Focusing Training on Achieving Business Results

We customize our services to meet specific client goals. We listen very carefully to understand long-term business goals, organizational culture, and day-to-day challenges. In working with a client, our priority question is: what results does the client want from its investment in training? Our goal is not to deliver a series of events, but rather to work in partnership with our clients to implement strategies that give staff members the skills and knowledge they need to be more effective in their jobs, and that have a lasting positive impact on performance. Our approach includes the following elements:

Understanding the Need

Whether we are conducting a two-day communication skills workshop or a long-term management development program, our first step is to increase our understanding of the organization and to clarify for ourselves, and if necessary for our client, the specific aspects of job performance which need improvement. In this process, we develop an insider's perspective of the organization, including the culture and work environment. We are intensely curious about technical aspects of our clients' work and the relationship between technical and organizational processes. Over the years we have utilized numerous effective strategies to understand client needs prior to the designing a strategy for training including:

  • Individual interviews with participants, supervisors, colleagues, subordinates and customers,
  • 360 Degree feedback assessments for individuals and teams,
  • research about the organization and the industry,
  • observation of current performance on the job,
  • survey instruments, and
  • competency studies

Designing in Collaboration with the Client

Once we have gained insights into the organization and specific performance issues, we share findings with our clients and together identify improvement steps which are linked to specific business goals. We then propose training objectives and activities that will directly meet the learning needs of the participants and the organization as a whole. In this process we are respectful of the desired level of client involvement. We are happy to work side by side with our clients in developing the training design, or to work independently and review the design with our clients prior to implementation.

Delivering Targeted Training

Prior to a training program, participants are involved in pre-course work including self-appraisals and feedback instruments to help focus the attention of the participants on what will be emphasized in the training and why it is important to them individually and to the organization.

In the delivery of training courses, TRG consistently uses principles of adult learning and experiential training methodology. Course design and delivery incorporate a flexible structure of classroom activities, simulations, and actual experiences in "real life" situations. TRG programs:

  • stress individual learning goals and application
  • place a heavy emphasis on practicing new skills
  • include opportunities for feedback from peers & colleagues
  • include coaching and individual attention
  • have a low trainer to participant ratio
  • are implemented with a team training approach

TRG training programs challenge participants to get involved, to look at how they are doing their jobs, and to recognize that there are indeed ways to improve performance. Participants have commented that we present a concept or skill clearly and succinctly, and then give them a chance practice it in their own situation. They immediately recognize that what they are doing is relevant to the challenges they face on the job.

Making Training Part of a Larger Learning Process

Successful training is built on the recognition that a training course is part of a longer term organizational learning process and that many people have a role in helping this learning come about. We help our clients examine the entire process to determine what can be done before, during, and after the training to lead to the greatest benefit for participants and the organization as a whole. When such actions are taken, participants enter a training program knowing why they are attending, and what will be expected of them as a result. Nurturing the training process in this way does not necessarily require a great deal of time or resources, but it can make a world of difference in enhancing the sustainability of skill utilization. TRG offers services that reinforce the application of skills on the job. These include:

  • follow-up coaching
  • short refresher workshops
  • newsletters/graduate updates
  • web-based resources

Best Result for the Investment

By working closely with our clients to provide customized programs, TRG offers the best possible result for the investment in training and skill development. As compared to expensive off-the-shelf programs, our customized training achieves a higher impact by being directly linked to organizational goals. Further, by tailoring our programs to the needs of participants, there is a significantly higher degree of transfer of knowledge and skills to on-the-job performance. Finally, TRG helps organizations use training as part of a larger process to achieve business goals, and not as an isolated event.