The 3 Core Objectives of Training

The 3 Objectives

Whenever I deliver a training program I have 3 main goals that I focus on and seek to achieve. The first goal is making participants happy during the training sessions and having them enjoy the training sessions to the max. The second is to make participants benefit greatly from the training as it comes to an end and make them aware that they have greatly benefited from the training. The third goal is to have participants keep growing and developing further even after the training program is over.

Awareness

Although the three goals are tied to one another yet still some training programs may fail to achieve all 3 at the same time thus reducing the effectiveness and impact of the training. Let’s say that after the completion of a training program participants have benefited a lot from it but are just unaware that they have actually benefited. In such a case they will probably provide poor feedback about the training when filling in the evaluation forms. They might discover later on that they have actually benefited immensely from the training after seeing a great positive shift in themselves but that could be long after the training program comes to an end.

Also being aware that one has benefited from the training increases that persons’s motivation and happiness thus impacting the other two factors of success of a training program which are happiness/enjoyment and long term improvement. It is therefore essential that a trainer not only focus on making participants benefit from the training program but also make sure they are aware of the value of the training they have just received and the extent to which they have benefited.

Enjoyment

As for enjoying the training sessions themselves this has a direct impact as well on the other two factors. A participant who is enjoying the training would benefit from it most both instantly and on the long run. Of course it is not enough to make the training enjoyable for people who can have a great deal of fun without this having any real positive impact on them if the activities they are carrying out during the training had not been designed specifically with particular training goals in mind. Enjoyable training is more effective and it also makes the trainer himself feel good about the training as he sees participants active and happy.

Long Term

As for the third and final goal I seek to achieve in training programs I deliver it is the long term impact of the training. Although this cannot be measured during the training and would require months to pass by in order to measure it yet an experienced trainer can sense it during the training itself. By planting the seeds of positive change in the hearts and minds of participants a trainer may be able to ‘see’ with his mind’s eye how they will grow and flourish on their own in the future even long after the training program is over.

Conclusion

A highly successful training program should make sure participants are happy and enjoying the training, are benefiting from it and are aware of that and have the seeds of positive change planted in them so that they can keep growing and flourishing in the future. Failing to achieve any of these three goals leads to a training program of poor quality.

What other equally important general goals should a competent trainer keep in mind when designing and delivering a training program?

Aiming for Imperfection in Training

Perfection is Unattainable

An experienced trainer never tries to aim for perfection when planning for or delivering a training session. Perfection is something illusive that should not be chased and can never be attained in training. Aiming for perfection in training would probably result in an imperfect training session anyway plus the added stress and extra effort exerted by the trainer. Instead of seeing a flexible trainer who is able to adapt instantly and deal with various circumstances a perfectionist trainer would show a great deal of rigidness and be under constant stress. Such a trainer would burn down quickly.

Developing Constantly

Aiming for perfection during planning for and delivering a training session not only consumes enormous amounts of resources from the trainer and keeps him under constant high stress but it also prevents any kind of experimentation or learning from mistakes to take place. It does not allow the trainer to develop and grow and enhance his craft gradually.

In contrast to that, a trainer who aims instead at creating a very good total effect for the training doing 90% planning for the training and delivering most of the training in high quality would have room for learning during the training session and improving after that. By leaving an amount of ‘air’ or space for some imperfection in the training planning and delivery a trainer allows himself to deliver the training without being overstressed and provides him with the agility needed to be flexible adapting to new conditions and dealing with various situations with ease and confidence while constantly developing and improving his craft as a trainer. This imperfection also reminds us of the flexible training session planning method.

Perfection from Imperfection

Aiming for perfection might be something practiced by the novice trainer yet a trainer who wants to keep on improving and developing should never aim at making each and every training session he delivers perfect. Interestingly, by not aiming for perfection a trainer keeps improving and developing thus getting closer and closer to true perfection as time goes on.

Are there situations for which the trainer should attempt to aim for perfection? What can those situations be?