Top 5 tips for the RECIPE for successful training

What makes a successful training course? What a question!

But don’t worry as Motiv8 Training have a solution for success, With 15 years experience and a proven track record, Motiv8 know the answer.

We believe that the key to successful training is to deliver an enjoyable learning experience that leaves an individual feeling inspired and motivated to apply new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

To demonstrate what we mean let’s draw 5 comparisons with another industry that is focused on the recipient of an experience – Fine Dining.

Successful restaurants offer a seamless dining experience – you only notice what good restaurants do well when you experience the same things going wrong in bad ones. So even though it may be a lot easier to write about what makes a bad restaurant (or bad training course) lets try instead to focus on what it is that makes a good one.

1. Focus on the person at the table – You can have the best Chef in the world, the most elaborate furnishings and table decorations but if your restaurant is empty it’s all for nothing.

So how do restaurants ensure their tables are full?

Well they ensure that everything is focused around the diners themselves. A world-class training course also needs to be completely focused on the learner. This means it needs to be interactive, involving the learner and taking into account their own individual needs and learning preferences to help create individual satisfaction.

2. Use the latest ingredients and techniques – Whilst some classic dishes will always remain popular, top restaurants recognise a hunger (excuse the pun!) for new tastes and techniques using science and influences from other cultures to deliver new experiences.

In training we can learn from this.

Are we communicating the latest methods, or is it the same old techniques that were trained a generation ago?

In the last 20 years we have discovered more about what makes people tick than ever before, therefore our own continuous development and research in the latest methods and how we communicate this within any training programme will ultimately benefit the learner.

3. The top restaurants have the best-trained Chefs – becoming a Masterchef requires training and experience; this ensures they can deliver the very best cuisine.

Likewise the top trainers have been trained in the ‘art’ of training – using somebody who is confident and knows the subject matter is not enough. The most successful training programmes are run by trainers who know what they are doing, have been trained in specific training skills and have experience in creating excellence in the training room.

4. Change the Menu – Just as top restaurants adapt and change the experiences in order to keep loyal customers engaged, so must we change and adapt the experience for the learner.

Overuse of one type of training delivery system can be bland and unsatisfying. So whether we achieve this by using a variety of mediums for training such as virtual and online training or simply ensuring that your classroom training includes a variety of different activities and training delivery methods, make sure the learners have a variety of different experiences.

5. Successful restaurants offer a social experience – The ability to interact with your dining companions is essential. Encouraging relaxed conversation and enjoying the experience is a vital part of a restaurants success.

In training we must recognise that our learners will relish the opportunity to interact, to discuss practices and share ideas. The ability of the trainer and the course to encourage discussion and share points of view both during and after the course (via social media and online tools) and to create a community within the learning experience will add to the learners fulfillment and enjoyment.

There are many more parallels we can draw but we feel that these provide a little taste (excuse the pun again) into what makes a great learning experience.

To find out more or to dine at the Motiv8 table of excellent training contact steve@motiv8training.co.uk