Read The Attached Article And Answer Q & Short Summary Of The Answer

60 TD | September 2016

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

ASSESS NEEDS FIRST,

The response to a training request is not as simple as yes or no.

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TDFE700906Tobey.indd 60 8/19/16 2:53 PM

September 2016 | TD 61

You are walking down the hall in your organi-zation minding your own business when you run into a department manager. You greet each other and chat for a moment, and then the manager says, “You know, I’m having some trouble with my customer satisfaction measures in the call center. They seem to be in a decline. The phone representatives must not be as responsive to the customers as they should. Would you set up a tele- phone skills training session next Tuesday?”

Your first instinct would probably be to say, “Yes, certainly. What time?” But why would you agree so readily? Perhaps you believe:

• You have an excellent telephone skills program that you have been wanting to pilot test, and this would be your chance to do so.

• The HRD field is a helping profession that reso- nates for you, and this is an opportunity to help.

• You are an excellent trainer, and this is a chance to shine.

• You want to be responsive to your clients and build a reputation of responsiveness. After all, that’s your job, isn’t it?

• This manager has a reputation for being de- manding and no-nonsense—the only answer this manager is looking for is “yes,” and that means a lot of pressure.

So, which option would you choose? Maybe all of the above? These issues exist for training profes- sionals every time they have a conversation like this in the hall or when a manager asks them to stop by to talk about a training need. It’s hard not to say yes immediately with these pressures.

ASSESS NEEDS FIRST, TRAIN SECOND BY BETH D. MCGOLDRICK AND DEBORAH D. TOBEY

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