Four fun ways to follow-up on training transfer

Ken Blanchard (author of the One Minute Manager) argues that we should be spend at least as much time on training follow-up as we do on its organisation and delivery. Below are four simple things that trainers can do to support the transfer of learning post training:

1. Send a Post Card

Before they complete training, ask the participants to consider one or two key things that they would like to implement after the program, based on what they have learned. This may include something they should start doing, or perhaps something they should stop doing. Provide each participant with a blank post card and ask them to write the points considered on the back. Next, ask them to self-address the post card. Finally, collect each of the post cards, attach stamps and post them on the participants’ behalf about 3 weeks after the training. In this way, Postcard acts as both a closer to content as well as a reminder of the content post-training. There will be greater impact for the participants as they are essentially creating advice for themselves, from themselves. The arrival of the post card could also kick-start the implementation process, if it hadn’t already started.

2. Ask them to Email you

Ask participants to email you a brief summary of the two most important points they took away from the training. You could use an incentive such as providing access to a members section, free subscription to an ezine or putting them in the draw to win a book, to get them to respond. As an extension, you could collate student responses then mail or email the list to the whole group. This will give you an opportunity to reinforce what was learned a second time.

3. Send a quiz

Send out a quiz related to the training's content 4-6 weeks after the session. This will be a great means of testing retention, but also helps to bring the training concepts back to present of mind. Further to this, you could add some wholesome competition through creating a prize for the "best" answers. Finally, use an online survey tool (such as zoomerang or survey monkey or to manage the process)

4. Share the Success

A week after the training, reconnect with the participants to determine what they have been able to put into practice. With permission, post the anecdotes in a publicly-accessible place or in the “members section” described above. This will help participants to make the content real and support the transfer of learning to their workplaces.

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