What Makes Training Work at Your ALLIANCE Center?

Through ALLIANCE's training tool, Training Focus, we have coached you on the importance of training your team to engage in healthy conflict, to cross-train so all your bases are covered, and to motivate your staff through constant communication, among other points. But what is it exactly that makes all this training work, and what are the costs of not training effectively? Take a look at the guidelines below to find out how engaging in the right kind of training brings your company success.

Don't Just Do It; Do It Right

Not all training is good training. What makes training work is when it focuses on solving real issues, provides relevant content and is in line with the strategic goals of your center. Ineffective training is common, such as having an employee attend a session on general communication when their immediate needs are to learn how to provide feedback in a constructive way. If training is irrelevant, employees will dismiss the session as a waste of time or too basic and their complaints will invalidate potential learning.

Try to connect the training to your employee's job and work objectives. Provide training and development that is relevant to the skill you want the employee to attain or the information he needs to expand his work horizons.

Make Your Goals Clear

Training is effective when the trainees are receptive and goals are made clear. Providing your employees with information about why the new skills, skill enhancement, information, or changes are necessary allows them to understand what they need to learn and how they are expected to apply those lessons in their day-to-day duties.

When your center's staff understands the links between the training you provide and their job duties, the impact of the training is greater as your employees realize how their contributions catalyze the center's accomplishments and help achieve particular business plans and goals. Show your staff exactly for what your center is striving and then train them in ways that will enable each individual to work towards these goals.

Train Leaders to Be Examples

Train managers and supervisors in their role in the training process. It is helpful to train managers before or with the rest of the team so they know and understand the skills and information provided in the training session. This allows your manager to model the appropriate behavior and learning, create an environment that's conducive to employees applying the training, and define the clear expectation to see different behavior or strategy as a result of the training.

A manager who has participated in the same training as the rest of the organization is a powerful role model when s/he is observed applying the training.

Don't Get Penalized by Poor Training

There are costly penalties for not training, including fewer skilled employees and lower-quality work, poor customer service and higher client turnover. The costs for not training extend even further, to slow center growth, higher employment turnover and recruitment costs, increased IT support, increased workload and burnout, and slow response to competition.

Train correctly and you'll reap incredible benefits; train ineffectively and pay the costs.

ALLIANCE's Quotables on Training

"Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were." - David Rockefeller

"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." - Mark Twain