Everything But the Kitchen Sink – Is Your Training Overpacked?

I used to be a terrible overpacker.  I would cram everything but the kitchen sink into my suitcase without batting an eye.  Seriously.  A long weekend away meant four or five pairs of shoes and maybe a dozen outfits.  When you add in all the other necessities – it looked like I was leaving home for good. 

Why did I pack so much for such a short trip?  Because that was my stuff.  And I needed my stuff.  The reality was that I did not, in fact, need all that stuff.  Fortunately, I’ve learned to pare it down quite a bit and recognize the difference between what I need to have and what’s just nice to have.

As a training developer, it’s easy to fall into the same trap – especially when you’re knowledgeable about the subject matter.  If you’re not careful, you’ll end up cramming everything but the kitchen sink into your course and, let’s face it, that’s not a great experience for the learner.

So how can you tell the difference between the information your training needs to have and the information that’s just nice to have?  I’m so glad you asked!

At Orgwide, we take a systematic approach to content development.  As part of that process, we use our High Impact Learning Map (HILM) to walk our clients through the process of identifying exactly what the learner needs to know based on the business objectives that drive the training.  This is the foundation of our entire process. 

You’ll learn more about our process in the coming weeks but, in the meantime, there are three key actions you can take to set yourself up for success on the front end.

1. Identify your target audience.  What are their roles in the organization?  How much do they already know about the topic?
2. Identify the tasks they perform that are directly related to this topic.
3. Determine which high level organizational goals – like increased sales – this training will support.

You’ll begin putting all those pieces together when you learn about the HILM in next week’s blog.  Spoiler alert – you’re gonna love it!