High impact interventions: how to maximize impact of training   Steps and solutions for sustainability Training alone is like a raw piece of meat. Not being cooked and accompanied by vegetables, potatoes and eventually a desert may provide you a flavor of 'not enough'. The analogy fits perfectly as well for training and development interventions. Participants and the trainer are not sufficiently prepared, impact is low; follow up non-existent and long term behavioral change fade away rapidly. High impact interventions therefore require a wise combination of multiple ingredients: tools, models, surveys, assessments, questionnaires, etc... and of course high quality trainers competent to integrate everything to create blended approaches with high value. We intent here below to summarize how a complete high impact intervention can be build using all our experience in this field.

Steps and Solutions for Sustainability

Step 1: Business Proposal

The Business Proposal result from a thorough understanding of the basic development needs that the organization is facing. Key stakeholders are met and not only "prescriptors".

Step 2: Climate Survey

The Business Proposal may address a basic development need while not pinpointing the specific and precise need of a large and diverse population in the organization. The Climate Survey Step may identify particular needs and therefore adjust considerably the purpose of the original Business Proposal.

Step 3: Pre-Assessments

With the aim of preparing future measurement of the intervention's impact, pre-assessment of the current situation represent an essential step. A state of the situation provides also a clear understanding of specific points that participants will need to focus on during the interventions.

Step 4: Questionnaires

Questionnaires provides before an intervention give the opportunity to spend more time on learning during the intervention instead of filling-in them during valuable time. Nowadays, most questionnaires are done electronically via the web and generate state of art reports instead of paper and pencil methodology.

Step 5: Intervention

An intervention adapted to the 3 previous steps is delivered with the highest possible integration of different tools and models for the content and a clever balance between presentations, exercises, roles play, reflection time, videos, learning games, etc... The intervention steps may be spread over a large period of time taking into account the development path of the participants. The impact of the learning will increase dramatically by providing regular and small drops of knowledge instead of dumping all content at once.

Step 6: Bridging

Linking, bridging and combining different models create synergy. Therefore, an easy yet essential added value is provided to participant with minimal need of digesting new materials on their side. Participants save time and integrate all the previous content they received.

Step 7: Post-assessments

Post-assessment must be organized a certain time after the last interventions. This provides the participants sufficient freedom to apply their learning's on the job, considering their daily operations. The tools used in this step are fundamentally the same as in the pre-assessment to ensure consistency and comparison possibilities. Changes in the participant's situation may also be considered.

First, we systematically assess each intervention, based on the 4 levels of Donald Kirkpatrick: Satisfaction, Knowledge, Behavioral Change and Return On Investment; you will find more information on the link below:

www.mailleux.be/company/results.html

Furthermore, many documents are provided to participants for sustaining the implementation and maximizing the impact: Impact Map as a Coach, Conversation Starters, etc...

Step 8: Coaching

Individual issues are considered during the coaching step. Here again, the content and methodology may vary widely and will be the subject of a separated yet integrated proposal.

Step 9: Intervention Assessment

The satisfaction level is of course systematically assessed. Knowledge retention questionnaires may be used after a period of time. Behavioral change will represent the moment where the true value of the intervention is measured. Therefore, this step will not only occur at the end of the intervention but also after a pre-defined period of time.

Step 10: Reporting & Follow-up

Eventually based on the Climate Survey and also considering observations from the trainer during the intervention and anonymous assessment results, valuable feedback can be provided to key stakeholders for further course of action. The content and format of such feedback needs to be already specified in the Business Proposal.

At the opposite, a too high combination of different ingredients and techniques may leave participants with a feel of 'indigestion'. The blended approach will therefore require integrating many different factors and making appeal to specific competencies from the provider.

In cooperation with one of our partners (The ken Blanchard Companies), we also would like to suggest you the following reading: How to maximize your training investment containing as well 4 keys for effective learning.

Since 1991, Mailleux & Associates, in close cooperation with many content providers, has acquired unprecedented experience in this exercise.