subject: Management Training and Its Delivery [print this page] Management Training and Its Delivery Management Training and Its Delivery
What are the top 5 things you need to do to deliver great management training?
How many times have we participated in management training programs selected by our HR or learning and development managers and wished we were elsewhere? We are there in body but certainly not in mind. What are then the key ingredients that will engage all participants in the training process and what will ensure that they implement these skills back in the workplace?
After 15 years in management training, I would rate these top tips as the most critical to ensure that your management training delivery has a high level of impact and participants are motivated to try out their skills in practical ways.
Tip 1
Prior to the commencement of the training, take some time to consult with managers as well as their colleagues and the people they report to. This is invaluable in ensuring that the content and level is just right for the group.
There is nothing worse for a trainer or for the group of participants to feel a disconnect with the content and a lack of relevance. Participants want to know that the content is applicable to them and that there is not simply a download of large chunks of theory with no clue as to what does this mean to me'.
If you have taken the time to do your research, this reaction will not occur and you will have participants eating out of the palm of your hand.
Tip 2
Yes, we do have a lot of knowledge in our own heads about management. And it is tough for us to remember that the training is not about us! It is about the students or participants. It is not what we teach that is important it is what is learned!!
So, next time you feel the urge to talk and talk and download information on to the group, stop and reflect. Is this information of vital importance to the group? Are there better ways of conveying the information that do not involve the trainer doing a stand and deliver' act?
We all learn best when we learn the lessons ourselves. Listening to someone bleat on and on about their theories of management is not the best way of ensuring that we internalize the skills we need to make a difference to our team members.
Tip 3
Bring practical examples in to the management training program. Participants are keen to see what are the main learnings that they need to implement in a practical way.
Yes, theory is valuable but it is only a framework that participants can use to anchor their thinking and to consolidate their though processes. If you are going to use a lot of theory, give examples of practical models that follow step by step processes that are easily remembered and followed. A good example of this is using Prof John Kotter's 8 steps of change model. It is tight and right and it resonates well with the groups.
Tip 4
To make your management training work well, you need to be passionate yourself about the topics. If you have no enthusiasm, the groups pick up on this very quickly. Bring your own examples in to the room and share your experiences, both good and bad and do it with some vibe and verve!
Remember your presentation skills programs and everything you learnt on train the trainer and include these skills in to the management program.
Tip 5
For great management training, allow for a whole range of mixed media to be included in the program. Use learning materials in different ways and do not be bound by workbooks that participants need to turn page by page.
There are so many other tools and strategies that could be included. This is the age of Youtube (or MeTube as some call it). There are so many great videos that bring the management classroom to life. There are interactive games, there is the internet and there are ways of working with groups that do not involve being glued to a chair. In fact, who said that training and sitting down in a chair are in any way related? What about field trips and guest speakers?
My final footnote though is to remember that we do not make great managers in a training room. We have to encourage participants to try things out, learn from their mistakes and continue to learn as they grow and develop in their roles. Invite them to find mentors and not to see the management training room as the end of their journey when in fact it is the beginning.
