce based on individual challenges. For example, if prospecting is an issue for a particular sales rep, the trainer should leave behind the exact tools that the manager can use to help that sales rep succeed in prospecting.
Executive involvement
Information and ideas regarding how executives can become involved in the reinforcement process also is an important key to successful post-training reinforcement. For example, a trainer might suggest that executives send out a monthly e-mail detailing a success story and attach the new techniques that were implemented. This shows the team how important the business objectives are to the company while reminding trainees that their work and results they have achieved have not been forgotten.
Homework
Managers should plan to meet with individual trainees and then assign follow-up work or assignments based on what trainees learned in training and the areas on which they now need to focus. Trainers can provide managers with ideas for assignments, such as (in the case of sales training, for example) asking the trainees to write their prospecting value proposition, creating a lead-generation campaign, or tracking their sales performance results. Managers must then follow-up on these assigned tasks. Otherwise, they will be neglected and forgotten.
Measurements
By working with a trainer on reinforcement techniques, managers can establish time lines to measure how much their reports have advanced over the course of a few weeks or a few months. Measurements help managers to see progress and determine new areas to develop. Documented measurement time lines, meanwhile, help managers to more easily execute reinforcement practices and improve business results.
Follow-up training
Managers can take some of the more important things that were taught during training and do additional "reminder" sessions on their own, or invite trainers back in to provide hour-long follow-up sessions. Doing so will help trainees to remember some of the key points and keep them on top of their game.
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Just because a training session was completed doesn't mean that information and skills learned will "stick" with trainees. In order for that to happen, it's imperative that managers understand how to reinforce what was learned and how to use that learning to meet the goals of the company.
Failure to do so will lead to failed results. Why? Because the lessons, ideas and skills learned in training are of little value if managers and executives fail to reinforce the training on an ongoing basis. When this happens, most trainees either forget or ignore what they learned within a few hours or days, and the potential for meaningful results is lost.
Help others help themselves
Whose job is it to ensure that reinforcement takes place? This responsibility should not fall entirely on the management team. Rather, management should be able to look to the training department (or trainer) for guidance and support regarding how to establish learning objectives that will tie in with business goals during the training sessions themselves and, equally important, receive guidance from training professionals on how to continue to help those who report to them succeed after the training is complete.
To ensure that this happens, trainers should be sure to provide managers with several reinforcement tools for use after the training has ended, including (but certainly not limited to!), the following:
Meeting guides
Managers should plan to incorporate concepts and techniques from training into conversations as they meet with their reports on a regular basis. A guide created by the trainer or training department should provide mangers with an outline of the concepts and tips to be reinforced from the training, as well as potential activities they might use. A meeting guide also should suggest different formats for the meeting and meeting lengths and coaching objectives. The content should be based on elements such as the learning objectives from the training, business priorities, and areas where trainees still struggle.
Effective coaching techniques
While training professionals are practiced at effective coaching techniques, they should also be willing and able to share some of their secrets and knowledge with managers so that trainees can continue to thrive and develop post-training. This might include identifying challenges for a specific trainee so that a manager knows what to coach toward and training managers on how to "coach" rather than "tell."
Best Practices
Trainers should provide managers with advice on which best practices to reinforce from the training and how to identify which best practices to reinforce based on individual challenges. For example, if prospecting is an issue for a particular sales rep, the trainer should leave behind the exact tools that the manager can use to help that sales rep succeed in prospecting.
Executive involvement
Information and ideas regarding how executives can become involved in the reinforcement process also is an important key to successful post-training reinforcement. For example, a trainer might suggest that executives send out a monthly e-mail detailing a success story and attach the new techniques that were implemented. This shows the team how important the business objectives are to the company while reminding trainees that their work and results they have achieved have not been forgotten.
Homework
Managers should plan to meet with individual trainees and then assign follow-up work or assignments based on what trainees learned in training and the areas on which they now need to focus. Trainers can provide managers with ideas for assignments, such as (in the case of sales training, for example) asking the trainees to write their prospecting value proposition, creating a lead-generation campaign, or tracking their sales performance results. Managers must then follow-up on these assigned tasks. Otherwise, they will be neglected and forgotten.
Measurements
By working with a trainer on reinforcement techniques, managers can establish time lines to measure how much their reports have advanced over the course of a few weeks or a few months. Measurements help managers to see progress and determine new areas to develop. Documented measurement time lines, meanwhile, help managers to more easily execute reinforcement practices and improve business results.
Follow-up training
Managers can take some of the more important things that were taught during training and do additional "reminder" sessions on their own, or invite trainers back in to provide hour-long follow-up sessions. Doing so will help trainees to remember some of the key points and keep them on top of their game.
Reinforcing training Getting Managers Involved - To learn more about this author, visit 's Website.
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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