How Do You Respond to Colleagues Who Request to Attend Training?
A non-training colleague enters your office and starts talking about an “amazing” seminar that she wants to attend because she heard that it is “full of great info.”
Another colleague has attended a training course and is now referring his peers.
How do you respond to these types of training requests and generated buzz about particular programs? What if the offerings do not fit into the larger development plan?
In such cases, you must focus on acting as a learning and performance consultant, truly considering the potential benefits of a training program before blindly prescribing it.
A few members of our Kirkpatrick Evaluation discussion group proposed the idea of asking 3-4 targeted questions to help clarify how the colleague feels that he or she will benefit from the training program. This can help you to guide them either toward the program or away from it as appropriate while keeping the highest level needs of the organization in mind.
Another member approached the issue from the perspective of being open to the possibility that the training program does fit into the overall development plan. He suggests reviewing the program’s objectives, and if no match currently exists in your organization’s offerings, this may point to a training gap that needs to be filled.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Visit the associated discussion in the Kirkpatrick Evaluation discussion group in LinkedIn to share your own wisdom and experiences with the group, or simply review the advice from other professionals so that you can apply their tips if you are experiencing a similar situation.
If you’re not a member of the group, you will be prompted to join and will be able to begin participating immediately.
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Additional Resources:
Kirkpatrick Four Levels® Evaluation Certification Program – Bronze Level
Kirkpatrick® Business Partnership Certificate Program