Train to gain
When any member of your team attends a training course, it is an investment and, as with any other investment, you should expect a return on the money spent.
With this in mind, it is worth spending some time looking at where and how you are going to invest your money.
I often see training being offered to keep someone happy, rather than looking at how it will meet the needs of the individual and, more crucially, the business.
Before sending a team member on a course, it is worth identifying a clear purpose for the training and how it will benefit your business.
Choose carefully
Use training as a motivational tool; send people who have performed well. Training should be seen as a reward for solid performance, not a way to fix poor results. Generally, training addresses skills shortages rather than attitude problems, so send people with a great attitude who need to further their skills
Communicate
Let people know why they are being sent for training, and ensure they are enthusiastic. If people come to training with resentment at having been sent, they are unlikely to gain very much from the session. Let them understand what the training will do for them.
Be prepared
This sounds obvious, but ensure the person attending a session knows where it is, what time it starts, and how they are going to travel to the training. Many people turn up late and are not sure which course they are booked for. For instance, I have had people turning up to a presentation skills course, thinking they were attending a cutting course.
Take notes
Even if the trainer provides hand-outs, ask the person attending the course to take notes. This is useful on two levels. It helps the person to retain the knowledge they are gaining from the course - nothing crystallises the mind like taking notes. Secondly, it will help the person to review their learning, which is crucial. Lasting learning should be the purpose of attending a course.
Share the knowledge
Whenever any team member attends a training session, it is a fabulous opportunity for the rest of the team to benefit. Set up an informal session within a week of their return so that they can share their new knowledge. The team will share what has been learned, and the person presenting will understand and consolidate what they learned on the course. We often learn as much by teaching others as we do from sitting and listening.
