Why we need to plan a Training Session
SMT
We have all heard that Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail and yet we ignore this all important aspect. Time Pressures, Customer Demands, Last Minute Training Announcements are the common reasons given for the ad hoc training practices of today. The importance of Training can never be over emphasized, here we try to capture the key reasons for why we should plan a training session-
Without planning, time management is an issue-This is the most common problem which the trainers face in sessions. Commonly we begin with introductions and ice-breakers and slowly warm our way towards the important issues. If more time than needed is spent on the first few topics, there is a rush towards the end sometimes only displaying and reading through slides or may be even skipping them. Most of us have gone through this. Scheduling each topic with the time to be spent on it is crucial to ensure that all topics get their due coverage time depending on their importance and complexity.
Time pressure and omission through confusion- Last minute and adhoc programs build pressure, sometimes this is undetectable. Trainers get into a state of confusion and land themselves in a state of tension and confusion, thereby running a risk of missing out the important topics.
Material prepared may be irrelevant or under-utilized-When made in the last minute, material is copied from previous programs. Without adequate thinking and customizing, such material made is not relevant to the topic or participants. Trainer sometimes realize that the material brought has not been used at all in the session as the content or delivery had to be changed during the course of the program
Without planning no-confidence, over-reliance on comfort-
When one realizes that there is a lot of ad hoc adjustment that needs to be made to the material or delivery. Or when one is faced with questions from participants that one does not know the answers to. Irrespective of the agenda or plan, there is a tendency to stick to the training delivery mode one is most comfortable with (normally the lecture mode). This means that the trainer has withdrawn into his comfort zone and loses his ability to reach the learners with different learning styles.
Cannot reach participants of all learning styles compromise of optimal learning:
There is some preparation that a trainer needs to make well before the program starts. Trainers should evaluate the learning styles of the participants before the session and should prepare accordingly to suit their learning style. This would enable in participants to readily receive the subject imparted by the trainer. Similarly gauging the learning styles helps the trainers send tailor made learning material both before and after the program to buttress learning.
The next time there is a request for a program, do remember that haste does indeed make waste.
