Implementing Methodology Training – How to Move the 40%

In most organizations, participants of any methodology or skills training tend to cluster into three groups:

-          Group A:  Those who “Get It” – they understand the new concepts and are eager, comfortable and confident to put the new ideas into practice right away.

-          Group B:  Those who understand the new ideas – but aren’t yet entirely comfortable to apply things right away.  They want to see success with their peers before they try on their own.

-          Group F:  Those who say something like, “I’ve been selling/doing demos for 20 years and you can’t tell me how to sell/demo…!”

For many methodology training outcomes, Group A represents about 30% of the total, Group B 40%, and Group F the remaining 30%.  What can be done to improve adoption?

Group A – simply needs to feel good about what they are doing.  They need positive feedback on the changes they’ve made and obstacles removed that might impede their progress.

Group F – well, voluntary or involuntary attrition will take care of them…!

Group B – here’s the biggest opportunity!  They need to see success stories from their peers as one mechanism, so that they are more comfortable to try out the new ideas.  They also need to gently (but firmly!) be pushed to adopt the new habits.  Periodic manager coaching helps with this – but what if there were a way to enable coaching and guidance to take place with every important interaction?

I’m very pleased to note that FactorLab offers a really elegant solution called GROW (www.FactorLab.com – “Making Success a Habit” – what a great line!).  After each interaction (or demo, in the case of Great Demo!), team members simply tap answers to a few quick coaching questions in an App.  While subtle, these actions help to reinforce the key ideas of a methodology and build desired habits.

For example, in the case of Great Demo!, the GROW App asks if the Situation Slide was complete (really key, correct?), did the demo start with the Illustration, and a few other important ideas. 

Participants can use the App to coach themselves and/or ask for help from their managers – what a delight!  Check it out at www.FactorLab.com. 

[Note:  in the case of Great Demo! Workshops, customers report that Group A is often larger than expected – and Group F can be very small!].