3 Vital Questions

The next time you are asked to design a training solution, do nothing until you’ve asked 3 key questions:

1. What SHOULD be happening ideally?
2. What IS happening?
3. What is the CAUSE of the difference?

So often, because we are trainers or training designers, when someone asks for training we say, “Yes. I’ll carry out a Training Needs Assessment”, which automatically implies that training will be the solution.

But, training is not always the solution.

Do you ever get responses to training such as:

• Your training was rubbish, it changed nothing.
• What a waste of time that was.
• What a waste of money that was.
• I sent my people but I still have the problems I had before I sent them.

You hear responses like this when training wasn’t the correct solution.

So, to ensure we offer training ONLY when training is the correct solution, ask:

What SHOULD be happening ideally?
This question identifies the behaviours (skills) the organisation (or manager) wants to see in these people.

What IS happening?
This gives you the information re the current skill level of people.

If you analyse the difference between what Should and what Is happening, you identify what needs to happen to take the current skill level to the desired skill level.

BUT the killer question comes next:

What is the CAUSE of the difference?

If you get responses such as:

• It’s a new product and they don’t know it yet.
• It’s a new role and they don’t have the skill to do xxx.
• They’ve never had training on the correct to xxx.
• We’re changing the current application to a new one and they haven’t seen the new one yet.
• The organisation is implementing a new strategy and we want everyone applying xxx.
• Then training is certainly part of the solution.

However, if you get responses such as:

• They know how to do it, but they’re not doing it.
• Lack of motivation.
• They don’t follow the procedure even though it’s there in front of them.
• They need to do what they’re doing, but faster or more accurately.

Then training is not part of the solution (at least for the people previously identified).

Why? The cause of the difference between what’s happening and what needs to happen is not caused by lack of skill or lack of knowledge (the only 2 things training can help solve). They are caused by other things such as:

• Managers not managing their people correctly and ensuring they apply what they know.
• Maybe the system or process doesn’t allow people to work faster.
• Maybe there are no defined guidelines outlining excellent performance.

No matter how much training you throw at the above responses, there will be no impact or change.