Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2017 - 19

approach to the process of skill building,
but classrooms don't provide the
context and environment to develop
practical skills.
Classroom training is used to develop
practical skills such as leadership, selling,
emotional intelligence, communication,
customer service, suavpervision and
management. Information is confused
with skill. Because the academic
model has successfully existed for
centuries, practical subjects have been
shoehorned into it with the vain hope
they will work the same way. It is
evident that practical skills are best
learned through a gradual process in the
environment they are used. If you want
to learn to swim, you must get wet. To
become a leader, learning takes place in
a leadership environment.
Trying to train and develop a group of
employees in practical and individual
skills out of context has increased rather
than reduced the gap between training
and workplace behavior. A two-day
leadership course in a classroom without
follow-up coaching will not increase
leadership skills.

3 | REMEMBER THE COURSE CONTENT
ASSUMING LEARNERS WILL

The third assumption is that learners will
remember and apply the content of the
training courses. This false assumption
has been roundly contradicted by
Dr. Henry L. Roediger of Washington
University in St. Louis with his research
on the rate of which human beings
forget information. This research has
profound implications for training
design because it now suggests that
training should include strategies to
interrupt the process of forgetting.
If the learners cannot remember
the training content, they logically
cannot apply it to their behavior. The
forgetting factor is exacerbated by
training courses focused on delivering
as much information as possible in the
shortest possible time. This assumption
of remembering is totally misplaced if
50 percent is forgotten within the first
hour after training and 90 percent is
lost after a week.

4|

ASSUMING ALL
LEARNERS ARE THE SAME

The fourth assumption is a big contributor
to the gap between training and
workplace behavior. We treat learners as
if they are all the same. We deliver the
same information and concepts to groups
of individuals in the same manner, in
the same place and in the same
timeframe. This suggests strongly that
there is an assumption there will be an
even uptake of information across the
individuals in the group.
When we consider a group of people
and focus on their characteristics, we
begin to realize that there are many

WHY TRAINING FAILS TO TRANSLATE
INTO BEHAVIOR CHANGE
* Using institutional teaching
processes to train employees in
practical skill development such
as leadership and sales
* Lack of follow-up coaching
* Humans are different and are unsuited
for "one size fits all" packaged training
* Lack of meaningful repetition
* Emphasis on content rather than
sustainable results
* Failure to acknowledge and respect
learner's existing knowledge, skill
and experience
* Creating information overload
* Assuming learners will remember
the course content
* Being trainer and content centric
* Assuming learners will do what they
are told and change their behavior
* Generic training material that fails
to address individual workplace issues
* Omission of strategies to change
learner's own behavior
* Lack of understanding human
learning processes

individual differences. These will have
important implications on the style,
presentation, content, speed, relevance
and application of the training.
If effective training courses are to be
delivered, the design of the program
must take into consideration the majority
of these individual characteristics. "One
size fits all" instructor-led training courses
have avoided catering for differences in
group members for a variety of reasons.
The principal reason appears to be that
results from training are far less important
than the financial benefits derived by
the training provider or the cost of the
training. This is demonstrated in the size
of training groups.
When consideration is given to some
of the human differences represented
by a random group of participants on a
training course, you can see how current
practices make it almost impossible to
deliver the results we expect. This failure
to transfer knowledge into workplace
behavior is compounded by the size of
the group. It is universally recognized
that the larger the group of learners,
the less the training will achieve in
terms of retention let alone transfer to
the workplace.
Despite these human differences,
there are a myriad of "one size fits all"
training courses that are prescriptive,
delivered by a trainer who is not
accountable for results and working to
a rigid timetable. The variety of human
learning characteristics limit what
can be learned through conventional
classroom training in groups.
These four assumptions are embedded
deeply in the way training takes place
and actively supported by institutions
and training providers. It is little wonder
why there is a lack of transfer between
training and workplace behavior.
It would make sound economic sense
to design training programs aligned
to the way humans learn to bridge the
gap between the training content and
subsequent workplace behavior.
Peter L. Mitchell is an international specialist
in workplace behavioral change. He is a
trainer, writer and speaker. Email Peter.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - MIND THE GAP 201 7 I WWW . T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2017

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20171112_se
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2016summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2016sales
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015outsourcing
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015leadership
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2013summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2013winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2012summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2012winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2011fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2011summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2011spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2011winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2010fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2010summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2010spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2010winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2009fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2009summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2009spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2009winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2008fall
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