One thing is clear: The value of your training lies in the positive change of your participants! – Regardless of whether you are supposed to impart skills, abilities, or knowledge to your participants.
Your success will be measured by whether the participant can implement something new that they couldn't do before, or whether they can apply their valuable learned knowledge when it is truly needed. I call this in all cases the positive change of your participants.
It is precisely this positive change that your participants are willing to pay for later. No matter if they do it themselves or if it’s the personnel development or a direct supervisor.
You should always ask yourself: “How can I bring about this positive change even more targetingly?” And this is exactly what my article is about.
A little background on "change"
What prompts a person to change? The benefit!
We humans are simply built. We constantly evaluate whether something fulfills a personal benefit for us or not. Even if this thought isn’t loudly articulated in our minds, it is always present in our subconscious – biologically anchored.
The good news: the benefit can often be formulated quite succinctly.
Let's illustrate this with two examples:
Example A regarding benefit:
This is what your training is about: Leading employees
What the participant should change:
Conduct better employee conversations
Benefit for them: The employee's performance improves
Example B regarding benefit:
This is what your training is about: Using new software
What the participant should change: Use keyboard shortcuts instead of just the mouse
Benefit for them: Faster work with the software
I bet you have already weighed in your mind whether the benefits in these examples are attractive to you. And I promise you: In the end, you would not have judged trying a new action or learning new knowledge based on the action or the factual content – but rather on the benefit you see for yourself.
If you are interested in why the search for benefits and the "why" is so deeply embedded in us and how it affects motivating people, I recommend the TED Talk “ how great leaders inspire action” by Simon Sinek.
I have also embedded the most important 6 minutes here:
How can I make it particularly easy for someone to change? Clear calls to action!
With an attractive benefit in the background, it's all about making the change as easy as possible for the participant. For this, you need a clear call to action.
What a clear call to action is:
What a clear call to action is not:
❌ distributed over several steps
❌ associated with long preparation
❌ lengthy and verbose
I will give you a few examples after you have had the opportunity to design some calls to action. We'll create the first one together in the next section.
This is how you develop a perfect call to action:
1. Formulate the raw version of the call to action
Take any exercise that a participant should do after your training and write a first draft for it.
Example A for calls to action (Leadership)
What they should change: Conduct better employee conversations
What they should practice: Listen to the conversation partner and respond to them
Call to action:
Listen carefully to your employee in the next conversation and pick up on their mentioned points.
Example B for calls to action (Software)
What they should change: Use keyboard shortcuts for recurring tasks
What they should practice:
Copying with “Ctrl + C” and pasting with “Ctrl + V”
Call to action:
Please use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V” more often instead of the mouse when copying text.
2. Check the clarity of the action and make your own adjustments
Once you have the first draft of your call to action, decide using the criteria from How can I make it particularly easy for someone to change? whether it is clear enough.
Example A for checking (Leadership)
Call to action: Listen carefully to your employee in the next conversation and pick up on their mentioned points.
focused on exactly one next step NO
implementable or scheduleable within 5 minutes after the call to action YES
understandable within 3 simple sentences NO
Example B for checking (Software)
Call to action:
Please use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V” more often instead of the mouse when copying text.
focused on exactly one next step YES
implementable or scheduleable within 5 minutes after the call to action NO
understandable within 3 simple sentences YES
Based on the checks against the criteria for a good call to action, you can easily decide what to do.
In Example A (Leadership), the focus is not narrow enough, as two actions are necessary. Listening, as well as reacting to what was heard. Additionally, the formulation of the action is vague enough that the participant does not know what they should do. However, planning is very easy. The exercise will be carried out in the next conversation.
In Example B (Software), it is still not clear when I will practice it. Practicing it immediately would be one option, or specifying an exact time. Therefore, it will be reformulated.
3. Reformulate the call to action
Example A for reformulation (Leadership)
Splitting into 2 calls to action
Call to action 1:
Listen carefully to your employee in the next conversation by trying to identify key words from their discussion.
Call to action 2: If you notice key terms during a conversation, address them. For example, by having that term explained to you again from a different perspective.
Example B for reformulation (Software)
Set triggers
Call to action: When you are sitting at the computer next time and copying texts, use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V” instead of the mouse. It’s best to already put a Post-It on your screen to remind you.
You may notice here that a new call to action can also have an impact on the exercise itself. This is even desirable. Because the easier the exercise becomes, the better the participant can implement it.
4. Send the call to action or start over at “2”
If you are satisfied with your call to action now, you just need to communicate it to your participants. For example, via email or as a short video message. This could look something like this:
https://mein.blink.it/courses/KZzasSKvomxi2ipB9
To get started right away, follow these steps:
Retrieve the materials from your last training.
Choose an exercise that the participant could do alone.
Go through the steps in the chapter “This is how you develop a perfect call to action.”
Write your best call to action in the comments or on Facebook.
