Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 26

FEATURESTORY

The Only Two Questions
that Matter About Training
I By Dr. Roy Pollock

I

The problem
is that doing
things the 'new
way' is going to
take a lot
more effort.

n the rapidly evolving health sciences
market, training is vital to staying
competitive. Much has been written about
how best to deliver training and new
technologies continue to emerge. We can argue,
however, that regardless of the topic of the
training, or the way in which it is delivered, there
are only two questions that actually matter:
“Can I use what I just learned?” and “Will I
make the effort?”:

example, that the training concerned using an
iPad to detail. Initially, it will probably feel
awkward and a representative may be concerned
about looking foolish or wasting precious time
with a physician if they can’t get it to work right.

The two questions
that determine
whether training
adds value or is
scrap.
Those are the two
questions that—
consciously or subconsciously—go through the
mind of every employee at the “moment of
truth.” The moment of truth is when, back on
the job after training, he or she has to decide
how to perform a task. At that critical point,
employees have two choices: to perform in the
new way they were just taught, or to keep doing
things the “old way” they had done them prior to
training.

The “old way,” on the other hand, is easy. It
has the force of habit behind it; it can almost be
done without thinking. So, other things being
equal, an employee is likely to slide right back
into old habits. Since “if you do what you have
always done, you’ll get what you have always
got,” performance won’t change and—from
management’s point of view—the training will
have failed.
So it doesn’t really matter how much people
learned, how cool the training was, how much
they liked it or how efficiently it was delivered;
unless the participants answer both “Yes, I can!”
and “Yes, I will!” at the moment of truth back on
the job, the training will be just a bunch of scrap
that added no value.

Other things being equal,
an employee is likely to slide
right back into old habits.

Employees have two choices:
To perform as they were
taught in training or to
continue old habits.
The problem is that doing things
the “new way” (the approach they
just learned) is going to take a lot
more effort, which is why we have
shown it as stairs to climb. Even
though it may ultimately be more
effective or efficient, initially they
won’t be as familiar with it. It may
take longer and there is a higher
probability of error. Suppose, for
26

FOCUS | FALL 2013 | www.spbt.org



http://www.spbt.org

Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

Focus Magazine
From the President: Field-Based Trainers
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Focus on the New Learner
Front of the Room: Transitioning to Input
From Paper to Pad: Taking Training Digital at Eisai
Building Better Vendor-Supplier Relationships
The Only Two Questions that Matter About Training
Gamification: It's More than Just a Game
Member Solutions: Focus on Mentoring
Seven Strategies to Engage Managers in Learning
Boosting Sales Effectiveness with Better Field Collaboration
Virtual How: Gamification
Member News
The Long and Winding Road to the C-Suite
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with Ralph Jacobson
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Intro
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Focus Magazine
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 4
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - From the President: Field-Based Trainers
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 6
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 8
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 10
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Guest Editor: Focus on the New Learner
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 12
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Front of the Room: Transitioning to Input
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 14
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - From Paper to Pad: Taking Training Digital at Eisai
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 16
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 17
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 18
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 19
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Building Better Vendor-Supplier Relationships
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 21
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 22
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 23
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 24
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 25
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - The Only Two Questions that Matter About Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 27
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 28
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 29
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Gamification: It's More than Just a Game
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 31
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Member Solutions: Focus on Mentoring
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 33
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 34
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 35
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Seven Strategies to Engage Managers in Learning
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 37
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 38
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 39
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Boosting Sales Effectiveness with Better Field Collaboration
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 41
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Virtual How: Gamification
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 43
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 44
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Member News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - The Long and Winding Road to the C-Suite
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 47
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 5 Questions with Ralph Jacobson
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017summer_supp3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017summer_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017spring_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016summer_supp2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016summer_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2015winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2015summer_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2014winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/LtenFocus/2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2014winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2013summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2013winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2012summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2012winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2011fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focus/2011summer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com