• Question:

  I wasn’t able to attend your session on “Learning Transfer Guaranteed” at the recent ASTD Meeting. I arrived just a couple of minutes late and it was so full they wouldn’t let anyone else in the room! What advice do you have for me if I want to guarantee Learning Transfer?

• Answer:

  This is a great question and one we have thought a lot about. Following are five things I would focus on first. (Obviously, we covered more in our sessions at ASTD, but these will get you a long way to your goal):

  1. Recognize that learning transfer is essential to turn training into business results. A good definition of learning transfer is: “The process of putting learning to work in a way that improves performance.” Without transfer, training adds no value; it’s what we call learning scrap. To guarantee learning transfer, you have to make transfer support tools and methods an integral part of every program design.

  2. Assess the current situation. Every continuous improvement effort starts with an assessment of the “as is.” An easy way to find out how “results ready” your programs are is to take the online 6Ds™ Challenge. You can see how your programs stack up against others in the database and where the greatest opportunities for improvement are. You can download a paper version to share with colleagues and we’ll even send you a free, personalized set of recommendations based on your answers.

  3. Clearly describe the new finish line of learning as improved performance on the job. You need to shift the mindset of your participants and their managers that the learning process does not stop at the end of the class or online program. The real finish line of a training program is reached only when participants achieve improved performance in their jobs. That requires transfer and application of new skills, behaviors, and knowledge over days or weeks.

  4. Deliver for application in the learning itself. Because the goal is “putting learning to work in a way that improves performance,” make sure that the way people learn new material and skills is as close as possible to the way in which they will have to use them in their work roles. The most valuable end-of-training evaluation questions are those that assess the extent to which participants understood the relevance and utility of the material and whether they feel prepared and motivated to use it.

  5. Provide support and accountability for transfer. If you want to make sure that your programs have impact, you must guarantee learning transfer. And to do that, you need new tools and approaches. “One definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect a different result.” In our opinion, the single greatest breakthrough in corporate training and development has been the advent of automated, scalable follow-through tools that remind participants to take action, support coaching and managerial involvement, and foster collaborative learning. You can view an online demo of such a tool here.

  What are your thoughts about guaranteeing learning transfer – do you have any tips or techniques that might help other readers?

How about the rest of you? Join the discussion at: The 6Ds LinkedIn Group and the FHC Blog