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How to Sell Management On Training's Payoffs
June 25, 2009
By Bill Rosenthal
The budget ax can fall on training in an environment in which organizations are focused on cutting costs. That's because senior management at many organizations views training as nothing more than "nice to have," a function whose absence "won't be felt for months or years." Sadly, the training director sometimes reinforces this way of thinking.
This happens when, reporting on training's contributions, the director trots out metrics like the number of classes held or employees trained. To the director, these numbers represent value creation. To management, they stand for costs, and cutting training's budget can become its solution of choice for meeting quarterly goals.
To help prevent this from happening it's necessary for training directors to redefine the training function. Management must view training not as a cost center but rather as a performance improvement process that helps the organization reach its strategic goals.
Documenting Training's Contributions
Generating the data needed to demonstrate training's outcomes is costly, particularly when budgets are tight. The good news is the data already exists in every organization and only needs to be uncovered. Let's assess the relative value of different kinds of data by using the four-level Kirkpatrick model.
It's clear the first Kilpatrick measurement level, the "smile sheet" level, is of no interest to ROI-oriented senior management. The second level—measuring the trainees' increase in knowledge—has only limited interest. Directors who report only these measurement levels can unwittingly signal training is unconnected with organizational goals.
The third Kilpatrick level—applying learning on the job—lets the director and management begin to talk the same language. It is the fourth level—performance improvement—where the two parties move beyond talking to singing in close harmony.
Training directors must demonstrate to management all the ways in which they're helping to improve performance. How new technology skills are supporting the organization's innovation leadership. How salespeople's improved prospecting, probing, and closing abilities are contributing to growing sales. How the newly trained CSRs are raising customer satisfaction levels. How improved communication skills are helping to shorten cycle times up and down the supply chain.
In short, how training is helping the organization to remain competitive and will continue to do this in a future characterized by dizzying change and hydra-headed challenges.
Generating Data from Internal Customers
The training director can secure compelling evidence about training's contributions by interviewing the internal customers whose employees have been trained. This source of data is often overlooked.
The company's senior sales executive, for example, might have CRM data that shows the differences in the sales pipeline pre-and post-training and provide a valuable endorsement for training's contribution to the gain. It's a good idea to ask internal customers not only what training contributes to their units' effectiveness—but also how this effectiveness would decline if training was curtailed. This added information will be particularly useful if the training director suspects a training budget cut is being considered.
Market Research with an Added Payoff
Asking internal customers to provide training outcomes data also can uncover new needs for training. The IT director, for example, can describe a need for employees to be trained to use a new system that will be put in place. The sales director might have need for a customer education program for a new product.
It's a good idea to also talk with managers of units that are not currently internal customers. These discussions can identify training needs that might not have been considered—or are wanted but can't be provided within those units.
For example, the benefits executive might report employees need help in managing their 401ks. The employee assistance or wellness units might want training to educate employees about maintaining mental or physical health or dealing with family problems. Though the training department might not have direct experience in providing specialized training like this, it has the curriculum development and training delivery capabilities that can be deployed for it.
Heads of units responsible for safety or diversity can also point out their needs for training. Training's contributions to these departments can easily be documented by comparing pre-and post-training results because these units must maintain results records. The company's community relations department might have a need for presentation skills training that helps managers make presentations to community groups. The legal unit might want training that educates employees on how to avoid sending e-mail messages that create vulnerabilities.
Training directors who maintain an ongoing dialog with heads of operating units will stay current on organizational strategy. They'll also uncover systemic needs for additional training. For example, at many organizations, the ongoing retirement of baby boomers is creating serious knowledge management gaps because much of the knowledge these employees have is undocumented. There are also organizations that have adopted more flattened management level structures and are left with large numbers of employees having an adequate supervision and mentoring. Others might be recruiting employees who have specialized skills in larger numbers than needed because these skills can be taught to existing employees. Training directors who identify big-picture training needs will clearly demonstrate to management they understand its issues.
Delivering the Message
Given how extensively organizations are cutting costs, it's a good idea for the training director to be proactive about selling management on training's contributions. Management will welcome the idea of a presentation that describes training's accomplishments if the presentation also proposes a plan to make training even more productive. The plan should focus on giving training department employees more contact with internal customers, through such means as outsourcing the delivery or administration of training.
Here are some guidelines that can help you make an effective presentation to management.
•Keep it short. The higher the level of an audience, the shorter the attention span. Focus on outcomes, not on details, but be prepared to provide the details if you're asked for them.
•Put passion in your presentation. Show you're proud of training's results and enthusiastic about your plan for the future. Deliver the presentation by standing tall, using large-scale and confident gestures, strong and steady eye contact, varied voice volume, and dramatic pauses.
•Use appropriate visual aids. A slideshow in a darkened room isn't right for a senior management audience. A simple flipchart or pre-printed boards will be much better.
•Anticipate the questions you'll be asked and prepare concise, persuasive answers for them.
•Deliver the presentation using management language. Don't talk about "cognitive dissonance," "dualistic thinking" or "multiple intelligences" because you don't have to prove your expertise in training. You're there to present training as an essential element for meeting strategic goals. Stay on message.
Bill Rosenthal is chief executive of Communispond Inc., which provides custom designed and open enrollment training in all aspects of communications and sales. Visit www.communispond.com for free access to a library of articles, white papers, video casts, audio programming and subscriptions to e-newsletters.
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