Using the Six Thinking Hats® to Analyse Training Needs and Evaluate Training Programmes
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Hi!
Here's the December 2010 issue of Psyche-Selling TM
eNewsletter, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, it's
time we get ready for 2011.
If you are somehow accountable for arranging for training, you might be
doing some level of training needs analysis (TNA) or
evaluating which training programmes you might want to
implement for your colleagues next year.
Yet, our feedback from many Training Managers and even
HR Directors is that determining the right training
needs for each Business Unit, or even each department,
is getting increasingly tougher due to fast-changing
business focus and an increasing need to measure
training effectiveness. The fact that most
training outlines and trainers' profiles these days
looked as if it's been written by the same person!
Hence, this month's topics:
-
Using the Six Thinking Hats® to
Analyse Training Needs and Evaluate Training Programmes;
and
-
Why Proper Pre-call Planning Can Make or Break Your Sales Efforts
This issue's main article is on "Using the Six Thinking Hats® to
Analyse Training Needs and Evaluate Training Programmes", and
it is about how you can clarify your thinking and
identify the right programme for the right training need
and the right way to measure results.
In brief:
-
With rising expectations
on the impact and effectiveness of training in
organisations, Training Managers are finding it more
challenging to meet such demands from their
colleagues;
-
Instead of focusing on what training courses to
purchase and implement, Training Managers will have
to start focusing on the expected positive
behavioral changes
of the targeted trainees;
-
Without having much resources, Training Managers can
leverage on the Six Thinking Hats® to define training
objectives, assess needs, and implement training
programmes that deliver business results. Read on... ...
To read the rest of this newsletter, pls.
click here (http://www.psycheselling.com/page4.html.
In the meantime,
I will be on
vacation in Singapore from 19 December 2010 till 10
January 2011. I'll still be contactable via
e-mail:
info@directions-consulting.com
Using the Six Thinking Hats® to
Analyse Training Needs and Evaluate Training Programmes
by c.j. Ng
Certified Facilitator, Six Thinking Hats®
Elyn has been tasked by her boss to plan out her
company's training plan for the forthcoming year.
"Elyn, can you help us identify a few training
programmes that will help us in our teamwork,
communications skills and general productivity for
the coming year?", that was what Elyn's boss tells
her. No clear budgets, no specific training
needs and no indication how to measure training
effectiveness.
As what she did in the past, Elyn calls up a few
training vendors whom she knows and ask for the
training outlines, trainer profiles and of course
the pricing of those programmes they have. She
then meticulously schedule the training workshops
for each of specific groups of colleagues in her
company. When she is done, she presents her
"training plan" to her boss, showing her meticulous
schedule she has created.
Without looking at the line-up of training
programmes, the boss takes a glance at the total
training costs and makes a very simple comment,
"Wow, that seems like we are spending a lot of money
on training. Are you sure we can get the
effectiveness from these training?"
Before Elyn can comment on
her boss's comment, her colleague, the Sales
Director who is also present at the meeting makes
the following remark, "I don't think my sales team
needs simple things like communication skills
training. We need something that is more
relevant to our work. I don't think I will be
committing my department's budget to this training."
Now Elyn is feeling really red-faced. After
spending weeks to come up with a "training plan",
what she gets is doubt from her boss, and downright
rejection from her colleague in front of her boss.
Being the very meticulous
and highly responsible
person that she is, Elyn turns
to the
Six Thinking Hats®
to find out how she can analyse her company's training needs and
evaluate training programmes
more effectively.
Conducting Training Needs Analysis Using the
Six Thinking Hats®
If you don't know what are the Six Thinking Hats®
as yet, you can refer to our
past newsletter to get
more information. To help us understand how to
apply the Six Thinking Hats® in Training Needs Analysis, here's a brief overview:
-
Blue Hat - The focus
and purpose of any training is to make trainees
change their behaviour (for the better, hopefully).
Hence, throughout your Training Needs Analysis, you
need to stay focus on what behaviours you want your
colleagues to change, so as to improve their
performances
-
White Hat - Information
on what kinds of behaviours need to be changed does
not exist in a vacuum.
-
Yellow Hat - While
training IS about changing behaviours, it may make
sense to start asking your BU Heads and functional
managers what are the strengths of their respective
teams first, before you start asking what are their
weaknesses. When you start with asking the
weaknesses, people get defensive. When you
start with asking their strengths, people become
modest. Besides, there may be some strengths
that need to be strengthened, which is also a
positive change in behaviour.
-
Black Hat - Once you
understand the strengths of your colleagues, find
out what are their weaknesses, or areas of
improvements, or performance gaps. This is
usually the biggest reason why the respective BU or
department is willing to allocate budget to the
training programme, as the training is viewed as
solving a critical problem.
-
Green Hat - As there
will always be demands to measure training
effectiveness for different types of training
programmes, this is where you need to be creative to
find out cost-effective ways to measure training
effectiveness. The Green Hat is also very much
required for cases where standardised training
programmes are not suitable, and customisation is
required.
-
Red Hat - At different
times in the development of your training plan, you
can calibrate the emotions of your colleagues as
well as yourself, particularly if you or your
colleagues feel confident or cot confident in a
certain approach. If any party feels hesitant,
there might be some unresolved concerns that may
require your attention.
When putting on your White Hat, here
are some other sources where you can collect more information:
-
Performance appraisals or performance management plans (PMPs)
or talent management plans;
-
Talking to Business Units (BUs) Heads and functional
managers to find out what are some of the
performance concerns they have for their team, and
which behaviours need to be addressed;
-
Conducting in-depth conversations with targeted
trainees
Perhaps the Red Hat of some readers at this point could
be: if I'm going to put on my White Hat and collect so
much information, how do I have the time AND resources
to do so?
The good news is
that you don't need complete information of all that is
happening within the BU or the department. You
just need to get the relevant information about what
behaviours need to be changed.
It is also very important when putting on the White Hat is NOT to ask your BU and department heads what training
courses or workshops they think their team needs, because the
courses mentioned by the BU Head may not be the right remedy to
change behaviours. After all it is you, not them, who is
the expert in training matters.
Better to put on the
Yellow, Black
and Green Hats to find out their
team's strengths, weaknesses and possible solutions to make them
better.
Evaluating Training Programmes Using the Six Thinking Hats®
Now that you have
found out what are the behaviour changes are required for
your colleagues, the next thing is to identify ways how best
to effect those changes. Here are some suggestions:
-
White Hat:
-
What are some of the information that you
already know about related training programmes?
-
What are some information that you would like to
know? Where can you get them?
-
How do you measure success?
-
Yellow Hat
-
Black Hat
-
Green Hat
-
Red Hat
-
Blue Hat:
The
unfortunate mistakes that most training managers make
when evaluating trainers and training programmes are:
-
Asking if the trainer has experience training
their industry. While this might sound like a
fair assumption, it depends on the type of training
involved. We were approached once by a huge
chemical company for our sales training programmes
asking if we had experience training or selling in
their industry. After some thought, we told
them that while both the cosmetics and coatings
products belong to the chemical industry, they have
totally different customer and selling needs.
-
Insisting on working with a world-renowned brand for
every single programme. Actually, it's a good
thing to work with big brands, since their products
are much likelier to be well-tested and developed.
It's only a mistake that when you need to have a
great deal of customisation and localisation, and
yet source for off-the-shelf big-brand training
programmes.
-
Insisting on older trainers with lots of grey or
white hair. Again, the perception is that
older trainers are more experienced and therefore
able to share their in-depth experiences, which may
not be true.
Using the Six Thinking
Hats®
to Manage Your Time
At this moment, some Training Managers would
probably be wondering "Why on Earth should I go through
so much trouble just to analyse training needs, and
evaluate training programmes. Can't I just follow
what my predecessors and their predecessors did, since
nobody complained anything about what they did?"
Here are some Blue Hat reasons why you MUST pay more
attention to training needs analysis and training
programme evaluation:
-
Regardless what industry you are in, chances are
competition are getting increasingly stronger by the
day. Usually, the people who work in your
company are becoming the main source of competitive
advantage;
-
Senior managers are getting more involved in the
training effectiveness of their programmes, and they are
demanding to get more results for every dollar spent on
training; and
-
The Training Department is getting more professional and
effective, and younger Training Managers and Assistants
(those born in the late 80's) are doing what they could
to measure training success. Hence, my dear
current Training Managers, it's either you shape up or
you ship out!
As
Sun Tzu says in the Art of War,
"If you can march 1,000 miles and NOT feel
tired, you will be undefeatable" (行千里而不劳者,行于无人之地也).
What it means is that if you are able to do the extra
work and deliver better results for your company and
colleagues, you will eventually be the main beneficiary.
Need help in conducting better training needs analysis
and training programme evaluation without over-working
yourself? Simply e-mail
mary.song@debonochina.com or call
+86 21 58768009 for Mary to find out when is the next Six Thinking Hats®
working session in China.
Power Breakfast Hour: 18 January 2011
Using the Six Thinking Hats® to Analyse Training Needs and Evaluate Training Programmes
Join International Sales Force Effectiveness consultant c.j. Ng
as well as Senior Consultant of de Bono China Mr. Phil
Law in this Power Breakfast Hour in Shanghai
where you will find out:
-
How to use the Blue Hat to
what are the behaviours
that need to be
improved, and how to
measure the improvements
brought by training;
-
How to use the White Hat to
gather information and inputs to determine what
needs to be trained;
-
How to use a combination of all Six Thinking Hats® to
implement the right training programmes that will
deliver your desired results
VENUE: Crowne Plaza Shanghai • 400 Panyu Road (near
Fahuazhen Road) • 上海银星皇冠酒店 • 番禺路 400 号 (靠法华镇路)
DATE: Tuesday, 18 January 2011
TIME: 08:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
PRICE: RMB 200 ONLY!
To make this a more conducive discussion, we are
expecting a small group of about 15 people only. The
room can only take in 18, so please register early to
avoid disappointments. Please e-mail your registrations
to sales@directions-consulting.com
You can also download our Power Breakfast Hour video
on
Using the Six Thinking Hats® to Win More Sales and Get More Customers Part 1.
Pls. check out our web sites
www.directions-consulting.com and
www.psycheselling.com/page4.html for more inspiration.
Need a Keynote Speaker for your
Major Sales Conference?
Whether you are holding a conference for your regional staff, resellers or
even customers, we have the right speaker who can help you deliver the
spirit of your conference, and effect positive changes to meet your goals.
The topics our speakers can speak on include:
- Using the Six Thinking Hats® to Win More Sales and Get More Customers
-
Why Some Sales People
Succeed While Others Fail?;
-
How to
Lure Away Your Competitors' Key Accounts, and Make Them
Buy from You Instead?;
-
Improving Sales Productivity by Motivating the Sales Force;
-
Sun Tzu and the Art of
Strategic Decision Making;
-
The End of Guanxi as We Know It!; and many more!
Simply e-mail your requests to
info@directions-consulting.com or call +86-21-6219 0021 for enquiries.
Sample video and audio recordings available upon requests.
Practical Tips for
Sales People:
Why Proper Pre-call Planning Can Make or Break Your Sales Efforts
By the Brooks Group
Even though he was talking about
battle, Napoleon put it best
when he said, “To be
outmaneuvered? Yes. To be
surprised? Never!”
And that’s why it’s important to
harp on the “basics.” One of the
most important (but easily
overlooked) is the critical role
of pre-call planning. It simply
can’t be underestimated. For
every call, you ought to spend
time preparing. However, some
salespeople believe "winging it”
is okay. They’re wrong.
Pre-call planning is the
research, data-gathering, and
preparation a salesperson must
conduct in order to be fully
prepared for a sales
presentation. It involves both
the physical and mental
preparation required for
success. In this month’s
newsletter, we’ll go deeper than
the most basic pre-call planning
elements. Sure, you’ve got to
know where your meeting is
taking place, who you’re meeting
with, and other information like
that, but let’s talk about the
more commonly overlooked things
to consider before walking into
a sales call. Here's a list...
Structure: What are the formal and informal
structures within the
organization? Who will be
involved in making the decision
to buy from you? What roles do
people play relative to your
solution? For example, one
person might be using it while
someone else will be making the
decision about whether to buy in
the first place.
Current Situation:
Determine what's in place
already. What solution is your
prospect using today? How can
you leverage weaknesses in your
competition? If this is a
current client, what buying
records do you have for them?
What have they bought from you
in the past? Having this
knowledge is particularly
important in case the person
you’re meeting with doesn’t
remember it.
Opportunities: Make a list of possible
opportunities with this
particular client. Be sure to
think about more than the most
obvious. In other words, the
reason you’ve been granted a
meeting with this prospect might
only be the tip of the iceberg.
For example, are there other
problems your prospect might be
facing that you can help with?
What lies beneath the surface
could be the difference between
an average sale and something
tremendous. Be sure to consider
all possibilities.
Landscape: What attitudes do the people
you’re meeting with have about
your offering? Are there people
who – for one reason or another
– might be resistant to you or
your company? Take the time to
consider what the landscape
looks like.
Essential Collateral:
If there's a particular piece of
collateral material you can't go
without, be sure to bring it.
This also goes for warranty
documents, testimonial letters,
case studies, etc.
Whatever You've Promised: If you've already spoken with
this prospect, what have you
promised to bring? Don’t forget
it! That mis-positions you as
disorganized and that’s never a
good way to begin a meeting!
Leverage:
What current clients or other
resources can you leverage
during a call with this
prospect. Is there a way to use
resources that you (or your
company) have developed to
maximize the time you're
spending with a prospect? For
example, do you already do
business with a client of this
prospect? How could you leverage
that relationship to maximize
this meeting?
This list is certainly not
exhaustive. And, to that point,
it's important to remember that
there’s a balance when it comes
to pre-call planning. It’s
definitely easy to get lost in
planning and spend too much time
preparing for a sales
presentation. It’s up to you, as
a professional salesperson, to
be sure that you have enough
information to succeed without
wasting time.
Finally, here’s a bonus tip:
Don’t forget to confirm your
appointment! There’s a pretty
good chance (especially with
today’s super-busy people) that
you’ll be forgotten. Nothing’s
worse than taking the time to
prepare for a meeting…only to
discover all your time and
energy was wasted.
If you would like to get more and better ideas how you can
plan better to get your customers to buy more from you, you can e-mail
info@directions-consulting.com or call +86-136 7190
2505 or Skype:
cydj001 and arrange to buy me a mocha. All
information shall be kept in confidence.
About PsycheSelling.com
Sales... ...the
lifeblood of a company, a matter of "life and death", survival
or extinction. Indeed, something that needs to be studied,
applied and re-modified consistently.
Yet today,
-
many companies still don't have a coherent approach as to how they can
generate more sales and achieve better margins;
-
many sales people are still lying to their customers so that they can
meet their targets at the end of the month;
-
many customers are still waiting ethical and professional sales people
to help them find out their real needs, and provide solutions that work
Psyche-Selling TM
is set up so that companies and sales people can make healthy profits and
STILL provide genuine solutions to customers.
Psyche-Selling TM
would like to create an environment where customers can trust sales people
to give them what they want, and NOT be pushed with all kinds of products
and services. In return, customers will become loyal fans of these
ethical and professional sales people, and repay them many fold for the
long-term.
Psyche-Selling TM
will not rest, until the above is achieved. Not just in China. Not
just in Asia. But everywhere where buying and selling takes place.
Psyche-Selling TM
is a wholly-owned brand of
Directions Management Consulting Pte Ltd that specialises
in the field of improving sales performance by enhancing the performance of
the entire sales team. Apart from the regular "selling skills
training", Psyche-Selling TM
conducts pre- and post-training analysis, interviews, monitoring and
reviews, working closely with managers and even senior management, to
deliver real improvements in sales leadership and performance.
Hence, Psyche-Selling TM
would like to be known as the preferred choice of outstanding and remarkable
clients, and pride ourselves as such. We will also be continuing to
assist our clients achieve greater heights in 2009 and beyond.
Enquiries and suggestions,
pls. e-mail
info@psycheselling.com or visit
www.psycheselling.com
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