Published May 2001

Consider long-term plan
for employee training

You know the drill: You do the needs assessment, identify pertinent training topics, hire a trainer and put on the workshop. So what’s wrong with that picture, you say? I’ve provided professional growth opportunities for my people and brought them up to speed on important new skill sets!

But, did you realize that according to the latest research, only a 5 percent success rate is possible through stand-up teaching alone? As a manager, you know the importance of developing your employees through quality programs, whether those programs pertain to writing, software skills or customer service. So, how do you get that success rate up? Through customized coaching and ongoing feedback.

These crucial components maximize your training time and dollars and firmly establish the employees’ new skills.

With an ongoing relationship formed between you, your employees and the trainer, you can build a long-term plan to optimize those dollars.

After the initial training, consider creating a coaching and follow-up plan. What is the goal? To help you and your employees put the new tools in action and keep them there.

You must commit to a joint venture — otherwise, how can you stay close to your team’s ongoing learning and skill development?

Here are some guidelines to consider and ones I always review with my clients:

• Take the training with your group. Help your employees apply new learning by knowing the skills yourself.
• Raise the bar. Let your employees know you expect certain results from training and will help them meet the higher expectations.
• Recognize improvement. Who doesn’t like to be told that they’re making progress or doing a great job?
• Reinforce new skills. Provide your employees with ample opportunities to apply their new knowledge.

As partners, you will create a customized training and coaching plan for you and your employees. Ongoing coaching ensures you of two things: You will capitalize on each training dollar spent and see the results when employees continue to apply their learning in everyday assignments.

Dr. Julie Miller is founder of Business Writing That Counts!, which offers training and coaching in business writing skills. She can be reached at 425-485-3221 or visit her Web site, www.DrJulieMiller.com.

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