Is a logical communication plan a part of your training design strategy? Jenn Labin, author of Real World Training Design urges us to develop a strategy of communicating early and often with your training "headliners."

As Labin explains, in the real world of learning design, here is the bottom line:

"Hype a new training event the correct way. Get “headliners” involved early to get even more people excited about the event.

1. 1. Stakeholders: Continue your weekly or biweekly meetings to keep your clients informed of progress and problems. Provide deliverables such as storyboards, training outlines, and materials as they are completed to prevent surprises later on!

   2. Learners: Begin a marketing campaign during the design phase of the project. Share information such as guest speakers, inclusion of social or online learning components, and competencies covered to build anticipation.

   3. Learning & Development Team: Conduct frequent, but efficient team status checks to make sure progress is continuing. Encourage peer reviews of design deliverables and materials to ensure the highest-quality product.

   4. Managers: Don’t forget about your learners’ bosses. Communicate to managers what behavior changes they should expect to see and how they can support performance back on the job. Remember that you need manager buyin to see a true change in performance."