3 Methods to Get Learner Buy-In for Your Training

Teams often feel too swamped or simply too uninterested to immediately partake in the training courses offered to them.

Here are three tips for generating internal excitement for your training programme:

• Use the Executive Team: You’ve already won over the executives, so use their approval to get employees interested, whether it is having them announce the programme, having them share training stories of their own, or even setting a requirement for employees to participate.

• Talk to the Managers: Managers can make or break a training programme, both before and after the class. If the manager doesn’t like the idea of the course, they will be reluctant to send team members. Worse, the team might come back with great ideas only to get them shot down. Show the managers the value of the training you are offering so that they encourage their team not only to go to training but also to put what they learn to us.

• Get Peers Involved: Employees are more likely to welcome a programme they have had a say in. The Towards Maturity Benchmark found that 87% of employees know what learning is needed for their job. Use surveys or steering committees to find out what they need to learn, and be sure to listen to their feedback to continue to improve the courses you offer.

Throughout the process, you should craft your message depending on your audience to make sure you are addressing their needs. Even if the training is on regulatory compliance, connect it with each person’s work objectives and life goals to show them that training is a necessity, not a luxury.

For a successful training program, you need buy-in from the top of the company all the way down to the new employee going through onboarding. What have been some of the challenges you have run into, and what techniques have you used to combat them?