The 7 Clever Little Secrets For Getting The Most From Any Training

Prior to the event:

1. Be clear about your outcomes
What do you want to get from the training
How will you know you have got it?
Before selecting a training course, be clear about what you want to get from it. It is also useful to understand how you will evaluate the level of success, so consider how you will know. Ask yourself “What do I need to have at the end of the training, for me to know that that has been a great investment?”

2. Understand how you learn best
Do you learn best by listening, by seeing or by doing? Do you prefer to learn in large or small groups?

Once you have established how you learn, you can take action to ensure your needs are met.

3. Research the course
Collect information about various training options
Speak to training organisation/trainer
Ensure the training matches your outcomes and learning style

Making sure the style of training matches the way you like to learn will have a huge impact on the results you get.

At the event:

4. Be Receptive
Wear comfortable clothes
Ensure you have adequate materials (Pens, paper, highlighters etc)
Arrive early and sit in a place which you believe will assist your learning
You will learn best when you are in a receptive state. To achieve this, you need to be comfortable in yourself, the training environment and anything else that will have an effect on your ability to absorb information.

5. Take responsibility for your learning
Listen
Make notes
Ask questions (in or outside of the sessions)
Check back on your outcomes as this may raise questions
Create an action plan
Don’t leave it up to the trainer to guess what you want; by taking responsibility for your own learning you can ensure you get the results you want.

After the event:

6. Review notes
every day for a week
once a week for a month
once a month

Studies relating to recall of textbook materials highlight the importance of review. One such study compared the percentage of material remembered after different intervals of time. The results were:

After 1 day 54% was remembered.
After 7 days 35% was remembered.
After 14 days 21% was remembered.
After 21 days 18% was remembered.
After 28 days 19% was remembered.
After 63 days 17% was remembered.

Course presentations are even more difficult to recall because you are unable to slow down, pause, reflect, or to reread unless you take excellent notes! In a study on recall after listening to a seminar, students forgot more than 90% of the points from the lecture after 14 days!
Without review, most information will be lost from memory. The most effective way of remembering material is to review it within a day or two after the material has been read or presented in lecture.

7. Review action points and measure results.
For a training to be of value, you need to be able to implement the learning into your life. Reviewing action points will help ensure your success and allow you to experience the wonderful feeling of achievement. Similarly, measuring the results and improvement will enable you to feel that sense of achievement and to gain the recognition of others.