\n\tWhat does it take to be a master trainer? For close to five decades now, I have been training trainers in more than 25 countries. In all that time, my focus has been on helping people get results from their training. So to me, the answer to how to be a master trainer is to get results from your training\u2014each and every time it is delivered, in whatever form it is delivered.<\/p>\n
\n\tSo the question becomes: How do you get better results? It starts by being willing to honestly look at where you and your training programs are right now. Answer this question: How do you currently measure the results of your training?<\/p>\n
\n\tDo you use Kirkpatrick\u2019s Four Levels of Evaluation? Do you use each of the four levels consistently? If not, why not? According to ATD research, 93 percent of organizations regularly use Level 1 (which I call \u201cDid they like it?\u201d), typically end-of-course evaluations.<\/p>\n
\n\tOnly 27 percent of organizations use Level 2\u2014 \u201cDid they learn it?\u201d\u2014which most often involves a test of some sort. However, if you don\u2019t pretest, then your post-test really isn\u2019t valid because you\u2019re assuming that all the knowledge and skills a participant has are learned within the training itself\u2014which would be nearly impossible for adults who normally bring a significant amount of prior knowledge, skill, and experience to the classroom.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor the sake of this brief article, I won\u2019t drill down further; the numbers drop significantly for Levels 3 and 4\u2014\u201cDid they use it?\u201d and \u201cDid it make a difference to the organization?\u201d Suffice to say, if you don\u2019t measure it, you can\u2019t celebrate it. If you want to improve your results, you have to rigorously measure your results.<\/p>\n
\n\tELIMINATING SCRAP LEARNING<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s another reason measurement is important: It helps us get rid of \u201cscrap learning.\u201d Put simply, it is learning delivered that never gets used. Various studies across multiple organizations have put scrap learning at 45 to 85 percent of the learning delivered! So does your scrap learning number matter? Absolutely! Because if you know the number, you can do something about it.<\/p>\n \n\tThere are at least 15 things that cause scrap learning. Here are six of them:<\/p>\n \n\t1. Training isn\u2019t the solution.<\/strong> How often do we thoroughly examine systems, policies and procedures, recruitment, placement, and coaching as possibilities for solving performance problems? Training as a solution costs the most time and money\u2014especially if it doesn\u2019t solve the performance problems.<\/p>\n \n\t2. Poor manager engagement.<\/strong> When managers pay no attention to whom they select for training and how they support their use of what they\u2019ve learned after, scrap learning soars.<\/p>\n \n\t3. Content chunks are too large.<\/strong> When I start working with a new client, we find the average content chunk is 45 to 65 minutes. The ideal content chunk is 20 minutes or less.<\/p>\n \n\t4. No revisiting strategy.<\/strong> Many instructors review, but few revisit. Review is when the instructor covers the content again (and participants stop listening because they\u2019ve already heard it). Revisit is when participants look at key content chunks themselves\u2014this drives retention and increases energy.<\/p>\n \n\t5. No transfer strategy. <\/strong>Transfer doesn\u2019t happen by accident; it happens by plan. There are things that must happen before, during, and after training to reduce scrap learning\u2014and maximize on-the-job use of knowledge and skills. How do managers in your organization currently prepare people to attend training? How do you equip managers to have a pre-training conversation with participants to maximize their focus and involvement during the class? How much reflection time do you provide during class so participants can develop action plans for applying the knowledge and skills back on the job? These are just a few considerations.<\/p>\n \n\t6. No action plan.<\/strong> If participants don\u2019t plan for how they\u2019ll use what they\u2019ve learned back on the job after the class, chances are they won\u2019t have time to develop a plan once they are back at work.<\/p>\n \n\tUntil next time\u2014continue to add value and make a difference.<\/p>\n \n\tBob Pike, CSP, CPLP FELLOW, CPAESpeakers Hall of Fame, is known as the \u201ctrainer\u2019s trainer.\u201d He is the author of more than 30 books, including \u201cCreative Training Techniques Handbook\u201d and his newest book, \u201cThe Master Trainer\u2019s Handbook.\u201d You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook using bobpikectt.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \n\tTraining measurement helps us get rid of \u201cscrap learning\u201d\u2014learning that is delivered but never used.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[26],"class_list":{"0":"post-11018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-trainer-talk","8":"magazine_issues-march-2018"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n