A great challenge facing the training departments of companies is to be able to motivate employees to participate in the courses, value them and, to the extent of their possibilities, transfer what they have learned into daily practice.
It's a big challenge for a reason: Training plans don't seduce on their own. It is a mistake to think that everyone likes to go to courses and exchange knowledge. And it is even more dangerous to believe that a person, just by attending an event, will modify his behavior.
Today companies are realizing that they need to face intense internal communication and endomarketing action to get people to join the training activities and fully apply their potential.
I want to share with you some of the lines of work that I apply to enhance the participation of people in the training courses offered by companies.
1. Operational communication
For a person to participate in a training course, they must know that it exists. It seems obvious, and in fact it is, but I assure you that in many companies, when someone asks why they did not attend a course, they answer: "because I did not know."
So the company must make sure to communicate the basics:
- The courses that will be taught during the year Who are they directed to or who can participate If they need previous knowledge and what are the duration and place where they are taught How to enroll or if they need authorization from a leader, etc.
In addition, collaborators must know where they will find this information (for example, in a section within the Intranet, or in monthly meetings with their leader or on bulletin boards, etc.), and it is key that it is always up-to-date.
2. Strategic communication
Once the person knows about the existence of the course, they have to know the strategic intentions behind it. That is: to know why you would have to participate in this training.
In this instance, I recommend that the company communicate:
- The objectives of the course Why are you invited to participate Why this course is suitable for your role What does the company expect the person to do after the course Who else is going to participate (and who is not) and why
3. Motivational communication
Once the person knows what the (operational) course exists and why they have to attend (strategic), the third step is that they want to participate.
Here the company's ability to motivate them is at stake, and to do so, it is necessary to develop key messages that answer the questions that collaborators can ask:
- Why should I participate in the course, what benefits me? What affects me if I don't? Will I be able to apply what I have learned? How, where and when? Is the management really committed and interested in people participating? Those who are trained, obtain superior performances or advancements in their career plan? What do the people who have already participated in this course think?
At the same time, leaders must publicly express that they value that people attend the trainings. Unfortunately, at times, management positions inadvertently send demotivating messages that are manifested in expressions that underestimate the importance of the course, or in regrets about the “loss of work days”, or directly due to the total ignorance that a collaborator is participating. in a training program.
4. Bottom-up communication
Finally, I always recommend opening an ascending communication channel in three instances:
to. Before the course: Talk to future course attendees, tell them about the training program, ask them what they need and expect. In a word, involve them and take them into account for pedagogical design.
b. During: Monitor how training is progressing to make adjustments as necessary.
c. At the end: Talk with the participants and find out not only "if they liked the course or not" but if they feel that what was learned was useful, if they think that they can apply the knowledge to their tasks and what else they need in the future to move from " know ”by“ doing ”.
Internal communication can drive the success of a training plan, and for this it is useful to focus on the Operational, Strategic, Motivational and Upward dimensions. At the same time, we have to engage leaders to be aware that they issue (perhaps unknowingly) the most powerful and enduring messages within an organization. That is why it is essential that they carry out clear communication about the value of the training space within the company.
