Outcomes, Outcomes, Outcomes

“Start with the end in mind” Steven Covey

Way back when I studied my Certificate in Training Practice, it was drilled into me that designing appropriate performance objectives was the key to a good training course. I still remember `performance, standard, condition', and that the performance had to be observable and/or measurable. I have to say this approach stood me in very good stead AND I found that it didn't quite go far enough.

For a start it is incredibly difficult to design a highly creative, brain friendly learning experience from a set of very linear objectives. For me `stating', `demonstrating' and `describing' is not where it's at. We often want people to live, breathe and ooze with a particular philosophy. Fitting this into `performance, standard and condition' is, at best, limiting.

Secondly, my experience is that objectives often have us operating at the wrong `chunk size'. For example designing a great set of objectives to get people to demonstrate that they can use a CRM system (small chunk), won't achieve the increased revenue that is needed to make the investment in the new system and the training worthwhile. Having an outcome that every advisor will use the system to increase their sales leads month on month (a higher chunk size) will.

I always, always, always get absolutely clear on what my outcomes are before I start designing. Often, they are crystal clear from the data gathering I've done. If not, I'll work with the client to ensure that my outcomes match theirs. Either way, outcomes are always what I will see, hear or feel the learners doing when they are applying the learning in the real world.

It may be increasing their sales, retaining more customers, designing using the five principles or delivering training in less time with improved feedback. Whatever the outcome, it's very tangible and therefore very easy to measure. My outcomes also have a link to how the learning will impact on the business. Often there would need to be some additional data analysis to provide a return on investment figure however the basic success of the intervention would be easy to measure - the outcome will either have been achieved or not.

Through all this, the most important factor of setting the outcome clearly is that I know exactly what needs to be included in the learning intervention. Take the CRM system intervention example I used earlier. Linear objectives could well lead to a training course focussing on getting the learners completely clear on every working area of the system (including areas they won't use), while neglecting how the system can be used with clients. The outcome of increasing sales would lead me to focus the systems training on just the parts they need to do this, and concentrate more on application in the real world, potentially blended with some additional sales or communications training. The content would be very different.

For me, outcomes only work.

This week's call to action

• Look at an existing training intervention that needs to be updated.
• Ignoring the current content, re-write the outcome for the programme. When the training has been outstandingly successful, what will you (and the business) see, hear and/feel the participants doing? How will you know it has been outstandingly successful? 
• Check the current content against your new outcome. Will this course ensure that you the learners achieve the outcome? 
• If the answer is no, redesign your programme using your new outcomes.

This week’s FriendlyBrain Tip comes to you from Patrick Hare of Kaizen Training. Kaizen Training Limited is a well-established consulting and training firm based in the UK and offering its services to the global business community. Training for Excellence is a leading-edge Train the Trainer company based in the U.S. and providing training programs internationally. For more information, contact us at info@wetrain.biz