Was 2007 a successful year for your L&D department? Was your company able to arrange and run effective English language trainings that received good reviews, satisfied your learning objectives, were highly applicable, and delivered an impact to your business? If so, Congratulations!
If not, then the following steps will assist your department to ensure effective trainings in 2008.
1. Ask, “Why do we offer English language training?”
Ask the above question in order to confirm that your company views training as an investment.
2. Spell out business needs
Review goals realized and unrealized, employee performance, and customer surveys to identify performance gaps and areas that must be changed. Be specific and tangible about the nature of your company’s lackluster performance. Choose a level of performance (benchmark) before any learning intervention occurs. Preferably, use existing business measures like:
• Error rates (measured as the number of applications that have to redirected due to data mistakes),
• Costs of miscommunication,
• Service time, and
• Customer satisfaction.
3. Question whether English language training is the correct intervention
First, evaluate either mediocre language skills are the cause of performance gaps. Frequently instead, personal skills as communication skills and interpersonal skills, or behavioral characteristics as a very modest level of confidence and boldness are the true performance barriers. In addition, performance gaps may be a result of different perceptions of how work should be executed, an inappropriate organizational environment, or uninspiring rewards.
Second, assess either training is the correct intervention to close performance gaps. Lackluster talent or personality traits cannot be changed through ESL training but instead requires other intervention.
4. Define training objectives
Determine Business Impact Objectives (level 4), Application Objectives (level 3), Learning Objectives (level 2), and Reaction/Satisfaction Objectives (level 1) for your training. Based on the sample business needs listed above, examples of Business Impact Objectives are:
• Decreasing the error rate by x percent,
• Eliminating costs associated with improper language skills and/or miscommunication,
• Shortening service time by x percent, and
• Increasing customer satisfaction by x percent or raising scores related to staff interaction by x percent.
5. Design the training
Seek out actual and true tailor-made training solutions. If you do not have an in-house design team, develop a set of criteria for selecting an English language training provider that can best meet your needs. Expect them to follow the above four steps and continue shopping around if they do not. Once you engage an ESL provider, work with them closely to define key areas to be addressed in the course and to translate your training objectives into course material imperatives. Do not rush this stage forward, it takes planning, discussions (frank and open), and assessment.
6. Secure employees buy-in
Secure employees’ buy-in by involving them in performance-training dynamics. Develop a corresponding set of HR practices for greater learning impact. Furthermore, ensure that new skills gained by employees through their training are applied and tested in daily work.
7. Perform post-course evaluation
Once the training is over, evaluate the entire process with the provider against previously set criteria. Measure performance again, measure how well skills are applied on-the-job, the learning effect, and reactions of participants.
You can consider skipping lower level objectives and measurements and instead focus on business impact and performance issues only. However, all four levels help define the course objectives more precisely and link the course material to training imperatives more effectively.
Measuring training effectiveness essentially focuses on a range of pre-course sub-processes. If you or the ESL provider cannot execute this important step or you are interested in a third party’s point of view; then engage a consultant with the skills and knowledge to guide this process. A third-party can help you to design and implement effective ESL training and thereby assist your department in making a valid business case for training to the Board and other Executives.
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