Reinforce Training

Training is one event in the target audience member’s life, and it may or may not lead to lasting change. Unless the trainee is given support and encouragement to apply what is learned on the job, the new information remains purely theoretical. For many years, behavioral health programs sent their staff to conferences and training programs where they learned about the principles of integrated treatment for persons with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders. They returned; however, to find licensing, organizational, and cultural barriers to what they had been taught. The training could not by itself produce change. Training that is “worth it” is a training that results in a change the organization values. Part of planning for training should therefore include a plan to reinforce training when the target audience members return. This could include mentoring, feedback from supervisors, and incentives to practice the new behaviors. Corporate training consultant Bryant Nielson stresses the importance of getting buy-in from staff and other stakeholders to get the most out of training. See also Guidelines for Best Practice in Behavioral-Skills Training by Shari Caudron as well as her article entitled Hard Case for Soft Skills, which is on the importance of getting buy-in by stakeholders and the soft skills necessary to implement training successfully.