Is it Really a Good Idea to Invest in Employee Training?
Our online courses and webinars can make you and your employees better business writers. But how do you know our courses – or any training – will give you a return on your investment?
A recent article in Harvard Business Review by John Carucci reported U.S. companies spend at least $90 billion per year on training and development. Whether all that investment pays off depends on lots of factors.
Here are a few myths about training:
It can cure all problems.
You get long-term results from an hour-long workshop.
Simply present information and people will learn.
Let's address these points one at a time:
1. Training cannot cure all your company's problems. You need to choose practical training that addresses the problem at hand. As Carucci describes, a large company asked him to design training to help employees behave more like entrepreneurs and less like bureaucrats. But after delving into the organization's problem, he found the real issue was not lack of skills among employees but problems with leadership expectations, distribution of authority and other factors. The training in this case could only be effective if it addressed the root causes of the problem.
2. Training is not magic. Although we see great results from our Business Writing That Counts! online courses and webinars, we know the reasons why: First, they are designed for results. Second, everyone who participates in an online course from us receives a convenient tip card that summarizes what they've learned. Third, we address specific skills your employees need. But in those rare cases when the new skills don't stick, we are ready to help with our specially designed and customized business writing coaching.
3. Learning comes from thinking, not from teaching. This is one of the most important points Carucci makes: Just spotting problems and holding or sending employees to classes does not always lead to learning, especially if there is no commitment to change and to address those root causes. For example, we can teach you or others to Take Your Writing to the Next Level, but if employees learn to write more succinctly and the manager overseeing their work revises by adding long and superfluous language, the new skills simply cannot take hold. Those new skills come about as employees reflect on past ways and new solutions.
Our online courses and webinars are built for return on your investment. Our writing coaches can outline writing strengths and remaining challenges. Learn more about webinars, online courses and coaching on the Business Writing That Counts! website or give us a call at (425)-485-3221.
