Phase IV - Implementation

Learning Objectives:

1. Be able to prepare a lesson plan
2. Be able to prepare appropriate materials to support the training objectives and be appropriate to the training media
3. Identify the constraints in scheduling training
4. Describe the benefits and process of conducting a dry run and a pilot program
5.  

 Preparing the Training Materials

After the training methods have been determined, the next step is to prepare or

purchase the training materials. Some considerations are program

announcements, program outlines or syllabi, training manuals, and textbooks.

 Program Announcements are used to inform the target audience about the training program.  The announcement should indicate the purpose of the program, when and where it will be held, and how the employee can qualify to participate in the program. Sufficient lead time is needed to give employees time to adjust their schedules and process the necessary forms.  Usually these announcements are sent through supervisory channels, union stewards, company newsletters or mailed individually to employees,

 Program Outlines are documents that communicate the content, goals, and expectations for the program.  Usually these are provided at the beginning of the program, and include course objectives, topics to be covered, materials or tools needed, requirements and a tentative schedule of events.

 Training Materials or Textbooks are needed for the basic instructional material, readings, exercises, and self-tests. Training manuals are often designed to avoid the generalization of textbooks and make the instruction directly applicable to the employees situations.

Prepare the Lesson Plan

The following is an example of a lesson plan:

Lesson Plan - Part II

Source:  This lesson plan adapted from Human Resource Development, 2^nd ed., DeSimone and Harris, Dryden Press (1998), pages 140-141.

Scheduling the Training Program

 Organizations are often busy, hectic and unpredictable environments, making scheduling training activities difficult. The goal of scheduling is to ensure that the trainees and the trainer are available and have their attention focused on the learning the tasks at hand. Some general scheduling tips are:

·        Schedule during normal work hours to avoid outside conflicts and to send the message that learning is an important part of their job.

·        Mondays, Fridays and the days surrounding a holiday are times employees like to schedule additional time off.  These days should be avoided if possible.

Facilities

A very important part of the training experience is the training room. The best training can be of little value if there are distractions, uncomfortable seating and room conditions, and the audiovisual presentations are difficult to see.

The Training Room

Seating Arrangements: Certain seating arrangements facilitate the learning process. Some considerations are:

• Traditional classroom seating. This is effective for large group lectures and one way communication

  X

  O O O O O O O

  O O O O O O O

  O O O O O O O

  O O O O O O O

  O O O O O O O

   

• Horseshoe seating: This setup encourages participation by allowing eye contact between the trainer and all the trainers. It promotes "accountability" to the group and the trainer is able to move closer to each learner.

  X

  O       O

  O       O

  O       O

  O O O O O

   

• Modular Seating: This set up is effective for work in small groups for such activities as exercises, case studies,  and courses that require a lot of group activity

   

  0 0 0		0 0 0
  0 0 0		0 0 0
  	X
  0 0 0		0 0 0
  0 0 0		0 0 0

  Circular Seating: This is the most democratic. With no tables each person is "revealed" and subtle non-verbal communications are possible. This is effective for T-groups and sensitivity training.

  O  O

  O      X

  O         O

  O         O

  O      O

  O  O

   

  Implementation

   You are now ready to implement your instructional strategy or training plan.

After gathering the instructional materials, the equipment, preparing material or manuals for the trainees and trainers, and selecting the facilities, you are ready to conduct a dry run and, or conduct a pilot program.

• Dry Run – The dry run is conducted to test the effectiveness of the training program in a very controlled setting. Use potential trainees. Select attendees based on using some content expertise, those supportive of the value of the trainee and their willingness to provide feedback.  The entire program need not be conducted. Feedback from the dry run needs to be examined and the training revised where necessary

• The Pilot Program – This is different from the dry run in that trainees are there to

  be trained. The dry run should have refined the program to the degree that there

  should not be any major problems. Trainees from the pilot program should be

  chosen carefully. You will still need some input to further refine the training

  The main goals of the pilot program are to provide their trainees with the

  relevant training, to assess further the timing and relevance of modules and

  components, and to determine the appropriateness, clarity and flow of the

  material.

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