PLMitchell.com

Training Program Design Training for the technical parts of most jobs is relatively easy. But training people to be flexible, develop empathy, to have interpersonal skills and be emotionally competent is much more difficult.   Training in industry has ignored these differences and generally used the same methods for both the technical information and emotional competence.Our brain is made up of many different parts and each part has got a special function. Learning is more complex than we think because different types of abilities require the use of different parts of the brain.

We use our cognitive abilities when we are learning technical information. Cognitive abilities are based in one part of the brain and social and emotional competence is based in another part of the brain. When we learn technical information we use the neocortex.  This operates as a distribution and storage center for information.  Every additional piece of information is stored in the relevant area through the six layers of the neocortex.

However, when we are learning emotional and interactive skills such as leadership, selling, customer service and marketing we use a completely different part of the brain.  As you develop social and emotional competence additional brain areas are used.  These include the amygdala and the pre-frontal lobes which are the brain’s command center.

Learning for technical information is best done in a classroom environment. Concepts can be mastered relatively easily so can all those subjects that can be learned effectively away from the hurly-burly of life on the job. On the other hand, to establish behavioral change, the environment that is suitable is the one where the change will take place. It will take practice over a longer time and is a complex process not a simple event. This more complex training requires meaningful feedback and repetition as well as carrying a higher cost in terms of time.

A good example of this is the apprentice who learns the theory in the classroom and then applies it back at work on a lathe or milling machine.  The theory is acquired reasonably quickly but many months or maybe years need to be spent operating a lathe for it to be developed into a recognizable high level skill.

Learning technical knowledge requires adding information and understanding to the memory banks of the neocortex.  The neocortex learns by aligning new data and insights into existing frameworks of understanding.  During this process the appropriate neural circuitry is strengthened.

Developing social and emotional competence involves much more.  We have to engage our social and emotional circuitry because that’s where our habits are stored.  Changing habits such as leading people to discover solutions rather than just telling them the answer is a much more challenging task then just adding to our information banks.  Establishing changes like this means that existing habits have to be diluted and replaced with a better one and repeated over and over again.

One of the biggest mistakes made by organizations is trying to train people to develop their emotional competence in areas like leadership, sales and customer service, is using the same techniques that they use to teach people cognitive skills.  Not only are they wasting a considerable amount of money but are also creating disillusioned staff members who are suspicious of subsequent training programs and may not contribute at a very high level.

The solution is to clearly understand the differences in the underlying brain functions with the two types of learning and design programs to meet the requirements of both types separately.  Developing emotional competence requires an understanding of the basis of behavioral change.  Historically, and currently, the failure to do this has wasted huge amounts of money in ineffective training and development.

Many organizations shy away from the higher cost associated with this sort of training.  This can be a false economy because the results can give a substantial return on investment from effective training.

Understanding Learning Very often an organization decides to improve their level of customer service, sales, supervision or emotional intelligence. They go through a process of deciding who is going to deliver this training and the results they would like to see. They are aware of the need for the training and development and are prepared to invest in their staff. Generally speaking, they are disappointed with the results. The return on their investment has not been very high. They have spent a lot of money putting staff through a two-day program and there doesn’t appear to be a discernible difference.

The problem is simple. Emotional competence can’t be improved overnight. The emotional brain only changes habits over weeks, months and sometimes years. When we have recognized the need for a change in emotional competence we assume that change will occur dramatically and quickly. Put people on a two day seminar and they will transform their behavior. Nothing could be further from the truth. People don’t change their emotional competence as a result of a two-day program. The result of this misguided assumption is that when people are sent on brief training programs, their confidence will be sapped when the promised improvements don’t occur.

The most effective way for people to learn a new skill such as emotional competence, is when they have repeated opportunities to practice it over an extended period of time. It is a case of little and often. If they spend the same time in a single intensive session, they will not learn to the same degree. A good example are these five or six day residential training courses which daily start at 6 am and finish at 10 pm. After a day, the participants are in overload and their ability to grasp new information is greatly diminished.

Sometimes, a training course leader will devote far too much time in discussing an emotional competence and not enough time practicing it in a controlled environment. This has been extensively researched, notably by Spencer and  Morrow who measured that practice sessions had double the impact on job performance as opposed to the presentation of concepts alone. The return on investment for practice during training was seven times greater than the discussions by themselves. This is compelling evidence to look very closely at our training and the return on our investment.

Often people get sent on training programs and then when they get back to their desk there has been an accumulation of work in their absence. They never have any chance to try out their new skills and knowledge because of the pressure generated by the backlog of work. In this situation they revert to the process that they know best and the training never has a chance to be transferred back on the job.

Clinical studies of behavior change indicate that the longer people work at changing, the more robust and durable the change will be. For complex habits like emotional competence; weeks are better than days and months are better than weeks. It has been assessed that it takes 3 to 6 months to achieve the necessary change.

Being Ready to Learn and Change From a training point of view, the most difficult situation to overcome is where some of the participants just do not want to be there. The problem is compounded because their resistance and resentful feeling can be highly infectious and affect the rest of the group.

Many organizations ignore whether or not the people that they are sending on training courses have any intention of learning or changing. Regardless of the feelings of the trainees, they are compelled to attend. Obviously, this creates a less than satisfactory learning environment. The waste is colossal.

It is possible to categorize people attending training courses into three groups. The first group is the most rewarding. These are the “sponges” and are willing to learn and put the learning into practice. The second group is hard work. These are the people who are on holiday from work, they are more concerned with the quality of the lunches and the social interaction than learning or changing. The final group are the “hostages” to have been dragooned into attending a training course. They are oozing resentment which they are prepared to share with anybody and everybody. They have been told to attend, they have no intention of learning let alone changing the way they do things.

Imagine a training group where 20% of the participants were “hostages” how could you ever measure the value of the training program let alone the relevance of the material and the expertise of the presenter?  How would you ever know if you received value for that portion of your training budget?

To get best return on your training dollar and avoid such a waste of time and money it is imperative to help people assess their own readiness for learning. Potential trainees should be assessed for readiness to change, interest, and motivation.  Obviously if they are not ready for change then this can be the focus of discussion and coaching before investing in training. There are four basic categories of readiness that must be taken into account and established during the discussions.

• Outright resistance or a complete lack of understanding of the need.
• The acknowledgment of the need for change at some distant time in the future.
• A clear understanding of the need for change and a willingness to plan.
• A readiness and enthusiasm to take action.

Motivation to learn People learn to the degree that they are motivated to learn. They become motivated when they can see clearly the consequences of that learning. It may be that they are more competitive in the job market place inside and outside their organization. It may be that the training can help them solve some of the difficulties that they are currently having in their job. It may be that they can lift their performance to a level that they will be proud of. If they can see the benefits of training and learning, their levels of motivation will rise. Remember, we are most moved to pursue change that fills our values and hopes.

Presenting training and learning as a way of meeting their values and visions, then they can see how they can use the training opportunity for themselves as well as the organization.   So you can see that it is important not just to purchase the correct training but also promote the training in such a way that motivates the people to not only attend but also to change.  This is the largely forgotten part of training and development and the cause of a considerable waste of money, time and energy.

No related posts.