Could You Be Replaced By an App? – #6: Stop Indulging in This Harmful Post-Training Practice

Last week, we asked you to consider if your training participants even know why they’re in your program. 
This week, we finish up this quick tip series with tips for what to do, and what not to do, once the training program is complete.

Trainers often indulge in one particularly harmful practice immediately after a training program, which could negate all of the effort they’ve just put in. Do you let out a sigh of relief and turn your attention to the next training class? No! Training is the beginning, not the end.

As tempting as it may be to proclaim the training to be finished, resist the urge and avoid wasting all of the time and other resources you’ve already invested. After training, it’s time to ensure that the required drivers that you and your stakeholders agreed upon during the planning phase get activated.

Required drivers are the processes and systems that monitor, reinforce, encourage and reward performance of critical behaviors on the job. These are things that drive home that the skills taught in training need to be performed on the job.

Think of required drivers as the lights, signs and guard rails on the bridge. They show the right path and are there to actually keep people on track if they start to go astray. Examples of required drivers that you and your stakeholders can agree to implement include:

• Job aids
• Refreshers (on demand, or scheduled)
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Recognition and rewards for demonstrating the right behaviors
• Interviews and focus groups to discuss on-the-job performance

A strong Level 3 plan including clearly defined critical behaviors and a thoughtfully selected group of required drivers is one of the biggest determinants of program success and ultimate accomplishment of high-level goals.

Like a civil engineer, make sure your plan sees everyone successfully across the bridge and to their destination.  

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Additional Resources

Kirkpatrick Four Levels^® Evaluation Certification Program – Bronze Level