Without a needs assessment, you’ll provide a solution to the wrong problem. Every manager I meet is drowning in tasks and responsibilities. So what questions do you ask when stakeholders have little time or patience for conducting a needs assessment?
You can conduct a rapid needs assessment in as little as 10 minutes by asking these four powerful questions:
- What is the problem? Seems obvious, right? It’s not enough. People always present symptoms, so you have to try to figure out the root cause(s) of their problem.
- Where does the problem occur? This is the location question. It helps you start to isolate the problem.
- When does the problem occur? This is the timing question. This further narrows the scope of the problem.
- How big is the problem in measurable terms? This is the scope question. Answers will help to establish the size and impact of the problem.
These get you started. In my ATD 2016 session, 4 Secrets of Training for Maximum Business Impact, I’ll reveal more tips to help you deliver the right solution.
How to Align Your Training to a Metric That Matters
Training is always requested to address a perceived business need—usually a gap in performance. Yet most of the time the reasons for a training request are presented as some cryptic and unmeasurable desired outcome. So how do we convert vague statements into measurable outcomes?
Every manager is held accountable to performance metrics that measure time, quality, cost, and productivity. Simply ask the manager, “By providing a solution, which metric are you trying to improve?” You may have to ask it multiple times in multiple ways to determine a metric.
Be So Good at Facilitating That You Create Bathroom Buzz on Breaks
When I’m facilitating ATD’s Master Trainer course, I share this secret with attendees to my sessions: Use experiential activities to boost participant engagement, embed learning, and foster learning transfer. Include activities to create memorable learning experiences that address the specific challenges your training audience has back on the job.
I have a toolkit of 25 different activities that I regularly use to create highly engaging learning experiences. Trust me, people will be talking about how I taught change management in 10 minutes with a piece of candy.
Additional Bonuses for Attending My ATD 2016 Session
How about these as an enticement? You will receive:
- the ultimate cheat sheet of performance indicators (time, quality, cost, and productivity)
- the ultimate training planning map
- facilitation instructions for two high-impact, low-cost experiential activities that will energize any training program
- three low-effort, high-impact questions to ask for measuring the value and impact of training
- the Master Influencer Toolkit: The Stakeholders Needs and Concerns Matrix
- an e-book called Winning Strategies of Highly Successful Internal Consultants.
So join my session on Monday, May 23. You’ll have an entertaining learning experience from which you’ll get four secrets for designing, developing, and delivering training that achieves maximum business impact for your organization. I look forward to seeing you in Denver!
