You often see objectives in training programs that begin with “To be able to appreciate…” or “To familiarize learners with…”. At first glance, these may seem clear enough, but fast-forward to the assessment portion of the program. How can you determine whether the learners appreciate the concepts presented? How can you gauge if the learners have gained enough familiarity with the new ideas?If you think that asking learners Yes or No questions is enough, think again. Based on experience, learners tend to answer “Yes” when asked whether objectives were met or not, even when no objectives were stated.This is why it’s important to set concrete, quantifiable objectives before conducting the training, and you can only do this if you have thoroughly analyzed the performance problem and all the other factors that contribute to the problem. Identifying the problem lets you craft your objectives clearly. Remember, objectives are not grand statements.

Analyzing the problem is important, not only in crafting your objective, but also in designing your whole training program. Analysis helps you pinpoint the performance gap and develop the necessary interventions to fill that gap.Most companies today are content with pulling out cookie-cutter modules to improve performance without first establishing the reasons for poor performance. Analysis helps you go beyond the surface to identify the root cause of the problem. Through analysis, you can find out if your training is addressing only the symptoms and not the actual problem.

Many training programs fall into this trap of not having the right training materials for their learners. It’s then no surprise that in some programs, participants either learn too little or get information overload. Subject-matter experts also face this problem when creating learning materials–they may end up using jargon that training participants may not understand.

Years of conducting trainings may lead one to believe that there is a one-to-one correspondence between performance problems and your existing training programs. This is not the case though. Since there are several contributing factors for each situation, it is hard to assign the same training course to a seemingly similar problem.It is important to customize your intervention to align it to your objectives. In doing so, you make your learning sessions more relevant and, consequently, more efficient.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are often tapped to conduct training sessions for obvious reasons—they have the experience and knowledge that should be imparted to the learners. Oftentimes, though, this leads to information overload for the learners because they train based on what the SMEs know and not on what the learners need.Also, since SMEs have different sets of skills, the training becomes relative to the trainer. This practice fails to maximize the talent and expertise of the SME and training is less effective.

A successful training program should be closely linked to performance. One must be able to see the difference or the improvements brought about by this corrective intervention.Some companies do not bother to evaluate the effects of training on the performance in the workplace. The training then, merely serves as a “break” from the daily grind and is a hit-or-miss in terms of whether measurable improvement is displayed.

This is why, it’s important to have a follow through on your training program. You must evaluate the performance of the people afterwards to see if the training was successful or not. If you determine that training was unsuccessful, you can stop the waste of time, effort and resources and find other ways to get sought-after results. If you are successful, then you know you have done the right thing.

With the advent of today’s advanced gadgets and the emerging popularity of e-learning, it is easy to fall into the trap of using technology to make your training look modern and relevant to the times.You must remember, however, that technology is just another tool. It is there to help you simplify your training, simulate real-life situations, or enrich the content of your courseware.

You must not use technology simply to impress. If the learners would benefit more from a face-to-face session than an e-learning program, then the former is the sound choice. An understanding of the overall situation is necessary to choose the best way approach.

In designing your training program, it would help to remember an important concept in writing—brevity. The less you say, the better. Use relevant and simple information to engage your audience and do not rely on unnecessary activities to get their attention. You do not want to waste time, effort and resources. Remember that your job is to maximize their potential through learning, not to entertain them.

Relying on the trainers to “share his knowledge” tends to make the learning intervention an “I speak, you listen” scenario. When the one-way method is used, participants are treated as passive recipients of information. They are not allowed to manipulate or reflect on the information which is supposed to be part of the learning process.

The opposite of this is the “participative” training, which uses interactive methodologies. Hands-on exercises are designed and provided to simulate real-life challenges. This helps the learners create a stronger link between their training and their actual performance. Thus, participative training involves a customized program designed with the specific needs of the learners in mind.

Training without Instructional Design is like building a house without a blueprint. Instructional Design analyzes the needs and identifies the problem before developing a focused and customized program. It sets quantifiable objectives and gives direction regarding how the program should be assessed. In short, it is the master plan of the training program.In spite of this, a lot of companies still are barely aware of the concept of Instructional Design.

These companies jump into training programs without the preparations needed for success. If done properly, Instructional Design can save your company precious time and resources. It will also help your people maximize their potential.