Donna Flagg

Training Employees: Start At The End And Work Backward
February 26, 2008

There is a lot of confusion about training employees when it comes to deciding whether it’s better to use an academic approach like those used in colleges and universities, or a work-based model that focuses on practical and applied learning. 

The answer is actually very easy. To learn about theories and frameworks and history, go to school, sit in a classroom and learn about things, expand your mind and devour the knowledge. But at work, we need to get things done. So when people need to learn how to do the work required in their jobs, an analytical approach to teaching and learning won’t work. In order for employees to develop the right skills that will in turn build the business and fortify the organization, companies need to train their employees in the context of what they need to know and do in order to successfully execute the functions of their roles. 

Here’s a tip:

Start at the end and work backward.  This means that you should define clearly and explicitly first what the audience needs to be able to do by the end of the training, and then back the “lesson” into your end result. 

Posted by Donna Flagg on February 26, 2008 | Comments (0)