To get to get to the truth, it helps to be familiar with the myths. Some myths about training have included the belief that if workers learn it they’ll use it on the job, if people learn more they will perform better, and telling is training (Hannum, 2009). These are just a few of the training myths out there.
With these myths in mind, recall a time when you attended a training session and walked away feeling good about what you learned and ready to apply it. When you return to work, you find the information covered during training was interesting, but you are unable to put it to use. All learners eventually stray away from using the new information and return to the familiar. Why does this happen? A couple of reasons, first, learners are human beings with limits to their information handling and storage limitations (Stolovitch, Keeps, 2011). So, lecturing or providing procedural information in a one way format will not take advantage of the other senses and learning channels, like visual, kinesthetic. Applying those and making the learning more interactive and demonstrative with plenty of opportunities to practice and share, transition to long term memory. Second, the ability to use what is trained lies in not just the ability of the learner to retain the information, but also in the company’s ability to provide the environment and support to utilize the knowledge. Finally, a lot of information can be delivered during training, but without thought to how it is grouped together to make the most of relationships and in chunks that can be processed by the learners, the less the learner will retain.
In summary, training is a tool, like a computer, or a calculator; and like any other tool, it has to be used correctly to maximize results.
References
Bahlis, J. (2006). Maximizing training impact by aligning learning with business goals. SALT 2006 New Learning Technology Conference. Retrieved from http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/resources/salt06.pdf
Hannum W. (2009). Training myths: false beliefs that limit training efficiency and effectiveness, part 2. Performance Improvement, Vol 48, No. 2. DOI: 10.1002/pfi.20051
Stolovitch, H, Keeps, E. (2011). Telling ain’t training, 2nd edition. ASTD Press.
Alice,
ReplyDeleteI was unable to locate your audio file of the speech. I liked the personalized approach you started with in the speech. We can all relate to an unsuccessful training session. You did a very good job identifying some of the reasons why training doesn't work. As you pointed out; the success of the training depends not only on the ability of the learner, but on the effort of the company in providing an environment the supports the use of this new knowledge. How will training support your organization's strategy and goals?
Mike