Training programs are essential in enhancing employee performance and driving business results. As a result, every year, organizations make significant investments in learning and development (L&D). here are five strategies that will help you measure the business impact of your training programs and, more significantly, maximize it!


1. Set The Right Foundation, Focus On Both L&D And Business Metrics:

During the training needs analysis (TNA), L&D teams focus on their learning objectives and the strategy that will enable them to achieve those objectives. Then, after training, they typically have parameters to measure its effectiveness through L&D metrics.


2. Choose The Right Evaluation Model:

Identifying the right evaluation model is imperative for training; it will help you clarify what you will measure, how you will measure it, and how you will identify and understand evaluation outcomes.


3. Use A Holistic Approach To Drive Employee Performance And Behavioral Transformation:

To ensure that your training programs create the requisite impact, you need many enablers in action.
In an ecosystem-based approach, in addition to formal training, you can add elements that:
• Engage and motivate learners.
• Inspire sticky learning experiences.
• Offer practice to enable employees to gain further expertise in a particular area.
• Help learners apply new skills.
• Offset the forgetting curve.
• Enable ongoing connections after the successful completion of training.

. Engage Learners Before Rolling Out The Program:
It is challenging to motivate overwhelmed employees who are not interested in investing time in training, which is why it is important to implement measures to engage and motivate learners. 

. Use An All-Inclusive Approach To Design And Delivery, Including Performance Support Interventions
Don’t stop at explaining the significance of the training and its value proposition to the learner; also look for value adds that will encourage learners to register and complete the training.
. Augment Formal Training
Leverage your learning and performance ecosystem-based approach to augment formal training with nuggets that reinforce new knowledge and skills and enable learners to practice and apply them on the job.


4. Leverage JUST-IN-TIME LEARNING OR JOB AIDS:

Just-in-time content such as job aids should be accessible to learners within the flow of work and so they can access help when needed. 


5. Spot-Check Periodically, And Showcase Impact And Value To The Business:

After learners have completed training, determine its impact on the business using the evaluation model you selected to collate and analyze the data. Next, it is important to showcase this value to the business.


6. Sustain And Maximize The Business Impact:

Once you start seeing impact, start investing in measures that will help you sustain your momentum and maximize that impact.
 Foster a sense of continuous learning through approaches like:
• Social learning.
• Communities of practice.
• Self-directed learning.
• Curated content that keeps learners coming back for more.
• Inclusive learning that encourages active participation through user-generated content (UGC).

Original Article Source: trainingindustry.com