Leadership ROI Article:
It's Better Than Throwing
Them In The River!

Here I'll share key actions for getting more leadership ROI (return on investment) on your training and development programs.

These interesting life statistics and factoids, are fun to read, and shed some insight into why figuring out leadership ROI can be such a challenge for training pros.

• 77.6 years: the average life expectancy in the U.S.
• 8: the number of birthday cards received by the average American.
• 26: the number of books Americans say they read each year

• 56%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten immediately.
• 66%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten in a day.
• 80%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten in one month.

If people remember only 20 percent one month after learning something new, the often quoted workplace learningfactoid that only 10-30 percent of what’s taught in the classroom transfers to on-the-job performance, makessense. (As cited in the book Transfer of Training, by Broad and Newstrom.)

Well, here's one suggestion: In medieval times communities threw children in the river when they wanted them to remember important events!

They believed that if a child were thrown in the water after observing important proceedings, the event would be impressed upon the child and the memory would stay with him for a lifetime.

Does a trip down the river fit in your budget?

If not, here’s a robust list of actions you can take to improve participant memory and retention after your training program is over. This actions will increase your leadership ROI.

A Note: please don't let my long list of actions overwhelm you. If you implement even a couple of these into your development programs, you'll see a dramatic difference in retention and transfer of the information being taught.

• Share ‘why’ the training class and skills being taught are important to the company, to the department, the team and to each participant.
• Share training class performance expectations with the participants – let them know that their active participation in class and retention and use of the skills is expected and will be measured.

NOTE:If the “why” and performance expectations can be expressed by an executive via letter and/or communicated in person by the participants manager, you’ll create more receptivity and focus by the participants. Contact me if you’d like to see the sample letter that I use.)

• Measure pre-class skill level through an online skill survey.
• Give class assignments such as research and reading of relevant materials.





IMPROVE LEADERSHIP ROI: ACTIONS STEPS TO USE
DURING TRAINING
• Restate the “why’s” and classroom performance expectations as you start the class.
• Make the class interactive and energetic.

  Lectures do not work; people need stimulation every 10 minutes.

IMPORTANT FACTS: Brain Rules, by John Medina tells us, “To improve thinking skills – move...get blood to your brain…stimulate the protein that keeps neurons connecting.”

• Include review tests and memory/knowledge competitions with prizes.
• Provide ‘real-life’ practice and role plays.
• Show 'real-life' models of how-to’s and don’ts (videos or real life demos).
• Have participants complete development worksheets and action plans that they share with their manager.
• Have participants select a class Accountability Partner to meet 30, 60 and 90 days after class to discuss goal progress.
• Provide Memory Jogger Cards of the classroom skill points and models.



IMPROVE LEADERSHIP ROI: ACTIONS STEPS TO USE
AFTER TRAINING
• Hold telephone group and one-one conference calls to review and discuss progress on action plans.
• Measure post class skill level through an online skill survey (compare results to pre-class and report progress or lack of progress)
• Ask the participant to teach the skills taught in training to peers at team meetings.
• Develop online learning groups and communities through online forums and discussions.

• Offer follow up development classes: online, classroom and lunch and learns to reinforce content.
• Send an online Post Organizational Support survey to participants to get feedback about how well the organization is helping or hurting participant’s ability to use the skills taught in class.

Implement even a few of these development return on investment actions steps and your leaders will improve their retention, and maybe you won't have to throw them in the river!!

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This software is now available to Small Businesses and all Trainers. Robust, secure, easy to use, customizable and will improve leadership ROI (because it helps you easily implement many of the action steps, shared above.)

Read my review of this Survey Software, here. Get all the specific product Survey Software details, here.

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There is nothing on the market quite like this tool. It will improve leadership ROI and so much more.

Read my review of ProStar Coach here. Take a Virtual Tour, get a free trial-run (and see more) here.

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