Resources

The 6 Ps of Effective Training

11 October 2022

Tricia Dehaney

The following six steps can be used to effectively conduct training to improve individual, team, and organizational performance:

1. Purpose
2. Plan
3. Prepare
4. Practise
5. Present
6. Pause

Purpose

One of the first and most critical steps in conducting an effective and impactful training programme is to determine/ establish its purpose. The following should never be reasons for conducting training:

1. to check a box
2. to ensure that the budget allocation is used before the close of the financial period
3. solely for achieving any KPI related to the number of training programmes to be offered for a period. Number doesn’t equate to quality or impact.

Training should be driven by a need at the individual, team, or organizational level. There must be a clear understanding of how the training will positively impact performance at each level. What outcome will it lead to?

A clearly defined purpose along with the learning, transfer of learning and impact objectives lay the foundation for the next P – Plan.

Plan

When planning your training, consider the following:

• The objectives to be achieved
• The profile of the learners
• How people learn and factors that impact learning
• The most appropriate method/s and activities based on the objectives, learners, time, location and available resources
• How you will evaluate learning (during and after the delivery)

Prepare

One of the best ways to prepare for your training delivery is to use a checklist that covers all the activities to be completed such as: conducting research on the area to identify any new information or tends, preparation of training materials (manuals, slide deck, items for activities, etc.), site visit, preparing the learners through pre-training communication, training equipment.

Preparation should also include any personal matters such as your emotional state (managing any emotions that may negatively impact your performance), your attire and childcare arrangement (if needed).

Practise

Practise forms a big part of your preparation and your confidence level on the day.

• Practise going through the content
• Practise using the tools/ equipment

Present

Create a safe and supportive learning environment that will help to put both you and the learners at ease and also increase learner engagement.

When presenting/ delivering, Be You! Select a style that feels natural and that you are comfortable with. Use your voice to attract attention by speaking audibly, and at an appropriate speed.

Breathe!

Pause

After implementing your programme, pause to assess what went well, what did not go so well, and what changes need to be made to this training or your general approach the next time around. This is known as outcome evaluation. Your assessment must be informed by the purpose and objectives of the training.

Note that you should also pause after each P to determine if you adequately completed the stage before moving on. This is known as process evaluation.

You should also pause to Celebrate!

When done effectively, training can positively impact performance.