How to design a training people remember

Why do people forget most trainings?

Many trainings fail for the same reasons. The content is too broad. The trainer talks for most of the day. Participants never practise the skill. And when they return to work, nobody supports them to use it.

A training people remember is designed around what they will do differently afterwards. The Community Tool Box guide to designing a training session makes the same point: the design should identify the need, understand the learners, set objectives, choose content and methods, and plan how learning will be assessed.

How do you design a training in seven steps?

1. Define the need. What problem should the training help solve? Talk to participants, their managers and your own records. "Staff write weak reports" is a need. "Staff need a report training" is not.
2. Understand the learners. Their roles, experience, language, literacy and access to technology. Mixed groups need activities for different levels.
3. Write learning objectives. Say what participants will know or be able to do.
4. Choose content. Include only what helps reach the objectives. Check for existing materials first.
5. Select methods. Mix short input with discussion, practice, case studies and role play.
6. Plan the schedule. Leave space for questions, practice and breaks.
7. Plan evaluation and follow-up. Decide how you will know if learning happened and what support will come afterwards.

How do you write good learning objectives?

Objectives should be specific, observable, achievable, relevant and clear about timing. The Community Tool Box gives a useful contrast. A weak objective is "Participants will become more aware of accessibility." A stronger one is "Participants will be able to identify three features of communication that may create barriers for people with disabilities and revise a sample message."

A simple formula: "By the end of the session, participants will be able to [action verb] [what] [how well or in what situation]."

Use verbs you can observe: write, calculate, explain, demonstrate, compare, choose. Avoid "understand" and "be aware of", because you cannot see them.

If an activity or topic does not support an objective, remove it. This is the quickest way to shorten an overloaded agenda.

How much should participants talk and practise?

Adults arrive with experience. A guidebook from the Strengthening Nonprofits project lists using prior experience as the most important adult learning principle, and suggests a rule of thumb of about 50 percent presentation and 50 percent participation. Participation means any interactive method: role play, simulation, discussion, demonstration or practice.

Practical ways to get there:

• After ten minutes of input, give two minutes for pair discussion.
• Use a short real case and ask groups to apply the tool.
• Have participants practise the skill, for example by drafting an indicator or role-playing an interview.
• Ask people to write one action they will take when they return to work.

For energy in the room, see energizers that work in trainings and meetings.

How do you plan the agenda?

Use a simple structure for each session:

Put harder content in the morning if you can. Allow breaks. Build in a buffer, because discussion and practice take longer than planned.

How do you check learning and follow up?

Plan evaluation during design. There are two questions. Did participants learn? And was the training itself useful?

Match the check to the objective. A quiz tests recall, but it does not show that someone can facilitate a meeting or fill in a form. Better checks include a skill demonstration, a scenario exercise or a practical task. Participant feedback on relevance, clarity and facilitation is useful, but satisfaction does not prove learning.

Learning fades without reinforcement. Follow-up can be job aids, coaching, supervisor support, peer groups, refresher exercises or a short call after a month. Also check whether the organisation supports application. People cannot use a new procedure if their policies, supervisors or tools work against it.

In low-connectivity or insecure settings, keep follow-up light: a printed one-page guide, a short voice message group or a monthly call may work better than a long online course.

For online delivery, see how to run engaging online training.

How EMPO can help

EMPO is a trusted training and consultancy provider and one of Myanmar's leading names in practical NGO training, based in Yangon with 1,200+ people trained and 15 partner organisations. We design and deliver training in English and Burmese, online and in person across Myanmar, including programmes built for one organisation's team. See our training services or contact us.

Sources

• Chapter 12, Section 2. Designing a Training Session — Community Tool Box, University of Kansas
• Delivering Training and Technical Assistance — Strengthening Nonprofits