Regular readers may remember the research project we began just before Christmas exploring the behaviours and beliefs of ‘learning monsters’. What’s the difference that makes the difference between those people who seem to squeeze every last drop of learning from a workshop or training course – and then go on to successfully USE it, and those who don’t? We’re learning loads about this – and it will be the subject of a future tip.
This week’s tip, however, is just a useful checklist of strategies we as trainers or leaders can use to help optimise transfer of learning. I’m sure you already use many of these in your organisation or business – my challenge to you is this:
What else could you be doing?
Before the workshop
- Get participants to commit to work based projects which will ensure that the learning is put into action immediately after the course
- Distribute an engaging welcome pack, with questions for reflection and suggested pre-workshop activities
- Make the training programme part of a bigger process, not just a stand alone
- Space out the learning opportunities
- Get line managers involved
- Set a written exercise that will look at their beliefs/learning objectives and what they want, for the purpose of increasing level of challenge and clarity
- Video or facts with corresponding questions that prompt them to consider such things as “What they believe about change etc”.
- Create postcard in which they fill in their learning objectives pre-workshop using the 4MAT system
- Ask them to commit to a phone call to discuss anything arising from written work
- Agree specific business projects up front (before the training) with the learner and the learner’s manager – so that they already know what they need to go back and achieve.
- Praise, encourage and reward successful transfer of learning
During the workshop
- Use plenty of repetition
- Approach the same topic from many different angles
- Ask frequently ‘what have you learnt so far?’
- Lean harder on the importance of reinforcing learning at intervals after the training. Suggest dates on which they’d benefit from some sort of refresh/review
- Create a reflection log to be filled in after major chunks of the workshop
- Make opportunities for participants to teach each other
- Structure in ‘show you know’ sessions
- Use concert reviews
- Use nested loops
- Use mnemonics
- Engage parts of the brain which create long term memories easily – and use lots of emotion
- Encourage note taking and mind mapping
- Create audiotapes of the material and supply to participants
- Produce laminated reminders of the material for post course use
- Create a learning state that is close to the application state
- Get line managers involved as much as possible in the workshop itself
After the workshop
- Identify opportunities for participants to put the learning into action within 48 hours of the course
- Line Manager involvement
- Make successful transfer part of the performance management process
- E-mail participants with summaries of the material
- Build in post-course coaching sessions
- Set up learning buddies
- Arrange for the learners to ‘guest’ on future programmes – give a 5-minute presentation on how they have successfully applied the learning.
- Trickle tips by e-mail
- Online discussion forums and resources – success stories, managers’ forum, communities of best practice
- Regular lunches/breakfasts/get-togethers
- Suggested development resources
- Suggested activities and top tips
- Send postcard (that they have filled in) three or six months later
- Organise a monthly webinar or conference call for a self-directed support group.
- Follow up evaluation interviews with learner’s manager
- On the job coaching opportunities
- Send each participant an audio tape filled with reminders and reinforcers – in a concert review format if appropriate
- Create and circulate a video of people who are successfully applying the learning
- Use an intranet to capture success stories and fresh application ideas
- Create a physical bulletin board near heavily travelled areas containing pictures of successful learners, reminders, tips, a “help yourself” pocket of cards containing job-aids or checklists, and a graffiti section where people can add their own stories, comments and pictures.
- Place reinforcing messages on posters and peripherals where people can’t fail to see them (in the lift, the mirrors in the toilet, in the canteen, entrance and exit doors, next to clocks, in stairwells, in pay envelopes, vending machines, along corridors as mobiles or displays. Don’t leave them up for ever – and keep changing the messages to reflect what’s just been learned.
- Hold ‘brown bag’ lunches or breakfasts where learners share stories
- Interview learners and ask them about their experiences of applying the learning. What else could you have done in the training that would have made the learning easier to transfer? Take the lessons back into your design.
- Ask learners to train or coach others who didn’t attend the training event.
- Require each participant to write a short report summarising how they successfully applied the learning. Collate these together and send all participants a copy. Drip feed.
- Develop managers in the skills of supporting, coaching and reinforcing the learning back on the job. Make this a priority in your management development strategy
