What is driving the compression of training time? Downsizing/right sized corporations means less people to do more work and there is an increased need for more job specific training and less general software knowledge. There is a constant learning demand as software upgrades come out every 6 months or so. In combination with this, we are now teaching 3rd/4th generation of software users, so managers feel if they know the prior version, the learners need little or no training to handle the upgrade. In addition, many managers have heard the advertising promises that just in time and on-line training through the Internet and CBT programs will significantly reduce training time and expenses, so why do we need so much training time anyway?

Here are some tips to help you cope with teaching at light speed, and still deliver training results.

1.   Manage the expectations of the managers

• 10 lbs. of flour will not fit into a 5 lbs. container. Teaching less is the answer, not teaching faster.
• Determine with the managers and systems staff as appropriate, what skills/objectives are mission critical vs. nice to know or needed later.
• Identify if timeframe and scheduling is feasible or unrealistic from the start.
• Find out what is driving the time pressure and what flexibility there is for adapting the training schedule.
• Look at scheduling shorter, more frequent sessions rather than longer classes.
• Be willing to say No when you are asked to deliver the impossible. Instead find out alternate ways of meeting the manager's objective, rather than deliver inadequate training.
• Get the managers' buy-in, involvement in the design and delivery of the training from the start. Determine what is their business objective for the training and how can you help them meet it.
• Less training time means more independent learning must happen on the job and be reinforced and supported. Identify where management support is needed to develop independent learners.

• Explain what training activities/assignments need to be done before and after class.
• Monitor pre-class assignments, pre-requisites to be sure these are being met.
• Explain issues with timeframes.
• Prepare them to become independent learners by teaching how to use all the help tools such as the manuals, on-line help, software tutorials, etc.
• Stress that the learners are in charge of their own learning and what advantages that gives them.
• Identify the learning support resources and teach how to use the alternate training media.
• Set up mentors and user department technical support to provide on the spot job assistance.

• Pre-screen learners to identify skill level, experience, job needs for the training.
• Class groupings by level, job needs. Have smaller classes.
• Assign readings, tutorials, exercises as pre-class assignments.
• Identify pre-requisites skills that must be mastered before the training.
• Use Pre-tests assessments to determine class level or course media.
• Expand the training curricula to have more flexible options and alternative ways of delivering training such as: demos, checklists, quick reference cards, email tips, CBT, on-line learning, transition classes, etc.
• Create learner and manager contracts to identify their roles and responsibilities for the training.

Copyright, 1998 Susan Boyd, Susan Boyd Associates (215-886-2669), website: http://www.susan-boyd.com. All rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced in electronic form or copied without written permission of author.

1.   Move from a Course Catalog to a Smorgasbord of Learning Activities

• Create shorter, job focused modules such as Creating Basic Letters and Memos, Using Tables for Numbers and Forms, or Formatting Reports instead of Introduction, Intermediate, and Advanced course titles.
• Automate tasks with macros and templates, instead of teaching tasks. Class time is then used to teach how to use the macros and templates to get a job done, rather than teaching all the steps to creating the format for the letter. This also ensures a consistent look to company wide documents.
• Identify pre-requisites skills and resources to learn these skills. Communicate that these skills are essential, must be mastered prior to class, and that class begins with an assessment of these skills to be sure the learners have mastered them. CBT, On-line learning, software tutorials, chapters from the software manual or on-line help all can be assigned as pre-reading/tasks to be completed prior to class.
• Offer a variety of learning options including: lunch/learn demos, breakfast briefings, email tips of the day, self-directed learning through CBT and on-line courses, job aids, reference guides, on-line help tools, learning labs, mentors, technical support experts in department, Product Days, Instructor House Calls (sign up for a 1 hour support time at your desk after training), HelpDesk FAQs of the Top 10 Questions and Answers for the past week's help desk calls.

• Identify mission-critical tasks that have to be mastered, vs. nice to know tasks that the learners could master later or on their own. Buy and supplement off the shelf materials. Don't reinvent the wheel for 3rd party software programs. Buy courseware on a disk so you can choose modules, change examples, adapt exercises.
• Spend time and money on job aids rather than training aids. Look at what learners will use most back on the job and buy/develop these learning support materials, rather than training manuals. Create job reference cards for complicated tasks or tasks infrequently done, rather than the common job tasks that are done frequently.
• Chunk learning skills into 20-30 minute modules, and include independent practice exercises to make sure skills have been mastered. Various modules can then be selected to make up a customized or tailored course.
• Create independent practice exercises on 2 levels: basics and extra challenges to meet the needs of both the novice and experienced learners. Don't sacrifice comprehension for content. The goal of training is for the learners to master the skills, not for the trainer to cover the content. Cut content before you cut exercises since this is where the learning happens, when learners make mistakes working through real world exercises.
• Treat every minute of class time as a valuable resource. Start/end on time, set break times and honor them.

• Select CBT and on-line learning tools to supplement, reinforce and in some cases replace instructor led training. Make sure these training programs provide adequate guidance to the learners, assessment of skills and reporting capabilities. Evaluate programs by testing them with a group of representative learners.
• Prepare learners, managers and co-workers to honor the time commitment and no interruption rule for independent learning. Memos to departments about the training, Training Contracts, Training in Progress signs, and dedicated learning labs can help communicate that training must be completed without interruptions.
• Train the learners so they can use and navigate the independent learning tools, and can stop and start up lessons to meet their time schedules. Make sure they have the necessary equipment and configurations.
• Use alternate media during class, as well as before and after class to supplement instruction, provide additional practice, assessment, etc. Get learners comfortable with using the computer as a learning tool.

Learners should have a prime motivation to become more independent, self-directed learners - their job both now and in the future, depends on their ability to learn new skills, and adapt old ways to new business demands.

How can you get this commitment?
Get the message out - learning is not an event, but a process. Educating the learners through memos, flyers, newsletters, email, FAQs about the learning process and their role in identifying needs, selecting the training resources, and committing to complete the training and applying it to the job. Have training contracts with the learners identifying what they need to do before, during, and after training to maximize their learning. Develop learners' skills in all training media so that they become self-directed, independent learners.

What Steps can you take to create and foster independent learners?

Before the Training:

1. Get learner involved in meeting with managers to identifying skill needs and training resources.
2. Get learners to review course description and set objectives prior to coming to class or doing a CBT/Web-Based Training (WBT) course.
3. Have learners talk to managers and other users of the software in their department and in other departments. Talk to other learners who participated in the training so that they have a better idea how the training will be used on the job and what the course includes.
4. Identify any pre-requisites to the training and make sure the learners complete these.
5. If WBT or CBT  is used, have a preliminary "Getting Started" session with the learners so they understand how to start, navigate, stop, and resume in the program. Set timeframes and schedules for the desktop training to occur. Build in feedback, mentors, and reporting to ensure the learning is happening and is being supported.

1. Ask - rather than tell. Ask What now, and other leading questions to force the learners to read the screens and look at menu options when determining the next action.
2. Experiment. Have learners answer their own questions through experimentation, trying alternate ways.
3. Use resources. Teach how to use all the available resources: on-line help, software manual, user guides, training manual, reference cards, etc. Use the resources an integrated part of the learning.
4. Use cooperative learning. Have learners work together to learn and teach each other a procedure or job task.
5. Build on prior knowledge. Point out the similarities and consistencies in the software, so the learners can apply the skills they learned to a new area of the program.
6. Be a role model. In today's rapidly changing world, no one can know every aspect of a software program. If a question comes up that you don't know the answer to, admit it and identify sources to investigate the answer.
7. Teach learners when and how to call the HelpDesk. Create basic trouble-shooting procedure guides for common problems and encourage learners to go through these steps before calling the HelpDesk. In class, demonstrate and use the built-in troubleshooting features of the software programs.
8. Don't wait until the class is over to evaluate the learning experience. By then it's too late for the current learners. Do comfort level evaluations at least once throughout a class day and make adjustments in the approach and techniques as required. Use form or index card to get answers to questions such as:

What activities and follow-up after training can be done to maximize the learning?
The training and learning process doesn't end just because the training event has been completed. The following activities can help keep learning on-going, identify additional training needs, strengthen independent learning skills and also fine-tune the training program.

1. Use Commitment Statements: The Commitment Statements serve as a reminder of what the learners meant to do with the new skills. A Manager reminder letter is also a way to reinforce what the manager now needs to do to reinforce the learning and make the employee's time in training pay off.
2. Use E-mail to Follow-up and Send Surveys: Electronic mail is a good way to informally keep in touch with past graduates. Use it to find out what they are doing with the software, get job related examples and files, and identify areas for the course that need to be reinforced.
3. Investigate - Are the Learners Applying the Skills? Get out of classroom and talk to managers and learners. See what skills are being applied, what are not - why - and what training can do about it.
4. Conduct Follow-up Interviews with Managers: Take the time within a month after class, to follow-up with the managers to see if training has addressed the job needs and what other needs could be met. Discuss your investigation results with the learners and see how training can be enhanced or reinforced.
5. Arrange for Past Graduates to Be Mentors: Use past graduates and match up these up as mentors to new learners. This provides added support to the learner and recognition to the "graduate."
6. Track HelpDesk Calls: Track HelpDesk calls immediately within the first 2 weeks after class and note patterns in topics or callers. If HelpDesk or surveys show people are not using a skill or having problems with it, then this is a sign that the training course needs to address this issue. It's not that a skill was not taught - calls on the HelpDesk are proving it wasn't learned. You need to determine if there better ways to teach the skill. Is a reference card needed? Are procedural changes needed?
7. Use Network Messages/Newsletter Articles/Lunch & Learn: Learning cannot stop just because the class is over. Use newsletter articles, network sign-in messages, bulletin boards, etc. as opportunities to reinforce new skills or address problem areas. Send out the ATop 10 Questions/Answers This Week list through e-mail to recent class members. Determine what materials or topics need to be enhanced/added in the training class to eliminate the common HelpDesk calls. Do mini sessions in a Lunch & Learn format, and run 20 minute "info-mercials" presentations on new software features as a way to introduce software upgrades.
8. Make Enhancements to Curriculum/Course Content: Use the feedback gathered through the evaluations, surveys, interviews, and HelpDesk Call Tracking to make revisions and additions to the courses. The courses can't be static or they will not meet evolving job needs.
9. Determine Areas That Need Alternate Training Solutions: Training is not like pantyhose - There is no one size fits all solution! Today we have a wealth of training resources available. Consider options like Internet training, interactive multi-media programs, 1-1 training, Quick Tips manuals, etc. to enhance and supplement instructor led programs. Consider the cost of the learner (both the lost time while at class and also lost productivity of the training doesn't stick), not just the cost of the training, when justifying alternate solutions.
10. Publish ROI Statistics and Job Uses: Look for evidence that the training skills are being used and make a difference. Don't try for scientific proof - collect evidence through manager's assessment and feedback from learners.   If training is not making a difference, there is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, or your training programs will earn the reputation for wasting valuable time and money.

Susan Boyd, is president of Susan Boyd Associates, a computer training firm that specializes in customized application training. Products also include the Accelerate Computer Learning with Analogies book, posters of the analogies and 10 Commandments for Trainers & Learners, and trainer workshops. Contact Susan at (215-886-2669), email: susan@susan-boyd.com or visit her web site at http://www.susan-boyd.com for more information.

For more information, contact Susan Boyd Associates at (215) 886-2669. (Philadelphia, PA area)

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