Memorable training doesn’t always inspire actual behaviour change. Rod Webb explores the second stage of his RIA model, Inspiration, and explains why relevance, behavioural focus and skilled debriefs are essential. Drawing on real examples, he shows how to move beyond fun for fun’s sake to learning that motivates lasting action.

In my last article, I considered the importance of retention from my RIA model:

• Retention
• Inspiration
• Action

I wrote about the learning journey and the fact that, if people don’t remember the learning, they can’t do anything with it. I explored the importance of creating learner-led, engaging learning and how adding a touch of the unusual can help people remember the whole experience and what they learnt from it.

In this article, I want to explore the next step – Inspiration.

Relevance is key

What causes people to want to do something with the learning they’ve gained? What motivates the changes in behaviour that mean our training has been successful?  

We’ve all been there, it’s two thirty in the afternoon and, after a heavy lunch, eyes are starting to droop. The trainer, spotting this, reaches into their ‘kit bag’ and pulls out a random energiser. Before we know it, we’re building sandcastles or paper aeroplanes and having a great time.

That connection between the learning and participants’ real-world experiences is the key to inspiration

We’ll remember that activity, but we might not remember how it connected to a change in behaviour needed back in the workplace. And it’s that connection between the learning and participants’ real-world experiences – that relevance – that really is the key to inspiration.

A creative activity that didn’t deliver

I’m reminded of a training activity I participated in more than 20 years ago. The activity involved teams competing to invent the best new pub game, which we then tested and judged that evening.

It’s probably the most memorable activity I’ve ever experienced as a participant. I even remember the game my team invented was called ‘Wiggle’ and that it combined playing cards and darts. Being competitive, I remember very well that it was voted best game! I really enjoyed the activity, however, I can’t say it inspired me.

There were several problems. The first was that the activity didn’t seem to deliver the outcome the trainer wanted. I remember he was bitterly disappointed our game won. He explained that in his view there were others that were more creative. Which rather took the wind out of our sails.

The other problem, and perhaps the bigger one, was that the debrief made no clear connection between the activity we’d participated in and our real lives. The activity was not made relevant.

Looking back, I can see there were some great ideas that could have been explored, including, for example:

• Complexity doesn’t always make a better solution
  
  
• Innovation can sometimes mean small simple changes
  
  
• Creativity is an accessible skill and something we can all develop

I’m sure we could have explored how we came up with the ideas and engaged the team, and how we could use those same skills to create positive workplace cultures where people and teams excel.

But none of that happened, so the training did not deliver any tangible changes in my workplace behaviour. I’m pretty sure the same would have been true of other participants. So, how can we make sure brilliant, memorable activities inspire real change back in the workplace?

Focusing on behaviours ensures relevance

When designing training, there are two questions we should keep in the forefront of our minds:

• What behaviours does this activity need to test or explore?
• How will the activity connect to the participants’ real experiences in the workplace?

Often trainers are tasked with creating a training programme that, for example, “improves customer service”. But what does that mean? The first question we should always ask is, “What are the behaviours that need to change in order for that outcome to be achieved?”

You see, when we focus squarely on behaviours, it becomes much easier to create engaging activities that are still relevant, and often fun. That’s because the same behaviours, in this case perhaps empathy or listening skills, are needed in a huge variety of different situations.

An example: The activity I’m probably best known for creating is Witches of Glum. It’s been used in countries around the world; it’s been endorsed by Show Racism the Red card and today, with my permission, it’s used in schools to help children understand stereotypes and the impact they can have.

It’s an unusual, and therefore memorable, activity, built around a simple fairy story. On the surface it tests listening skills, but what it really does is illustrate how we fill gaps in our knowledge with assumptions – and how those assumptions are often based on stereotypes.

It’s as far removed from role play or presentation as it’s possible to be. But it connects because it’s squarely focused on the key behaviours of listening and assumptions.

Participants have no difficulty recognising the assumptions they’ve made and seeing how, for example, they might make assumptions when faced with customers, or colleagues. And the activity makes it easy for them to recognise how false those assumptions can be.

Focusing on behaviours when designing training helps us achieve the double whammy of creating content that is both memorable and relevant.

The importance of a skilled debrief

Thilst that link between the activity and the real working world might be obvious to us, it’s vitally important to ensure learners see that connection clearly too. Possibly the most important skill any trainer possesses is the ability to debrief using thoughtful questions that encourage participants to examine the behaviours they’ve used and the impact those behaviours might be having in the workplace.

Those questions that encourage a critical evaluation of an experience, as well as reflection and self-awareness, will help participants see how the learning is both relevant and important.

Inspiration happens when people see how what they’ve experienced in the training environment connects to their real-world experience and when they feel motivated as a result to make changes.

It’s those lightbulb moments that help deliver the final step in successful training: Action. The stronger the insight, the greater that motivation to change will be.

I’ll explore Action next time, but in the meantime:

• What are the core behaviours you need to focus on in your next piece of training?
• How will you make the focus on those behaviours interesting, and relevant?

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Rod Webb is co-founder of Trainers’ Library®