In my initial blog post last year, I stated that the blog would focus on high business value training. I also specified that high business value training solutions improve performance measurably, leading to the achievement of desired business outcomes. As such, solutions that are of high business …
Increasing Training’s Business Value by Recognizing Learner Differences and Preferences
No two people learn exactly the same way or at the same pace. A program’s content may be easily understood by some learners, while others may find it harder to comprehend. Similarly, some learners may prefer certain types of training methods and activities over others. For example, some students may …
Supporting Learning with Media and Materials: Basic Principles to Follow
Another characteristic of high business value training is the use of learning media and materials that are well designed, well matched to the content of the program and intended outcomes, and properly employed. Learning media and materials can be defined as the physical resources that are used to …
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More on Feedback and Assessments: Rules for Questions
The focus of last month’s post was to introduce sound principles that should be followed when providing learners with feedback about their performance, and using informal assessments to evaluate training outcomes. Providing learners with feedback is a powerful way to facilitate learning. When …
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Facilitating Learning with Feedback and Informal Assessments
One of the most powerful ways that learning can be facilitated is by providing learners with feedback about their performance. When positive feedback is provided, learning is reinforced. When corrective feedback is provided, learners can adjust and improve their performance on the next try. In …
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More on Instructional Methods and Tactics: Facilitating Learning Toward Defined Goals
Last month’s newsletter introduced three new terms: instructional strategy, instruction method, and instructional tactics. An instructional strategy can be thought of as an overall plan of experiences that will help learners acquire verbal information, establish cognitive strategy, or develop …
Increasing Training’s Business Value with Instructional Methods and Tactics
The difference between a learning program and a presentation is that learning programs use activities to facilitate learning toward defined goals. When a learning program is designed, experiences are arranged to facilitate the creation of new knowledge and skills as well as the assimilation to those …
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Increasing Training’s Business Value by Motivating Learners
We all know what it’s like to sit in a training class when you don’t want to be there. You fidget, you check the time, you write a to-do list, and you check your email. So the question is, if you’re not motivated to learn, and instead direct your attention elsewhere, is the training valuable to the …
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Stating the Obvious: The Business Value of Training is Contingent upon the Training Content
Perhaps nothing impacts the overall value of a training program more than its content. A program with incomplete, incorrect, inconsistent, or confusing content has little chance of preparing learners to complete a task or achieve the desired learning outcomes. We also know from cognitive …
More on Training Transfer: Supporting the Use of New Skills on the Job
Last month’s newsletter introduced the concept of training transfer as the act of applying new knowledge and skills learned in training back on the job. And, as also noted last month, for training programs to be of high business value, learners must use the knowledge and skills they’ve learned back …
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Increasing the Business Value of Training by Improving Training Transfer
For training programs to be of high business value, learners must use the knowledge and skills they’ve learned back on the job, performance must be improved, and the impact on the business must be positive. A positive impact might be an increase in the number of forms processed, or an increase in …
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Delivering Training of High Business Value: Initial Blog Post
For the most part, companies train their employees with pretty straightforward and specific goals in mind. New hire orientation provides employees with an introduction to the organization and its policies. Employees in individual departments receive training on business processes and procedures, and …
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